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Companies House Accounts and Confirmation Statement Deadlines Explained

Every UK company, including dormant ones, files annual accounts and at least one confirmation statement a year. Ask the assistant to work out your deadlines and what happens if you miss them.

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Answers are written by a language model solely from this base's documents, with numbered sources. They can be wrong and aren't legal, medical or financial advice: check the sources before any important decision.

Annual accounts: the 9 month rule and the first year

A private company has 9 months after the end of each accounting reference period to deliver its accounts. If a private company's first accounts cover more than 12 months, they are due within 21 months of incorporation, or 3 months from the accounting reference date, whichever is longer.

The deadline is counted to the exact day, using the date acceptable accounts reach Companies House, and still applies on a Sunday or bank holiday. Late filing penalties for a private company range from £150 (up to 1 month late) to £1,500 (more than 6 months), and directors also risk prosecution.

Confirmation statement: review period and filing window

Every company must file a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, even if nothing has changed. The review period ends 12 months after incorporation, or after the last confirmation date, and you then have up to 14 days to file.

Before filing, report any changes to directors, secretary, PSCs, registered office and registered email address. Failing to file can mean a fine of up to £5,000 and the company may be struck off.

Frequently asked questions

Does a dormant company have to file accounts?

Yes. Dormant accounts have the same deadline and the same late filing penalties as other accounts, although unaudited dormant accounts are much simpler than a trading company's.

Can I change my accounting reference date to buy more time?

Only before the filing deadline for that period. If the accounts are already overdue, it is too late, and any existing deadline extension stops applying once you change the date.

How can I avoid missing a deadline?

Companies House sends email reminders when accounts and confirmation statements are due. Up to 4 people, including an agent, can receive them.

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Claude Code, Cursor and other clients
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claude mcp add --transport http kopik-uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house" --header "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…"
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{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kopik-uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house": {
      "url": "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer kpk_…"
      }
    }
  }
}

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