End of year company accounts checklist

26th October 2026

Preparing year-end accounts is one of the most important responsibilities of a private limited company because they help retain compliance within corporations, and give business owners a clear vantage point from which to measure success and loss in the previous financial year. However, when filing your first year-end company accounts, it is common to feel a measure of dread in the build up to the deadline, particularly if finances are not your forte.

At 99p Company Formations, we have seen time and again that preparing for your company's year-end reports is much more manageable when you know what to check and where to start. That’s why we’ve created this year-end company accounts checklist that takes you through the basics, step by step.

What are year-end accounts?

Year-end company accounts are records that summarise your company's financial activity over a particular accounting period and show its financial position at the end of that period.

These are likewise referred to as annual accounts or statutory accounts. Annual accounts help show how your business has performed, what it owns, what it owes, and how much value remains in the company after its liabilities are taken into account.

For most private limited companies, the year-end process involves three connected tasks:

• Preparing your accounts: Bringing your bookkeeping up to date and making sure the financial records are complete.

• Filing annual accounts with Companies House: Submitting the required accounts to Companies House by the relevant deadline.

• Filing a tax return: Preparing and filing a Company Tax Return and paying any Corporation Tax due.

Do all limited companies need to file annual accounts?

Yes. All UK limited companies must file annual accounts with Companies House, including companies that have made a loss, have not started trading or are dormant. Your company's circumstances affect what needs to be prepared, but having little or no business activity does not exempt you from annual filing requirements.

You need to file year-end accounts if you are:

An active company: If your company trades, sells products, provides services or earns business income, you will normally need to organise your income and expenses and prepare your accounts. 

A company that has made a loss: You still need to file annual accounts if your company has made a loss in the previous financial year. A loss does not remove your Companies House filing obligations, and a Company Tax Return may still be required.

A company that has not started trading: You may have limited transactions to record, but you should still establish whether the company has had any activity and what needs to be reported.

A dormant company: You may be able to file simpler dormant accounts with Companies House if the company meets the relevant conditions. However, you should also check its position with HMRC, as Companies House dormancy and Corporation Tax obligations are separate matters.

Accounting year-end filing deadlines

Your company's accounting reference date (ARD) is the date that marks the end of its financial year for Companies House purposes. It is the anniversary of the end of the month in which the company was incorporated, unless the date has been changed or another rule applies.

You can check your company's accounting reference date and filing deadlines using its record on the Companies House register.

The usual deadlines for a UK private limited company, as outlined by gov.uk, are:

What are the main types of financial statements?

When preparing year-end company accounts, there are three key financial statements worth understanding. Each provides a different view of your company’s finances.

1. Profit and loss statement (P&L): The profit and loss statement summarises your company’s income and expenses over the financial year. It shows whether the business has made a profit or a loss after accounting for its income and costs.

2. Balance sheet: The balance sheet shows your company’s financial position at the end of its financial year. It records its assets, liabilities and equity, providing a snapshot of what the business owns, what it owes and the value remaining for shareholders.

3. Cash flow statement: The cash flow statement tracks money moving into and out of the business during the financial year.

How to file year-end company accounts 

1. Gather your company bank statements

You should have statements covering the full financial year for every relevant business account, including savings accounts or deposit accounts held in the company's name.

Your bank statements provide an important record of money moving into and out of the business. They also help identify transactions that may not have been entered correctly into your bookkeeping.

Check that:

• Every transaction has been recorded in your accounting software or bookkeeping records

• The closing balance agrees with the bank statement

• Bank charges and interest have been included

• Transfers between company accounts have not been incorrectly recorded as sales or expenses

• Any unfamiliar payments or receipts have been investigated

2. Collect sales invoices and income records

Gather your sales invoices and other records of income. These help establish how much your company earned during the year and whether all the income has been included in your accounts.

Depending on your business, this might include:

• Sales invoices

• Credit notes issued to customers

• Receipts for cash sales

• Payment processor reports

• Records of other business income

• Information about work completed but not yet invoiced

Check that invoices are numbered and recorded consistently, and investigate gaps or duplicate entries.

3. Check outstanding customer invoices

Review any invoices that remain unpaid at the end of your financial year.

Prepare a list showing what customers owe, when the invoices were issued and whether any payments have been received since. This gives you a clearer picture of your company's outstanding income and helps identify debts that may be difficult to recover.

4. Collect business expense receipts and supplier invoices

Your expense records help show what the company spent money on during the year. Gather receipts, supplier invoices, bills and other supporting documents for business costs.

These might include:

• Software subscriptions

• Telephone and internet services

• Office supplies

• Business insurance

• Professional fees

• Business travel

• Advertising and marketing

• Equipment and tools

• Rent and utilities

• Other costs associated with running the company

5. Check payroll records

If your company pays you a salary or employs staff, gather the relevant payroll records. These may include payroll summaries, payslips, PAYE records, employer National Insurance information and details of any outstanding amounts due to HMRC.

Compare the payroll information with the amounts recorded in your accounts. You should identify any unpaid salaries, payroll taxes or other employment related liabilities at the year end.

If you use payroll software or an accountant to process wages, make sure they have the information needed to reconcile the figures.

6. Check stock and work in progress

If your company sells physical products, make sure its stock records are up to date. A year-end stocktake can help establish what the business actually holds at the end of the financial year.

Check for:

• Items that have been sold but not removed from the records

• Damaged or obsolete stock

• Differences between recorded quantities and physical stock

7. Gather previous accounts and supporting information

Finally, bring together any documents that may help explain your company's financial position. These might include:

• The previous year's statutory accounts

• Previous Corporation Tax computations

• Asset schedules

• Loan agreements

• Accounting software reports

• Details of significant transactions

• Correspondence about unusual or disputed payments

• Any information requested by your accountant

Check the figures before your accounts are finalised

Before approving or submitting the accounts, make sure you have considered the following:

• Does the closing bank balance agree with the bank statement?

• Have all sales and expenses been recorded?

• Are outstanding customer invoices and supplier bills accounted for?

• Have payroll and VAT balances been reconciled, where relevant?

• Are loan balances and director's loan accounts accurate?

• Have dividends been recorded correctly?

• Do the opening balances agree with the previous year's accounts?

• Are there unexplained transactions or unusual changes in income or expenditure?

• Have significant asset purchases and disposals been identified?

Companies House filings vs HMRC tax return

Alongside filing year-end accounts with Companies House, you also need to submit your annual tax return. These serve fundamentally different purposes.

 

Notable change: The joint HMRC online service previously used by some companies to file annual accounts and Company Tax Returns closed on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026, companies need to use commercial software to file Company Tax Returns with HMRC. 

Penalties for late filing 

Missing the Companies House deadline can result in an automatic financial penalty.

For private limited companies, the current late filing penalties are:

 

This penalty is doubled if you file late for two consecutive years. 

Keep your private limited company compliant

If you have a dormant company, 99p Company Formations offers a simple and cost effective way to stay on top of your obligations, including filing end of year company accounts on your behalf and submitting confirmation statements.