Extend your accounts filing deadline
26 March 2020, Charities, Companies, Creative Industries
Company Accounts
If your company accounts can’t be prepared in time due to the COVID-19 emergency you can apply to extend your accounts filing deadline by 3 months.
How to extend your accounts filing deadline
Company accounts for a private limited company are normally due for filing 9 months after the year end date. If you are not going to be able to file your company accounts on time due to the COVID-19 emergency you can apply to Companies House to extend your accounts filing deadline.
You’ll need:
- your company number
- an email address
- information about your extension reasons (simply cite COVID-19 or Health matters as the grounds for their application)
Companies House will not issue you a late filing penalty if your application to extend your accounts filing deadline is approved and you file your accounts before the extended deadline.
When do I need to apply?
You must apply for the extension before your filing deadline. If your accounts are already late you can’t claim the extension above. If you do not apply for an extension and your accounts are filed late, an automatic penalty will be imposed. The registrar has very limited discretion not to collect a penalty.
You can’t apply for an extension if your filing date has already been extended or your have shortened your accounting period.
What if my accounts are already late?
You can appeal against a late filing penalty.
If you want to appeal a penalty you must:
- give a specific reason for not filing your accounts on time
- include all relevant details, such as dates and times
- prove the circumstances were out of your control, for example a fire destroyed your records a few days before your accounts were due
Your appeal is likely to be unsuccessful if it’s because:
- these were your first accounts
- your company is dormant
- your company is a charity or a flat management company
- you cannot afford to pay
- another director is responsible for filing the accounts
- it was your accountant’s (or anybody else’s) fault
- you did not know when or how to file your accounts
- your accounts were delayed or lost in the post
- the directors live or were travelling overseas
Where to get help
If you need support to file your company accounts or apply for an automatic extension due to COVID-19, please contact Alterledger on the form below.
