The normal Companies House accounts deadlines
A private company normally has nine months after the end of its financial year to deliver annual accounts to Companies House. A public company normally has six months. These are filing windows, not a judgement about the quality or solvency of the business.
The accounting reference date shown on the register anchors the period. Confirm both the period end and the recorded due date rather than calculating from the company name or incorporation anniversary.
First accounts and changed accounting periods
First accounts can follow different rules. If they cover more than 12 months, the Companies House deadline is normally 21 months after incorporation for a private company and 18 months for a public company. Shortened or extended accounting periods can also change the calculation.
Use the due date displayed on the live Companies House record and review any accounting-reference-date filing before relying on a hand calculation.
Confirmation statements are a separate filing
A confirmation statement confirms that the information held on the register is up to date. It has its own review period and filing deadline. Filing annual accounts does not satisfy the confirmation-statement requirement, and filing a confirmation statement does not replace the accounts.
Companies House is not the Corporation Tax deadline
Searches for “company tax filing deadlines” often mix two systems. Annual accounts and confirmation statements go to Companies House. A Company Tax Return and Corporation Tax payment go to HMRC and follow different dates. CompanyBeacon reports Companies House fields; it does not calculate a Corporation Tax filing or payment position.
What an overdue flag proves
An overdue accounts flag means the source record showed the filing as late when checked. It does not establish insolvency, misconduct or the size of any penalty. A newly delivered document may also take time to be examined and accepted.
Use the upcoming company filing deadlines report to review the current public-record projection, then open the linked Companies House record before acting.
A practical deadline check
- Resolve the exact legal entity by Companies House number.
- Record the accounting period end and accounts due date.
- Check whether first-account or changed-period rules apply.
- Record the confirmation-statement due date separately.
- Check HMRC obligations separately with the company or its adviser.
- Save the source URL and the date you checked it.
Official sources
Companies House: preparing and filing accounts
GOV.UK: annual accounts and Company Tax Returns
GOV.UK: file a confirmation statement
GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns
Next steps
Check a company, explore CompanyBeacon reports, or review the methodology and limitations.