Companies House has procedures in place to enable the majority of documents to be electronically filed.
Companies House has closed their contact centre and are only accepting enquires via email at enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk.
They have advised they will respond as soon as possible so do not expect a quick response.
Statutory accounts – extension of filing deadline
If a company is affected by COVID 19 and unable to file their accounts by the statutory deadline Companies House have developed a dedicatedelectronicform to apply for an automatic extension of 3 months.
It is important to note the following before seeking a filing extension:
Companies that have already extended their filing deadline, or shortened their accounting reference period, maynot be eligible for an extension;
Companies that have passed their filing deadline cannot apply for the 3 months automatic extension.
For companies that have amended their accounting reference date, we would advise an email is sent requesting an extension to Companies House instead of using the automatic form.
If you do not apply for an extension and your accounts have been subsequently filed late, an automatic penalty will be imposed:
The Registrar has very limited discretion not to collect a penalty;
You are able to appeal any fines – appeals based upon the impact of COVID-19 will be considered.
Confirmation Statements
The Company must deliver a Confirmation Statement at least once in any 12 month period;
Companies House already offer 2 weeks extra to file this;
There is no penalty for the late submission but Companies House will look to remove the Company from the register.
Thus far there has been no guidance issued to advise if striking offs will be put on hold during this period.
Other forms
All other forms should be filed electronically wherever possible.
Where Companies House will only accept paper documents as it currently stands only the Cardiff office is open to receive post and all same-day filings have been suspended.
Companies House are prioritising applications to remove your home address from the public register (Form SR01)
Please note there is a £55 charge for each document the address is to be removed from.
These applications should be emailed to Companies House on a separate email address ( DSR@companieshouse.gov.uk ) and the fee paid over the telephone.
It is important to note that the directors are responsible for filing documents on time;
Companies House do have the power to issue criminal proceedings against directors for documents not brought up to date.
Should the Crown be successful in bringing a prosecution, the conviction will result in a criminal record and a potentially unlimited fine for each document not delivered on time.
