File dormant company accounts
A dormant company still files accounts at Companies House every year. If HMRC has sent a notice to deliver a Company Tax Return, it needs a nil CT600 too. Fileyear pre-fills both from the register; you check the balance sheet and submit.
- Prepared for you, checked by you
- Pay only when you’ve checked it
- Not HMRC or Companies House
Where this sits in your company’s year
Sample year end 31 MarchIs your company dormant?
You’ll answer these when you start, before you pay anything.
- No sales or other income in the year
- No costs paid, apart from Companies House fees
- No dividends paid or received
- No money moved in the bank, apart from paying for shares
What’s included
Fileyear does
- Dormant accounts pre-filled from last year
- A nil CT600 if HMRC has sent a notice
- A check that the company really is dormant
- Reminders for next year
You do
- Confirm nothing happened in the year
- Press submit
How it works
Find your company
Last year’s balance sheet loads in.
Confirm it was dormant
Four quick questions.
Submit
Accounts to Companies House, and a nil CT600 if needed.
What counts as dormant
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Dormant at Companies House | No significant transactions in the year |
| Paying Companies House fees | Doesn’t stop a company being dormant |
| Receiving dividends | Means it isn’t dormant |
| Corporation Tax return | Only if HMRC sends a notice to deliver one |
Questions directors ask
Does a dormant company need to file a tax return?
Only if HMRC has sent a notice to deliver one. Otherwise tell HMRC the company is dormant and it won’t ask each year.
Why pay when Companies House has a free form?
You don’t have to today. From 1 April 2028 Companies House only accepts accounts through software, and Fileyear also files the nil CT600 when HMRC asks for one.
My company received dividends. Is it dormant?
No. Use accounts and tax return, or the holding company version.
Can I close a dormant company instead?
Yes. Closing a dormant company is £71.80 in total (£58.80 plus the £13.00 Companies House fee).
Can Autopilot file a dormant company’s accounts?
Yes. Autopilot is free and works for dormant companies too: it prepares the accounts before they are due, and you pay the same £18.00 when you approve them.
Guides for this filing
Related filings
File your dormant company accounts, prepared for you
Enter your company and Fileyear prepares it. You only pay once you’ve checked it.