Companies House late filing penalty calculator, and the confirmation statement date

Late accounts cost the client money and the practice the relationship, because Companies House charges automatically and the client's first question is why nobody warned them. The calculator shows the penalty for any lateness, and the confirmation statement date alongside it, because the two are usually chased together.

Free tool

Companies House late filing penalty and confirmation statement date calculator

Company typePrivate company or LLPPublic company Accounts filing deadline Date filed (or today, if not yet filed) Were last year's accounts also filed late?NoYes Confirmation statement: end of the review periodThe anniversary of incorporation or of the last statement's review date

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The scale

The bands run from the filing deadline, and the penalty is set by the date the accounts arrive, so a set that is one day into the next band costs the full step. The calculator shows the date the next band starts, which is the date to beat.

The doubling rule

If accounts are filed late in two successive financial years, the penalty for the second year is doubled. A private company that was late last year and is 40 days late this year pays £750, not £375. For a client who has been late two years running, the third year doubles again on the same scale. This rule is the one to raise with a client who treats the £150 as the cost of doing business.

Appeals almost never work

Companies House's page says an appeal succeeds only in exceptional circumstances, and the registrar has very limited discretion. The list of reasons that will not succeed on their own includes: the company is dormant, the company cannot afford to pay, the accountant was ill, the client relied on the accountant, and the company is in financial difficulty. In practice, a penalty appeal is not a tool; the filing date is.

The confirmation statement

Every company files at least one confirmation statement every 12 months. The review period ends on the anniversary of incorporation or of the last statement's review date, and the statement can be filed up to 14 days after that. The calculator gives the file-by date from the review date.

The fee is £50 online and £110 on paper. Not filing can bring a fine of up to £5,000 and strike-off.

Since identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025, the confirmation statement also carries each director's Companies House personal code and a confirmation that every director has verified. A statement cannot be filed for a company whose directors have not. Our guide on Companies House identity verification for accountants covers what the practice has to do for each client.

The deadline itself

Private companies file accounts within nine months of the accounting reference date, public companies within six, and a company's first accounts have their own rule. The calculator asks for the deadline rather than working it out, because the practice's software already holds it and because extensions, shortened periods and first-year accounts all move it. Put the date Companies House shows for the company, not the one you remember.

Changing the accounting reference date to buy time works once in five years for most companies and must be done before the deadline, not after. It is a last resort, not a plan.

Keeping it off the penalty scale

The practice's deadline list is the defence. Our MTD deadline checker covers the quarterly dates, and the records request letter maker gives you the letters that get the records in before the accounts are late in the first place.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice.