How Do I Check My UK Company's Filing Deadline?

If you run a UK limited company, keeping track of your Companies House filing deadlines is an important part of staying compliant.

Your company may have several different deadlines throughout the year, including deadlines for:

• annual accounts;
• confirmation statements;
• Corporation Tax;
• Company Tax Returns;
• VAT Returns; and
• payroll reporting.

One of the easiest ways to check your company's annual accounts filing deadline is through the Companies House online register.

This guide explains how to check when your company accounts are due, how filing deadlines work and why Companies House and HMRC deadlines should not be confused.

Where Can I Check My Company's Filing Deadline?

You can check your company's filing information through the official Companies House register.

Search for your company using its:

Company name

or

Company registration number

Once you open the company record, you can see important information about its accounts and filing history.

For annual accounts, look for information showing when the:

Next accounts are due

This is the date by which the company's accounts should normally be delivered to Companies House.

How Do I Find My Company on Companies House?

The process is straightforward.

Step 1 — Open Companies House

Go to the official Companies House company information service.

Step 2 — Search for Your Company

Enter your:

Company name

or

Company number

Using the company number can be particularly useful where several companies have similar names.

Step 3 — Select the Correct Company

Check details such as:

• company name;
• company number;
• registered office;
• company status; and
• incorporation date.

Make sure you are viewing the correct company.

Step 4 — Check the Accounts Section

The company overview normally displays information about the company's accounts.

Look for:

Next accounts made up to

and:

Due by

The due by date is particularly important because it tells you the Companies House filing deadline shown for those accounts.

What Does “Next Accounts Made Up To” Mean?

This is not the filing deadline.

It refers to the date to which the company's next accounts are prepared.

For example, your company record might show:

Next accounts made up to: 31 December

Due by: 30 September

In this example:

31 December = accounting period end

while:

30 September = filing deadline

Do not confuse the two dates.

What Is an Accounting Reference Date?

A company's accounting reference date determines the end of its financial year for Companies House purposes.

For example:

Accounting reference date: 31 March

The company's annual accounts would normally be prepared up to that date.

The filing deadline comes later.

This creates a sequence:

Accounting period

↓

Financial year ends

↓

Accounts prepared

↓

Directors approve accounts

↓

Accounts filed with Companies House

How Long Does a Private Limited Company Have to File Accounts?

For an established private limited company, annual accounts are generally required to be delivered to Companies House within 9 months after the end of the company's financial year.

For example:

Financial year ends: 31 December

↓

Accounts generally due: 30 September

However, special rules apply to a company's first accounts.

Do not calculate your deadline manually if you can check the actual date shown on the Companies House register.

Are First Company Accounts Different?

Yes.

The first accounts of a newly incorporated company can have a different filing deadline from subsequent annual accounts.

This is an important issue for new company owners.

The company's first accounting period can also be longer than 12 months.

Rather than assuming:

“I have nine months after my first year.”

check the exact deadline displayed by Companies House.

Why Are First Accounts Different?

When a company is incorporated, Companies House establishes an accounting reference date.

The company's first accounts generally cover the period beginning on the incorporation date and ending on its first accounting reference date.

Depending on when the company was incorporated, this can produce an accounting period longer than a standard 12-month financial year.

Different filing rules therefore apply to first accounts.

What If I Change My Company's Accounting Year-End?

Companies can potentially change their accounting reference date, subject to Companies House rules.

Changing the accounting period can also change the company's filing deadline.

However, there are restrictions on:

• how often accounting periods can be extended;
• how long an accounting period can be; and
• when changes can be made.

Do not change the accounting reference date solely based on an assumed new deadline.

Check the updated Companies House record after making any change.

Is the Confirmation Statement Deadline the Same?

No.

Your company's confirmation statement is separate from its annual accounts.

Companies House may therefore show different information for:

Accounts

and

Confirmation statement

These are separate compliance obligations.

Filing annual accounts does not replace the confirmation statement.

Likewise, filing the confirmation statement does not replace annual accounts.

What Is a Confirmation Statement?

A confirmation statement is used to confirm that important information Companies House holds about your company is correct and up to date.

This can include information relating to:

• registered office;
• directors;
• shareholders;
• share capital;
• people with significant control; and
• other company information.

Where necessary, certain information should be updated before or alongside the confirmation process rather than simply confirming incorrect information.

How Do I Check My Confirmation Statement Deadline?

Your Companies House company record also provides confirmation statement information.

Look for the section labelled:

Confirmation statement

This can show information such as when the statement is due or when the relevant review period ends.

Again, do not confuse this with the annual accounts deadline.

Are Companies House and HMRC Deadlines the Same?

No.

This is one of the most important points for UK limited company owners.

Your company can have separate obligations to:

Companies House

and

HMRC

Companies House deals with corporate filings such as statutory accounts and confirmation statements.

HMRC deals with taxes such as Corporation Tax.

The deadlines are not necessarily the same.

What Are the Main Limited Company Deadlines?

A typical UK limited company may need to monitor several deadlines.

Companies House

Potential obligations include:

Annual accounts

and

Confirmation statement

HMRC

Potential obligations include:

Corporation Tax payment

Company Tax Return

VAT Returns

and

PAYE reporting

depending on the company.

Each should be tracked separately.

When Is Corporation Tax Due?

Corporation Tax has its own payment deadline.

For many companies with taxable profits within the usual limits, Corporation Tax is generally due 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period.

However, different payment arrangements can apply to companies with sufficiently large profits.

Do not confuse the Corporation Tax payment deadline with the Companies House accounts deadline.

When Is the Company Tax Return Due?

A Company Tax Return generally has a separate filing deadline from the Corporation Tax payment deadline.

For many companies, the Company Tax Return is generally due 12 months after the end of the relevant accounting period.

This creates three potentially different dates:

Companies House accounts deadline

Corporation Tax payment deadline

Company Tax Return deadline

A company can therefore be compliant with one and overdue with another.

Example of Different Company Deadlines

Imagine a company's financial year ends:

31 December

Its compliance calendar could potentially include:

Companies House accounts → later filing deadline

Corporation Tax → separate payment deadline

Company Tax Return → separate HMRC filing deadline

The exact dates should be confirmed for the individual company.

The important lesson is:

Do not use one deadline for everything.

Can I Check Corporation Tax Deadlines on Companies House?

Not necessarily.

Companies House primarily provides corporate filing information.

Corporation Tax is administered by HMRC.

You should therefore use the appropriate HMRC records, accounting software or professional adviser to confirm tax deadlines.

Can My Accountant Check My Filing Deadlines?

Yes.

An accountant can help monitor:

• annual accounts;
• Corporation Tax;
• Company Tax Returns;
• VAT;
• payroll; and
• other tax deadlines.

However, directors remain responsible for ensuring that the company's Companies House obligations are met.

Do not assume that appointing an accountant means you never need to monitor the company's public filing record.

Should Directors Check Companies House Themselves?

Yes.

It is good practice for directors to periodically check their company's Companies House record.

This can help identify:

• upcoming filing deadlines;
• overdue accounts;
• confirmation statement dates;
• incorrect company information;
• unexpected filings; and
• changes to company status.

The Companies House register is public, so customers, suppliers, lenders and other third parties may also view this information.

What Happens If I Miss the Accounts Deadline?

Late annual accounts can result in an automatic financial penalty.

The penalty generally increases depending on how late the accounts are filed.

Repeated late filing can also result in higher penalties.

Persistent failure to file can lead to more serious enforcement consequences.

Therefore, if you discover that your accounts are already overdue:

Do not wait.

Contact your accountant and arrange for the accounts to be filed as soon as possible.

What If Companies House Shows My Accounts as Overdue?

First confirm that the company record is correct.

Then determine whether:

• the accounts were never submitted;
• the accounts were submitted but rejected;
• the accountant has not completed the filing;
• the accounting period changed; or
• another filing problem occurred.

If valid accounts remain outstanding, arrange for them to be filed promptly.

What If I Already Submitted My Accounts?

Do not assume submission means acceptance.

Check the company's filing history.

If the accounts were successfully accepted, the filing should normally appear on the public company record.

If they do not appear, check any filing confirmation or rejection messages.

What Is the Filing History?

Every company on the Companies House register has a filing history.

This shows documents and changes filed for the company.

Depending on the company, this may include:

• annual accounts;
• confirmation statements;
• incorporation documents;
• director appointments;
• director resignations;
• registered office changes;
• share information; and
• other statutory filings.

Reviewing filing history is a useful way to confirm that expected documents have actually been registered.

Can I Download Previous Company Accounts?

Companies House makes many company filings available through the public register.

You can therefore often access previously filed accounts and other documents through the company's filing history.

This can be useful when checking:

• previous accounting periods;
• filing patterns;
• historical company information; and
• whether the last accounts were successfully filed.

Does Companies House Send Filing Reminders?

Companies House can provide reminders and notifications through its available services.

However, directors should not depend entirely on reminders.

Emails can be missed.

Contact details can change.

Accountants can change.

Registered office providers can change.

The safest approach is to maintain your own compliance calendar.

How Far in Advance Should I Prepare My Accounts?

Avoid waiting until the deadline.

A sensible process is:

Financial year ends

↓

Complete bookkeeping

↓

Reconcile bank accounts

↓

Send records to accountant

↓

Prepare accounts

↓

Director reviews accounts

↓

Accounts approved

↓

File with Companies House

Starting early provides time to correct missing records or accounting problems.

What Information Might My Accountant Need?

Your accountant may require:

• bank statements;
• sales records;
• purchase invoices;
• expense receipts;
• payroll information;
• loan statements;
• asset purchases;
• director transactions;
• dividend records;
• stock information; and
• other accounting records.

Keeping these organised throughout the year can make filing much easier.

What If My Company Is Dormant?

Dormant companies generally still have Companies House filing obligations.

A dormant company may need to file appropriate dormant accounts.

Therefore:

No trading

does not automatically mean:

No Companies House deadline

Check the company's record even if it has never traded.

What If My Company Is Not Trading?

A company can be active at Companies House while not currently trading.

Its filing obligations do not simply disappear because sales have stopped.

If you no longer need the company, consider whether it should:

• remain dormant;
• continue operating; or
• be formally closed.

Do not simply stop filing.

What If I Live Outside the UK?

The same Companies House filing obligations generally apply to a UK limited company even if its directors live overseas.

For example:

UK limited company

Director living overseas

still means the company needs to comply with UK Companies House requirements.

Non-UK resident directors should therefore maintain a reliable compliance calendar.

How Can I Avoid Missing My Filing Deadline?

A simple system can prevent most problems.

Create reminders for:

3 months before deadline

↓

1 month before deadline

↓

2 weeks before deadline

↓

Final confirmation after filing

Do not make the filing deadline itself your first reminder.

The goal should be to complete the accounts well before they become due.

Create a UK Company Compliance Calendar

Consider tracking:

ObligationAuthorityAnnual accountsCompanies HouseConfirmation statementCompanies HouseCorporation Tax paymentHMRCCompany Tax ReturnHMRCVAT ReturnHMRCPAYE obligationsHMRC

Not every company will have every obligation, but keeping the relevant dates in one calendar makes compliance easier.

Common Filing Deadline Mistakes

Company directors should avoid:

• confusing the accounting year-end with the filing deadline;
• assuming first accounts follow exactly the same deadline as later accounts;
• confusing Companies House deadlines with HMRC deadlines;
• assuming the accountant will remember everything;
• waiting for Companies House reminders;
• ignoring dormant company filings;
• waiting until the final day to submit;
• failing to check whether accounts were accepted;
• forgetting the confirmation statement;
• assuming Corporation Tax is due on the same date as the accounts; and
• failing to update reminders after changing the accounting reference date.

Company Filing Deadline Checklist

Check your Companies House record and identify:

Company number

↓

Company status

↓

Accounting reference date

↓

Next accounts made up to

↓

Accounts due by

↓

Confirmation statement information

↓

Filing history

Then separately check your HMRC obligations for:

Corporation Tax

Company Tax Return

VAT

and

PAYE

where applicable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check my company's filing deadline?

Search for your company on the official Companies House register using its company name or registration number. Check the accounts section for the date shown as “due by.”

Is the accounting year-end my filing deadline?

No. The accounting period end and filing deadline are different dates.

How long does a private company have to file accounts?

Established private companies generally have nine months after the end of their financial year to file annual accounts, although different rules apply in certain circumstances.

Are first company accounts different?

Yes. First accounts can have different filing rules, so check the exact deadline shown by Companies House.

Is the confirmation statement the same as annual accounts?

No. They are separate Companies House filing requirements.

Is Corporation Tax due when my Companies House accounts are due?

Not necessarily. Corporation Tax has a separate HMRC payment deadline.

Can my accountant file my accounts?

Yes, but directors remain responsible for ensuring the company's Companies House filing obligations are met.

Do dormant companies have filing deadlines?

Yes. Dormant companies generally still need to file appropriate accounts with Companies House.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

The company can face automatic late-filing penalties, with more serious consequences possible if accounts remain outstanding.

Where can I see whether my accounts were filed?

Check your company's Companies House filing history and verify that the accounts appear as an accepted filing.

Final Thoughts

So, how do you check your company's filing deadline?

The simplest process is:

Go to Companies House

↓

Search your company

↓

Open the company record

↓

Find the Accounts section

↓

Look for “Due by”

That gives you the Companies House deadline for the accounts displayed.

But remember that your company may have several other deadlines.

You should separately track:

Annual accounts → Companies House

Confirmation statement → Companies House

Corporation Tax → HMRC

Company Tax Return → HMRC

VAT → HMRC

PAYE → HMRC

The safest approach is to maintain a compliance calendar and aim to complete filings well before their statutory deadlines.

This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal, accounting, tax or financial advice. Filing rules and deadlines can change and special circumstances can affect individual companies. Always check the current information displayed for your company and official Companies House/HMRC guidance.

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