Guides · Company · 5 min
Nine months to file your company accounts goes quickly
A company with a 31 March year end has until 31 December to file its accounts. Why nine months turns into six weeks, and the order we do things in.
Published
Nine months sounds like a long time. In practice, the first three disappear while the books are finished, the next three while everyone is busy with the business, and by October the deadline is six weeks away.
The dates that matter
For a company with a 31 March 2026 year end:
- 31 December 2026: accounts filed at Companies House.
- 1 January 2027: corporation tax paid.
- 31 March 2027: corporation tax return filed.
The tax is due before the return. That catches people out every year.
The order we work in
- Close the books. Reconcile the bank, chase missing invoices, count stock if you hold any.
- Draft the accounts. Depreciation, accruals, the director’s loan account.
- Work out the tax. Claim capital allowances in full and check for reliefs.
- Agree it with you. Nothing is filed until you have seen the numbers and a one-page summary.
- File both. Accounts to Companies House, the return to HMRC.
With the books kept monthly, we finish within three months of the year end. That leaves six months to plan for the tax bill instead of six weeks to find it.
Penalties for late accounts start at £150 and rise to £1,500 for a private company. They are automatic. Book a free call if your deadline is close.