All change at Companies House, but not yet….
Companies House accounts filing changes delayed until April 2028
The government has confirmed that significant changes to the way small companies file accounts at Companies House will now be introduced from April 2028, rather than April 2027 as originally proposed. The changes form part of wider reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and are intended to improve transparency and help tackle economic crime.
What is changing?
The most important change is that small companies will no longer be able to use simplified filing options that currently allow certain financial information to remain private.
Under the revised proposals:
Small companies must file a profit and loss account with Companies House.
Small companies must file a directors' report, unless exempt.
Micro-entities must file both a balance sheet and a profit and loss account.
The option to file abridged or filleted accounts will be removed.
Companies will be required to submit accounts using approved commercial software rather than web-based or paper filing methods.
Will the information be public?
The government has confirmed that small companies and micro-entities will be able to opt out of having their profit and loss accounts published on the public register. While the information will not be viewable by the general public, it will remain fully accessible to HMRC, Companies House, and relevant law enforcement agencies. Final administrative details on how to opt out are still being developed.
What should businesses do now?
Although implementation has been delayed until April 2028, company directors should be aware that greater financial disclosure to authorities will become a permanent feature of the UK company reporting regime. Businesses that currently rely on abridged or filleted accounts should use this extra time to ensure their digital accounting systems are compatible with software-only filing requirements.
If you would like to discuss how these changes may affect your company, please contact us.
And if you feel this alert could help a business colleague or family member, please feel free to share it with them.