Dormant Company Accounts Filing in Powys

Dormant company accounts are the annual accounts filed with Companies House for a financial period in which the company meets the dormancy conditions — broadly, no significant accounting transactions. They are a formal set of accounts, simply a much shorter and simpler one than a trading company would prepare. The exact content and the filing route depend on the company's circumstances and the applicable Companies House rules, so it is worth checking your own position rather than assuming one approach fits every dormant company. Filing dormant accounts is not the same as filing a confirmation statement or a Corporation Tax Return.

Companies House dormancy is about what happened in the company's books during the accounting period. If there were no significant accounting transactions — no sales, no purchases and nothing else that needs recording in the accounts — the company is likely to be dormant for Companies House purposes. Some items are usually disregarded, such as the subscriber shares taken on incorporation and fees paid to the Registrar of Companies. Because the test is based on the transactions of the period, it is assessed year by year rather than once and for all, and a company can move in and out of dormancy over its life.

In most cases, yes. Being dormant for Companies House purposes does not remove the requirement to file annual accounts. Unless the company has been formally dissolved, or a specific rule or exemption applies to its particular circumstances, the directors are expected to prepare and file accounts and to keep the company's record up to date. The accounts themselves will be simpler than those of a trading company, but the filing obligation generally remains. Working out which route applies to your company is the first step in any Dormant Company Accounts Filing.

Usually yes, and it is a completely separate filing from the accounts. A confirmation statement goes to Companies House to confirm that the information held about the company — directors, shareholders, registered office, SIC codes and so on — is correct as at the confirmation date. Dormant company accounts and a confirmation statement serve different purposes and are submitted under different requirements, so preparing one does not satisfy the other. If something has changed at the company, the confirmation statement is the point at which the public register is brought up to date.

No — they are separate tests, looked at by different bodies, and a company can be dormant for one purpose but not automatically for the other. Companies House dormancy turns on whether there have been significant accounting transactions in the period, while dormancy for Corporation Tax is a matter for HMRC judged against its own criteria. Filing dormant accounts with Companies House does not notify HMRC of anything, so it does not by itself change your company's Corporation Tax position. If you want to change what is recorded with HMRC, that has to be dealt with separately.

That depends on the company's position with HMRC, not on whether it is dormant at Companies House. Where HMRC has been notified of dormancy and accepts that position, it may not issue a notice to deliver a Corporation Tax Return — but if a notice is issued, the company is generally expected to respond to it. A Corporation Tax Return is a separate HMRC obligation from Dormant Company Accounts Filing, and the two should not be treated as covering each other. If you are unsure what HMRC expects of your company, it is worth checking that side of things directly.

Usually fairly little. We typically need the company's registered name and number, the accounting reference date, the period the accounts cover, confirmation of the company's position during that period, and details of anything that did occur — for example shares issued, changes to the register, or balance sheet items that remain. If the company has been dormant for some time, a copy of the last accounts filed and any recent Companies House correspondence helps ensure the period being reported lines up correctly. Being able to confirm that nothing happened is just as useful as listing what did.

Late filing can lead to a penalty from Companies House and leaves the company's public record showing accounts as outstanding, which can affect how the filing history looks to lenders and anyone else checking the register. If you realise that accounts are overdue, it is generally better to sort them out sooner rather than later. How penalties are applied and handled depends on Companies House and the specific circumstances of the company, so it is worth taking advice on your own position rather than assuming the same outcome as another company.