Looking at the adversity that businesses are facing due to the catastrophic effects of corona on the economy the Companies House has relaxed the compliance burden on companies by bringing into force “Companies etc. (Filing Requirements) (Temporary Modifications) Regulations 2020 on 27 June 2020”. These regulations have temporarily extended the deadlines for various filing requirements.
Company accounts filing
The usual company accounts filing deadline is 9 months after the accounting year ends annually. These regulations have now granted companies whose filing deadlines fall on or between 27 June 2020 to 5 April 2021, an extension of 3 months to file their accounts. This means now the companies will get a time period of 12 months after the end of their accounting year to file their annual accounts to the CoHo. The regulation only applies to the original filing deadline date, so if you already have made a request to extend your company accounts filing deadline, the allowance may not cover you.
You can click here to find out the company’s new filing deadline.
Some special situations:
Situation 1: If the company has already taken an extension
The extension applies to the original filing deadline and not to the extension already granted by the Companies House. Hence, if the company has already had an extension, it may or may not benefit from this temporary extension.
Situation 2: If you’ve shortened your company’s accounting reference period
The deadline, in such cases, would be extended to the later of:
- a) the new period of 12 months from your accounting reference date, or
- b) 3 months from the date of the notice to shorten your accounting reference period
Situation 3: If you’ve extended your company’s accounting reference period
In this case, the company will be eligible for this temporary extension if it’s filing deadline falls on or before 5 April 2021.
Situation 4: If it’s your company’s first accounts
The filing deadline will extend from 9 months to 12 months for private companies if the company’s first accounts cover a period of 12 months or less, and it has not received an extension.
However, if the company’s first accounts cover a period of more than 12 months, then your filing deadline will now be:
- 24 months from the date of incorporation, or
- 3 months from the accounting reference date - whichever is longer
Confirmation Statement
The Confirmation Statement filing deadline has now been extended from 14 days to 42 days. The extension applies to companies and LLPs alike. There is no need to apply for the same as it is an automatic extension.
Event-based filings
The time period for filing details of various company events like changes in directors or PSC, changes in registered office address of the company, etc. has also been extended to 42 days.
Mortgage charges
The particulars of mortgage charges need to be submitted to CoHo usually within 21 days from the date the charge has been created. Now, for charges created as of 6 June 2020, the period of filing has been extended by 10 days. Thus, the period to deliver the particulars of the charge shall now be 31 days from the day charges are created.
The charge should be delivered within the deadline given by the court, where the court has already extended the period to deliver the particulars of the charge.
How to apply for a deadline extension?
These are automatic extensions. There is no need to apply for the same.
Important note
The companies house filing deadline extension in all the cases is a TEMPORARY measure. It will not apply where the end of the review period/filing deadline falls on or after 6 April 2021.
