Companies House Confirms Major Accounts Filing Reforms from April 2028

Key Takeaways

• The Companies House filing reforms take effect from 1 April 2028, delayed from the originally planned date of April 2027.
• Small companies and micro-entities must file a profit and loss account, but can opt out of publishing it on the public register.
• All UK companies must file annual accounts through commercial software in iXBRL format, as web and paper filing routes close.
• Abridged accounts will no longer be accepted, and audit exemption claims will require a strengthened eligibility statement.
• Companies have one full accounting year plus nine months, or 21 months, to prepare for the new rules.
• Filing obligations are triggered by the date accounts are filed, not by the company's financial year end.

What Changes from April 2028?

• All accounts must be filed via commercial software in iXBRL format from 1 April 2028
• Small companies and micro-entities must file a profit and loss account
• Abridged accounts will be withdrawn and audit exemption statements strengthened

Could the way your company files its accounts leave you facing rejected filings and penalties in just a few years' time? From April 2028, the submission route every UK company uses for annual accounts changes for good. In this article, we explain the confirmed filing reforms, why Companies House delayed them and what businesses should do now to get ready.

Paper and web-based submission of annual accounts ends on 1 April 2028. Companies House has given the green light to the full set of filing changes under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA), and every measure now takes effect on that date rather than April 2027 as first planned. The revised timetable gives businesses a 21-month runway — one full accounting year with an additional nine months on top — to adapt.

The confirmed measures are:

• Small companies and micro-entities will have to submit a profit and loss account, matching the obligations already placed on larger businesses.
• Every company will submit annual accounts digitally, through commercial software, in Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (iXBRL) format.
• Abridged accounts, which strip the accounts down to simplified statutory formats, will cease to be an option.
• Businesses relying on audit exemption will need to confirm their eligibility through a tougher statement on the balance sheet.
• Every component of the accounts and reports must go to Companies House as one complete submission.
• Shortening the accounting reference period will be limited to once in every five years, shutting down a tactic used to defer reporting deadlines.

The government says the reforms are designed to make register data more transparent, accurate and dependable, and to back the fight against economic crime. Guidance has been published on GOV.UK, and Companies House will email every company at its registered address to walk them through the changes.

Why Must Small Companies Now File Profit and Loss Accounts?

Fraud and economic crime concerns drive the new requirement, but smaller companies can keep their figures off the public register.

Small companies and micro-entities must now file a profit and loss account with Companies House. Until now, they could file accounts consisting of a balance sheet and notes only, keeping turnover and profit figures off the register, while larger companies have long filed fuller accounts. The change aligns reporting obligations across company sizes and responds to concerns that limited disclosure can obscure fraud and economic crime.

A terminology note: abbreviated accounts are the historic regime, abolished for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2016. Their modern successors are abridged accounts, which use simplified statutory formats, and filleted accounts, which omit the profit and loss account and directors' report. From April 2028 the abridged option disappears, and smaller companies must include their profit and loss.

However, smaller companies can opt out of publication on the public register. The account must still be filed. Companies House, HMRC and law enforcement will retain access to the filed account, helping them identify and tackle fraud, economic crime and tax evasion.

The opt-out addresses privacy and commercial sensitivity concerns. Companies that value the transparency benefits of publication, such as improved access to finance, can still publish voluntarily. Companies House will issue further guidance on the opt-out before the first accounts under the new rules are due.

Companies should also note a transitional point. The new requirements are triggered by the filing date, not the financial year end. Accounts for an earlier period must still comply if filed on or after 1 April 2028.

How Will Software-Only Filing Work?

Commercial software becomes the only filing route when Companies House closes web and paper filing in April 2028.

From 1 April 2028, all UK-registered companies must file their annual accounts in iXBRL format using commercial software. The requirement applies whether companies file their own accounts or use agents or professional advisers. On that date, Companies House will close its web and paper filing systems for accounts.

For submissions other than accounts — confirmation statements and updates to director particulars, for example — the online filing service continues to run as normal. GOV.UK publishes a list of software providers businesses can choose from.

Digitally tagged accounts are expected to improve the quality of register data. Businesses relying on free web filing should budget for compliant software or outsource filing to a professional provider.

Companies not ready with compatible software by 1 April 2028 risk rejection, a filing default and escalating late-filing penalties. Businesses unfamiliar with UK reporting requirements can find useful background in our guide to United Kingdom accounting standards.

How Can UK Companies Prepare Now?

Review your filing route, check iXBRL software support and revisit exemption claims well before the April 2028 deadline.

Although the changes take effect in April 2028, Companies House guidance encourages early preparation, which reduces the risk of rejected filings and late filing penalties under the new regime.

Practical steps companies can take now include:

1. Review how the company currently files its accounts and plan the transition away from web or paper filing.
2. Check that existing accounting software, or your agent's software, supports iXBRL format and the new filing requirements.
3. Confirm access to the company's Companies House authentication code and apply for a presenter account if filing directly.
4. Review any planned audit exemption claims and prepare for the strengthened eligibility statement requirement.
5. Assess whether shortening the accounting reference period is genuinely necessary, given the once-every-five-years limit.

Founders preparing to register a company should also factor in how long company incorporation in the UK takes, since the first annual accounts will fall due under the new regime.

A more accurate, transparent companies register strengthens trust between trading partners and helps lenders make informed decisions. Companies that prepare early will meet the new requirements with minimal disruption.

Frequently Asked Questions