Accounts filing deadline on 31 December 2018
If you're one of the many companies that must file accounts by the end of December, do not leave it to the last minute.
It’s easier to file your accounts online and you can avoid postal delays.
Find out how to get your company authentication code, which you’ll need to file online. It’s sent by post to the company’s registered office and can take up to 5 days to arrive.
File early and file online
File online before the New Year’s Eve deadline and we’ll send you an email to confirm we’ve received your accounts. We’ll send you another email when we’ve registered your accounts.
It can take as little as 15 minutes from start to finish, and you’ll know you’ve delivered your accounts on time.
If you’re a small company, you cannot file abbreviated accounts any more. Find out your accounts filing options for small companies.
You’ll still need to file accounts if your company is dormant.
Avoid rejections
Our online filing service has inbuilt checks to help you avoid mistakes.
Accounts filed on paper need to be manually checked. We can only check them during office opening hours, and they can take over a week to process.
Check our current processing dates for paper documents.
If you have to file paper accounts, you could use a guaranteed next day delivery service. Send your accounts well before the New Year’s Eve deadline in case you need time to resubmit them. If your accounts are rejected and you need to resend them, you could be too late to avoid a penalty.
We will not accept postal delays as an excuse for late filing.
Our online services
Our online services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Check your company is registered for online filing and you’re able to file your accounts on the service.
Filing accounts at our offices
Our Cardiff office is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can receive documents during the holiday period. Our London and Edinburgh offices have a letterbox for out of hours deliveries. Our Belfast office can only accept documents during open hours.
Further information
Find out more about our WebFiling service and the company authentication code you’ll need to file online.
GOV.UK has information about how to prepare your accounts.
We have further guidance on accounts and late filing penalties.
If you cannot file your accounts on time, email [email protected] as soon as possible. Include your company name, number and the reasons you need an extension.
Updates to this page
Published 10 December 2015Last updated 29 November 2018 + show all updates
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Updated for December 2018.
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Updated for December 2017.
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2016 notice
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Added translation