Company DeadlineCalculator
Independent tool

Companies House accounts

Know when your annual accounts must reach Companies House.

Choose the company type and account period. The result distinguishes ordinary annual accounts from first accounts with a longer first period.

01

Your accounts period

This is a planning estimate. The deadline is the date acceptable accounts are delivered, not the date they are posted or first submitted.

Use the right rule

First accounts can have a different filing window.

For later accounts, the normal filing window is 9 months after the accounting reference date for private companies and LLPs, or 6 months for public companies. First accounts that cover more than 12 months use a separate comparison.

  1. 01
    Check whether these are first accounts

    Use the incorporation date only for the special first-accounts rule.

  2. 02
    Confirm the accounting reference date

    This is shown on the Companies House register and may change if you alter the date.

  3. 03
    Deliver acceptable accounts by the deadline

    A rejected filing after the deadline can still lead to a late filing penalty.

Common questions

Accounts filing deadline FAQ

Private companies and LLPs normally have 9 months after the accounting reference date. Public companies normally have 6 months.

If first accounts cover more than 12 months, a private company or LLP uses the later of 21 months from incorporation or 3 months from the accounting reference date. A public company uses 18 months from incorporation or 3 months from the reference date.

No. The legal filing deadline still applies even if it falls on a Sunday or bank holiday.

No. Companies House accounts and HMRC Corporation Tax returns have different deadlines. Use the Corporation Tax calculator for the HMRC dates.