Companies House Filing Changes for Accounts

What you need to know about filing your accounts with Companies House.

It was announced in October that Companies House would be changing some of the charges for incorporations, confirmation statements and more from 1 February 2026.

Some of the fees that are changing are listed below, but for a full list of fees and changes please see here.

Service	Current (2025)	From 1 February 2026
Digital Incorporation	£50	£100
Digital Confirmation Statement	£34	£50
Digital voluntary strike off	£33	£13

Before this, in July 2025 other Companies House Accounts filing changes were advised. It was announced that from 1 April 2027 all accounts, including dormant accounts, must be filed using commercial software. The Companies House web and paper filing options will cease.

The change is linked with the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act and aims to improve the quality of information available in the public domain and is part of the ongoing process to streamline and modernise the filing of statutory accounts.

Furthermore, along with the compulsory use of commercial software, there are also plans to significantly increase the level of detail included within the statutory accounts.

Who will the Companies House filing changes affect?

Current plans include:

Micro-entities will be required to file a copy of their balance sheet and profit and loss account. 

Small companies will be required to file a copy of balance sheet, directors’ report, auditor’s report (unless exempt) and profit and loss account. 

What will change?

Companies will no longer be able to prepare and file ‘abridged’ accounts. Consequently, this marks a shift change from the current regulations and means there will be more information available to the public.

The most significant change is the inclusion of a profit & loss account, a detailed summary of the company’s income and expenses for the period. A publicly reported profit & loss account typically will include:

• Turnover (sales)
• Cost of sales
• Gross profit
• Administrative expenses
• Operating profit
• Profit after tax

Why is this changing?

There are certainly benefits to the changes, more data being available allows for greater transparency and accountability and therefore, gives those using the accounts, such as creditors or financial institutions more meaningful information. The compulsory use of commercial software allows for more secure, accurate and traceable data which helps with combatting fraud.

What are the negatives of the Companies House filing change?

As a result, competitors and employees will potentially gain insight into the company’s financial position and structure. Historically owners of small and micro company’s have enjoyed the ability to keep the profits private.

What do I need to do to prepare for this change?

Many companies use commercial software for filing accounts, but smaller micro entities or those who self-file need to prepare for the Companies House filing changes.

In order to meet the compliance changes we would advise companies to:

• Review their current reporting practices to ensure they will meet the new requirements. This may involve a discussion with their accountant or appointing an accountant to assist with the filings.

• Monitor Announcements to stay updated on any legislation and the confirmed implementation timeline.

If you would like to discuss any of the forthcoming changes to filing requirements, please contact Perrys and we would be happy to help.