Companies House late filing penalties: full guide

For a private company, accounts up to one month late attract £150, one to three months late £375, three to six months late £750, and more than six months late £1,500. Public company penalties are higher at £750, £1,500, £3,000 and £7,500 for the same bands.

If accounts were late in the previous financial year, the penalty is doubled. The clock runs from the statutory filing deadline to the date Companies House accepts the accounts, not the day work began or the day a rejected submission was sent.

A private company normally files annual accounts within nine months of its accounting reference date. First accounts are usually due 21 months after incorporation when they cover no more than 12 months, although a longer first accounting period can create a different corporation tax timetable.

Use the company filing deadline calculator rather than assuming the Corporation Tax date is the same. Accounts go to Companies House, Corporation Tax is usually paid nine months and one day after the period end, and the CT600 normally follows within 12 months.

The civil penalty is issued to the company. Continued failure can lead to strike off action, prosecution of directors and difficulty obtaining finance or passing supplier checks. A late filing penalty does not extend the deadline or replace the accounts.

File a complete set as soon as possible. A rushed submission that is rejected does not stop the penalty increasing, so check the company number, accounting period, balance sheet statements and approval date before sending it.

Companies House considers appeals where an exceptional event outside your control made timely filing impossible. Being busy, relying on an accountant, not knowing the deadline, problems with company finances or losing the authentication code are generally not enough on their own.

Explain the event, show how it directly caused the delay and provide evidence. File the accounts first where possible. Companies House decides appeals on the facts, so no accountant can guarantee cancellation.

Close the bookkeeping soon after year end, set reminders well before all three company deadlines and keep the Companies House authentication code secure. Directors remain legally responsible even when an accountant prepares and submits the accounts.

Our annual accounts service combines the statutory accounts and CT600 timetable, while the free deadline tool gives directors the exact dates to place in their calendar. Rates and deadlines are reviewed for 2026/27, but HMRC interest rates and individual circumstances can change the result. Check the linked official guidance or ask us before acting.