Getting copies of company accounts from HMRC?

[fizmo100]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to get a copy of your limited company's accounts from HMRC?

I need them quickly for a mortgage application, and my previous accountant may as well have been made out of stilton - I have never seen these accounts (my new accountant is appalled as I should have signed them each year prior to submission) and since the previous accountant has had their marching orders, I can't see them being in any rush to send the documents over.

HMRC must have a copy of these accounts for their purposes, I'm wondering if there is a way to get copies - for instance if the originals are lost or destroyed? I'd be happy enough to pay a fee for the priviledge if required, I just need to get my mitts on the documents sharpish!

Any thoughts or suggestions? (Other than well aimed reprimands for not having the paperwork sorted!)

Cheers,

Dan.

[marshalla]

You should be able to download a copy from Companies' House (for a fee - which appears to be £1) - though these are likely to be the abbreviated accounts, rather than the full.

[fizmo100]

Ah right - so is there no way to get the full documents? I guess abbreviated figures will be enough to get things started, but I'm sure at some point the underwriters will want full accounts. HMRC must have them somewhere, surely?

[nyt]

https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company

If your accountant is like all the ones I've met he will only ever have filed abbreviated accounts

[marshalla]

fizmo100 said:

Ah right - so is there no way to get the full documents? I guess abbreviated figures will be enough to get things started, but I'm sure at some point the underwriters will want full accounts. HMRC must have them somewhere, surely?

They should have them, somewhere, but they might be a bit busy at this time of year.

[essayer]

Pretty sure HMRC won't have anything except the CT600 (corp tax)
Accounts go to Companies House

[Ali_D]

essayer said:

Pretty sure HMRC won't have anything except the CT600 (corp tax)
Accounts go to Companies House

They will have them as you have to send them attached to the CT600 submission. Whether or not you can get them is an entirely different question.

I'd be tempted to pay a personal visit to the old accountant, unless they were absolutely incompetent they should have a file with all this on. As they are likely to be very busy with income tax submissions at the minute popping round personally will have a much quicker effect than phoning or emailing.

[Eric Mc]

HMRC SHOULD have a copy of the full set of accounts and they SHOULD send a set to you if you asked - but they won't be quick.

As has already been said, the previous accountant must have a full set on their records so they should be able to despatch a set to you very quickly.

Most accountants these days use software to prepare company accounts so there is no real effort in sending a pdf version of the last set they prepared to you. It would not take them more than five minutes to do this.

[darreni]

fizmo100 said:

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to get a copy of your limited company's accounts from HMRC?

I need them quickly for a mortgage application, and my previous accountant may as well have been made out of stilton - I have never seen these accounts (my new accountant is appalled as I should have signed them each year prior to submission) and since the previous accountant has had their marching orders, I can't see them being in any rush to send the documents over.

HMRC must have a copy of these accounts for their purposes, I'm wondering if there is a way to get copies - for instance if the originals are lost or destroyed? I'd be happy enough to pay a fee for the priviledge if required, I just need to get my mitts on the documents sharpish!

Any thoughts or suggestions? (Other than well aimed reprimands for not having the paperwork sorted!)

Cheers,

Dan.

A new accountant will usually write to the previous one & request copies of the financial statements & company returns etc.

Given that you signed them without actually seeing the accounts & don't have copies, this would have been the first thing on your new accountants to do list.

[fizmo100]

Thanks for all the replies. I've taken the advice about dropping round, I'm trying to arrange a time to drop by and collect whatever they have. It means a 7 hour round trip, but under the circumstances it seems the best option. I've downloaded the documentation available online, and there are 2 fulls sets of accounts and 2 abbreviated sets, the latter telling me absolutely nothing (other than some unusual figures are being bandied about that I would like to get to the bottom of!).