Coronavirus – Extension to company accounts filing deadline
From 25 March 2020 companies can apply to Companies House for a two-month extension to their accounts filing deadline if they will be late filing their accounts due to COVID-19. The extension is automatic and immediate, but companies must make the application for it before their filing deadline to be able to take advantage of it. A further extension of one month can be granted after this if a company can demonstrate extreme circumstances.
If a company does not apply for an extension and its accounts are filed late, even as a result of COVID-19, an automatic penalty will still be imposed. A company may not be granted the extension if it has already extended its accounts filing deadline or shortened its accounting reference period.
Extensions to accounts filing deadlines are already permitted but only in very limited situations. This measure is part of the government’s wider business support package to help companies through these unprecedented and uncertain times.
If your company needs to apply for an extension to its accounts filing deadline you can do so here.
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