There are late filing penalties which are designed to encourage companies to file their accounts and reports on time. All companies, private and public, large or small, trading or non-trading must send their accounts to Companies House.
The late filing penalties guide has recently been updated although there have been no changes to the penalty amounts. The updated guidance confirms that the Companies House telephone contact centre has reduced numbers to maintain social distancing and that no credit card payments can be taken over the telephone. Companies that had a late filing penalty on or after 30 March 2020, may be able to pay their late filing penalty online. If the penalty occurred before 30 March 2020 or the online system is not available, then payment should be made by BACS.
The table of penalties for late submission is as follows:
| How late are the accounts delivered | Penalty – Private Company | Penalty – PLC |
| Not more than one month | £150 | £750 |
| More than one month but not more than three months | £375 | £1,500 |
| More than three months but not more than six months | £750 | £3,000 |
| More than six months | £1,500 | £7,500 |
There is also an online service available to appeal a late filing penalty but you must be able to show that the reasons for filing late were exceptional. The registrar has limited discretion to cancel or withdraw a request to pay a penalty.
Source Informanagement