Companies House late filing penalties explained

If accounts were also filed late in the previous financial year, the penalty is automatically doubled. The penalty is charged to the company, issued when the late accounts are eventually delivered.

• Directors commit an offence by failing to file on time and can be prosecuted and fined personally in serious cases
• Strike-off risk — persistent non-filing leads Companies House to assume the company is defunct and begin compulsory strike-off
• Credit damage — overdue accounts are visible on the public register and are read as a warning sign by lenders, suppliers and customers
• Unpaid penalties are pursued — referred for debt collection, and an unpaid penalty is considered if the same directors file late again

1. Find your exact due date on the Companies House register — don’t work from memory
2. Start the accounts well before the final month; penalties are automatic, not negotiable
3. Don’t rely on paper filing near a deadline — accounts must arrive by the date; online filing confirms acceptance
4. Use an accountant who diarises your deadlines — we chase you for records, not the other way round

Behind on a deadline right now? Call 0114 327 1480 — the sooner the accounts go in, the lower the band.

Urgent accounts preparation →