Companies House - annual returns

[Mattt]

Do CH send out reminders or is it up to the company to make the deadline?

Also, what's the difference between accounts due and returns due?

Sorry for the simple questions, never done this before

[Plotloss]

Do it online via Companies House.

Your annual return is to do with share capital and the like, your accounts deal with profit/loss of the business for them to calculate corp tax from etc.

You should have got a reminder with a deadline for your annual return.

[Eric Mc]

As plotloss said, the Companies House Annual Return (Form 363) is a return of details of Directors, Secretary, Issued Shares, Registered Office and changes during the year thereto.

It can be filed on paper (the old fashioned way) or on the Internet.
For those filing the paper version, Companies House normally send out a part completed Form 363 which an officer of the company should check, amend where necessary and return it to Companies House by post together with a cheque payable to Companies House for £30.00.

If filing the return on-line, Companies House will just issue a reminder that a return needs to be submitted. The return is sent back over the Internet and a cheque for £15.00 needs to be forwarded to Companies House. I'm sure you can also pay the fee by Debit or Credit Card.

Regarding accounts, the company needs to complete an annual set of company accounts which must be prepared in line with specific Companies Act requirements.
If you check your company details on the Companies House website, you will be able to see the satutory filing date applicable to your company. The initial statutory filing date is based on the date the company was formed. All future statutory filing dates are based on the company's annual year end date.

There is an automatic £100 penalty for failing to get your accounts in to Companies House by the statutory filing date.
There is no penalty for the Annual Return being late but if it is VERY late, the directors could be prosecuted.

[stepej]

Eric Mc said:

If filing the return on-line, Companies House will just issue a reminder that a return needs to be submitted. The return is sent back over the Internet and a cheque for £15.00 needs to be forwarded to Companies House. I'm sure you can also pay the fee by Debit or Credit Card.

you can pay by debit/credit card.... just done mine today

[LeeME3]

Did mine yesterday - got a reminder through the post and did it online for £15 paid by company debit card. Also, had to request a couple of codes from them but they sent them out PDQ so worth having a go at it a few days before it's due.

[Mattt]

Do they send through a letter? How long before they are due is the reminder sent?

[Eric Mc]

Why are you waiting for a reminder?

If you've lost the original form, you can always pick up the phone and request a replacement.

[Mattt]

So in this case the accounts (in this case just a DCA form) based on:

Accounting Reference Date: 30/11
Last Accounts Made Up To: (NO ACCOUNTS FILED)
Next Accounts Due: 16/09/2008
Last Return Made Up To:
Next Return Due: 14/12/2007

Would be prepared up to 30/11/07 and filed before the 16/09/07 (does it matter when I do it, or is it just a case of sometime between the 2 dates?)

I would then fill in and return Form 363s before the 14th Dec 2007.

[Eric Mc]

What is the exact date of incorporation of the company?

From what you have posted, Companies House are saying the due filing date for the accounts period ended 30 November 2007 is 16 September 2008.

If that is indeed the case, then that is the date before which the November 2007 MUST be filed. If filed after that date, you will pick up an automatic and unappealable £100 fine.
If the company is genuinely dormant (i.e had no transactions AT ALL during the period covered by the accounts), then Companies House will accept a Form DCA in lieu of formal accounts. The key factor is that no transactions of any sort can have occured during the year - apart from the issuing and paying up of the original share capital.

The completion of the Annual Return form 363 is separate matter not connected to the accounts and has its own separate filing deadlines.

Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 14th August 16:09

[Mattt]

15/16th Sept 2006 was the date of incorporation - I had a slight panic when I read the date accounts were due as 2007 instead of 2008 - but all seems ok now. The company does qualify as dormant, just holding the name until I am in a position to move it forward.

[Eric Mc]

The first set of accounts of a company are usually due to be filed at Companies House 22 months after the date of incorporation. This would imply that your initial filing deadline date would be 15/09/2006 plus 22 months = 15 July 2008.

As your accounts year end is 30 November, all future filing deadlines dates will be TEN months after the end of the financial year - i.e. 30 August the following year. (y/e 30/11/2008 - filing date 30 August 2009).

[Mattt]

Many thanks Eric