Late filing of company documents.
It used to be said by professional advisers that it was unheard of for Directors to be prosecuted or fined by Companies House for late filing of annual accounts. That is certainly no longer the case, and regularly we are involved in defending Directors being prosecuted in the nearby Cardiff Magistrates Court.
Companies House will pursue such cases, in what is now a largely automatic process, even for a first and single instance of late filing
In our experience Directors do take the need to file annual accounts seriously, but in business there can be lots of circumstances which intervene. If that happens, it is essential for Directors to take early advice to try to avoid a personal conviction and personal fines, as well as the automatic penalty charged to Companies once the late accounts are actually filed.
Current “automatic” penalty figures for late filings of company documents:
For Private Companies or LLP’s For Public Companies
Up to 1 month after the filing deadline £150 £750
1 – 3 months £375 £1,500
3 – 6 months £750 £3,000
Over 6 months £1,500 £7,500
*These penalties will be doubled if accounts are filed late in 2 successive financial years.
For more information about late filing or Companies House prosecutions and how DJ Murphy Solicitors can help you. Please click the link here…