Overdue company accounts, brought back up to date.

What counts as overdue

A private limited company normally has nine months after its accounting reference date to file accounts at Companies House, and twelve months after the end of the accounting period to file the company tax return with HMRC. Corporation tax itself is payable earlier, nine months and one day after the period ends, which is why a late return often arrives with interest already running.

The confirmation statement is separate again. A company can be up to date on accounts and still be flagged because no confirmation statement has been filed in the last twelve months.

• —Accounts not filed within nine months of the year end (six months for a public company)
• —No CT600 filed within twelve months of the end of the accounting period
• —Corporation tax unpaid more than nine months and one day after the period end
• —No confirmation statement in the last twelve months
• —A first set of accounts missed, where the deadline is 21 months from incorporation

What happens if you leave it

Companies House charges an automatic late filing penalty that rises with the delay and doubles if accounts were also late for the previous financial year. HMRC charges its own separate penalties for a late tax return, and tax-geared penalties once a return is six and twelve months late.

The more serious risk is the registrar starting strike-off action. A struck-off company stops existing, its bank account is frozen and any remaining assets pass to the Crown. Directors of a company that repeatedly fails to file can also be prosecuted or disqualified.

• —Companies House penalty: £150 up to a month late, £375 up to three months, £750 up to six months, £1,500 beyond that, doubled where the previous year was also late
• —HMRC: £100 when the return is a day late, another £100 at three months, then 10% of the unpaid tax at six months and a further 10% at twelve
• —Three consecutive late returns turn the £100 penalties into £500 each
• —Interest runs on unpaid corporation tax from the day after it was due
• —Strike-off proposal, frozen bank account, and difficulty getting credit or a lease while the register shows the company overdue

How a catch-up actually runs

We work oldest year first, because each year's closing balances become the next year's opening position. Where bookkeeping is missing we rebuild it from bank statements, invoices and platform reports rather than asking you to produce a tidy set of records you do not have.

Where a company is already facing strike-off we write to the registrar to confirm that accounts are being prepared, which usually holds the action while the filings are completed.

• —Register as your agent with HMRC and pull your filing and payment history
• —Rebuild bookkeeping year by year from bank data and source documents
• —Prepare statutory accounts for each overdue period and get them approved
• —File at Companies House in date order and submit each CT600 with the accounts and computations
• —Agree a payment plan with HMRC where the tax cannot be paid in one go
• —Appeal penalties where there is a genuine reasonable excuse with evidence

What we need from you

Less than people expect. Bank statements for every period are the backbone of a catch-up; everything else is supporting detail we can chase as we go.

• —Company number and authentication code, or we can request a new one
• —Bank statements covering each overdue period, as PDF or CSV
• —Sales records: invoices, or platform and payment processor reports
• —Purchase invoices and receipts for anything significant
• —Payroll and VAT records if the company was registered
• —Copies of any penalty notices or letters from Companies House and HMRC

Can penalties be appealed

Sometimes. Companies House will only waive a penalty in exceptional circumstances outside the director's control, and being busy, not knowing the deadline or an accountant letting you down are not on their own accepted. HMRC applies a reasonable excuse test that is broader but still evidence-led.

We will tell you honestly whether an appeal is realistic before spending your money on one, and we always file first: an appeal has no chance while the filing is still outstanding.

What it costs

Catch-up work is quoted per overdue year once we have seen the records, because a dormant year and a trading year with three years of unreconciled bank data are not the same job. Fixed fee, agreed in writing, before we start.

If you only need one straightforward late set filed, buying it directly through our online filing service is usually cheaper than an ongoing engagement.