Local accountants and tax advisers, Trueman Brown, state that Companies House will give an extension to filing dates due to Covid 19 outbreak, but companies must make claim.
All limited companies must send their financial statements to Companies House using the following deadline: –
- Public companies must file their first accounts within 18 months of the date of incorporation. After this, public companies must file their accounts 6 months after their accounting reference date.
- Private companies must file their first accounts within 21 months of the company’s date of incorporation. After this, private companies must file their accounts 9 months after their accounting reference date.
Example
ABC Limited has been operating for a number of years and has an accounting reference date of 30th June each year. Their accounts for the year ended 30th June 2019 should be filed with Companies House on or before 31st March 2020!
Claiming Extension of Filing Date
Any company is able to extend their account deadline if there are reasonable circumstances, and this can only be done by applying to Companies House directly. This application can be made in two ways: –
Online
The company can use Companies House website to claim the extension. You will need the following information to make the claim for extension: –
- the company registration number.
- an email address.
- the reason why you are claiming an extension.
- any supporting documentation to support your reasons to claim the extension.
It should take around 15 minutes to make the application online.
By Letter
Using the same information to be using an online claim, the company can write to Companies House to make the claim. The letter must be sent to the following address: –
Companies House England & Wales, Crown Way, Maindy, Cardiff. CF14 3UZ
Companies House Scotland, 4th Floor Edinburgh Quay 2, 139 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, EH3 9FF
Companies House Northern Ireland, 2nd Floor the Linenhall, 32-38 Linenhall Street, Belfast. BT2 8BG
In both circumstances, the company must state how long the extension should be. It is also vital that the claim made before the existing due filing date.
Coronavirus Outbreak
Due to the outbreak, Companies House has changed their policy to automatically allow for a two-month extension and then another month after that if companies can demonstrate extreme circumstances.
However, there is some confusion about how this extension will operate. It appears that the extension to the filing date will not happen automatically. The guidance to hand states:
“If Covid-19 has affected your company and you need more time to file your accounts, you should act before your filing deadline.
“If, immediately before the filing deadline, it becomes apparent that accounts will not be filed on time due to your company being affected by Covid-19, you may make an application to extend the period allowed for filing.”
Essentially, companies will need to ask for the extension by making the request online or by post.
Local accountants and tax adviser, Trueman Brown, deliver vital services to small business. If you require any further assistance, then please contact me.
Recent Comments