A chance to hear the latest on employment, property, corporate and restructuring and insolvency and to ask questions and share your opinions.
DATE: Thursday 7 May 2020, 10:00am - 11:00am- delivered via Zoom Video Conference
Search site
Contact our office
Make an enquiry
As a Company director you are expected to carry out many roles within your business including overseeing the filing of company documents at Companies House. In the past Companies House have been very lenient in respect of late filings which has meant that this task was not always a top priority for many companies. However, over the last 6 months we have seen a big increase in the number of prosecutions being bought against companies and directors personally by Companies House which may be alarming to companies who have historically put the filing of documents to the bottom of their list.
Private limited companies are given 9 months from the end of the accounting reference period to deliver their accounts to the Companies House. When an officer of a company fails to deliver accounts within the time allowed under the Companies Act, the company may become liable for a civil penalty. For accounts overdue by more than 6 months the fine is £1,500. However, if a Company has been late filing company documents in a previous year this fine will double to £3,000.
But Companies House are not stopping there. As well as the civil penalty payable by the Company, all directors may find that if their company has failed to file accounts, and regardless of whether they are actively involved in the company, they may be committing a criminal offence under s451 of the Companies Act 2006. A person guilty of an offence under s451 is potentially liable for a level 5 fine, which is unlimited in amount for offences committed after 13 March 2015. In addition where a director is subject to a second conviction, they may be liable for a daily default fine of up to £500 for every day on which the offence was committed until it was rectified. This fine is payable personally by a director.
In order to help Companies avoid the above fines, a number of reminders are sent to a company leading up to the filing deadline by Companies House. It is important that these reminders are taken seriously as ignoring them can be very costly.
Running a business can be complicated and it can involve dealing with competing priorities. It is inevitable that sometimes, due to circumstances that are difficult to control, documents will be filed late. If you or your company find yourself in this situation or if you have received a Court summons then please get in touch and we will help you in relation to appealing any fines and or dealing with any criminal summons.
A chance to hear the latest on employment, property, corporate and restructuring and insolvency and to ask questions and share your opinions.
DATE: Thursday 7 May 2020, 10:00am - 11:00am- delivered via Zoom Video Conference
Cheltenham based solicitors, Hughes Paddison, have announced two promotions within their Senior Management Team. Jon Rathbone has been made an Equity Director within the firm, whilst Julie Bennett has been made a Director.
What our clients say
“Hughes Paddison have provided assistance on numerous occasions consistently acting in an exemplary fashion whilst dealing with all aspects of the issue at hand. It is extremely reassuring to know that our company is represented by such a competent and professional firm.”– Commercial Director, Ferroli Limited
“We are lucky to have the services of Paul Engelbrecht on hand. He has always met our requests and ridiculous deadlines and puts himself out to make life easier for us”– Company Secretary - Supergroup PLC
“Paul has repeatedly demonstrated a high level of legal skill, accuracy, attentiveness and most of all, commercial acumen. I particularly appreciate his eye for detail and ability to take complex legal issues and explain them in lay terms. ”– Relationship Director RBS
“Whilst constantly demonstrating his consummate professionalism and occasional wry sense of humour David has at all times supported me and acted in my best interests resulting in a successful financial settlement and my divorce.”– V
“Jennifer provided sound professional legal advice which I needed to help me to sort out the legal and financial aspects of a difficult personal situation. I wouldn't hesitate to go to her with any family legal matters I have in future.”– R
“Having the support of Marcus throughout what has been a very painful divorce has really helped me get through the last 18 months. Although this has personally been a very difficult process, I know that Marcus has done everything possible to make it as smooth as it can be. I really appreciate the honest, open feedback to all of my questions and also how quickly he responded to them. Above all else, Marcus really does seem to care about his clients and their families. I never had the feeling that this was just a job for Marcus, and Im so grateful that I was fortunate enough to have had Marcus recommended to me when I did.”– R
Clicking the Accept All button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies (check the full list). We use cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click Settings.
Our use of cookies.
You can learn more detailed information in our Privacy Policy
Some cookies are essential, whilst others help us improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. The technology to maintain this privacy management relies on cookie identifiers. Removing or resetting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.
Essential Cookies
These cookies enable core website functionality, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
Google Analytics cookies help us to understand your experience of the website and do not store any personal data. Click here for a full list of Google Analytics cookies used on this site.
Third-Party cookies are set by our partners and help us to improve your experience of the website. Click here for a full list of third-party plugins used on this site.