Companies House filing changes April 2028

Companies House have announced an updated set of changes to company account filings from April 2028 (originally planned for April 2027).  This includes:

• requiring small companies and micro entities to file profit and loss accounts with Companies House as other companies do, but with the option to opt out of publishing this information on the public register
• requiring all companies to file their annual accounts via commercial software
• removing the option for companies to file abridged accounts
• a strengthened eligibility statement for all companies claiming an audit exemption
• requiring component parts of the filed accounts and reports to all be filed together
• reducing the number of times a company can shorten its accounting reference period

A lot of small business owners are concerned about the disclosure of their profit and loss account at Companies House from both a privacy and commercial risk perspective.  It is welcome news that small business owners can opt out of the requirement to publish their profit and loss account.

With the changes due to be implemented in April 2028, this provides all companies with full accounting year, plus 9 months (21 months) to prepare.  With the option to opt out of the profit and loss disclosure, we anticipate the changes to company accounts to be minimal.