What Happens If You Miss Your Companies House Filing Deadline?
The Real Cost of Late Filing
Every year, thousands of UK limited companies receive penalties from Companies House for filing their annual accounts late. In 2024 alone, over 300,000 companies were penalised.
Annual Accounts Penalties
Companies House operates a strict penalty regime for late filing of annual accounts:
| How Late | Penalty (Private Ltd) |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 month | £150 |
| 1 to 3 months | £375 |
| 3 to 6 months | £750 |
| Over 6 months | £1,500 |
Important: If your accounts are filed late two years in a row, these penalties are doubled.
Confirmation Statement
While there isn't a direct financial penalty for late confirmation statements, Companies House may begin proceedings to strike your company off the register. This effectively means your company could be dissolved.
What to Do If You've Already Missed a Deadline
- File immediately — the sooner you file, the lower the penalty
- Don't ignore letters from Companies House
- Appeal if you have grounds — serious illness, natural disaster, or postal problems
- Set up reminders so it never happens again
How FileMinder Prevents Late Filing
FileMinder automatically calculates all your Companies House deadlines and sends you reminders at 90, 60, 30, 7, and 1 day before each deadline. You'll never miss a filing date again.
Never miss a filing deadline
FileMinder automatically tracks every UK company compliance deadline for you.
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