Companies House and late filing

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 returns.

That is no longer the case, and increasingly we are seeing cases of Directors being pursued.

It was also said, in the past that Companies House would only ever pursue such cases if it was a “dire” set of circumstances. However, this is no longer so.

We see Directors being pursued for a first and single instance of this happening, as if they were regular defaulters.

So, Directors should take the need to file annual returns in time every bit as seriously as they would the filing of annual accounts.


Most recent penalty figures for late filings of company (PLC) documents:

Up to 1 month after the deadline – £150

1 – 3 months after the deadline – £375

3 – 6 months after the deadline – £750

Over 6 months after the deadline – £1,500

*These penalties can double if accounts are filed late 2 years in a row.

For more information about late filing or Companies House prosecutions and how DJ Murphy Solicitors can help you. Please click the link here…