Talk to us
Email team@ismailsoftware.co.ukWe reply within one working day. A person answers.Track a filingBy the FY- reference on its receipt
On a filing’s own page, “Questions about this filing? Ask us” opens help on that filing: where it is, a rejection, a refund, a change, cancelling, or a person.
Something filed wrongly?
Tell us straight away with the filing’s FY- reference and what is wrong, using the email above. If we got something wrong, we put it right: a correction, a refiling at our cost or a refund. Our complaints page says how we handle it.
Every question, by filing
Every year
Accounts and tax return8 questions
- Can I still file my CT600 for free?
- Not through HMRC. Its free Company Accounts and Tax Online service closed on 31 March 2026. A Company Tax Return now has to go through software HMRC recognises.
- Is my company a micro-entity?
- Usually, if it meets two of these: turnover up to £1 million, balance sheet up to £500,000, and 10 or fewer employees. These limits apply to years starting on or after 6 April 2025. A company that is a charity can’t use micro-entity accounts: its accounts follow the Charities SORP, and its annual return goes to the Charity Commission.
- Who submits the filings?
- You do, as a director, under the company’s own logins. Fileyear prepares and checks everything first.
- What if my company is bigger than a micro-entity?
- Fileyear prepares small company accounts (FRS 102 section 1A) too, for a company that meets two of these: turnover up to £15 million, balance sheet up to £7.5 million and 50 or fewer employees. It works the size out from your figures, files a filleted or full copy at Companies House as you choose, and the full accounts with your CT600. The price is £118.80.
- What if my company is more complicated?
- We check before you pay. Groups, R&D claims, audits and companies over the small company limits are turned away with a clear reason.
- Do I pay before I see the figures?
- No. You see your accounts and your tax figure first. You pay when you submit, with a full refund if you change your mind before then.
- What about a property company, a holding company or a CIC?
- It is the same filing. Fileyear reads your company’s type from Companies House and prices it for you: £118.80 for a property or holding company (£60 more for over 3 properties) and £46.80 for a CIC. A property company gets questions about its properties, a holding company about dividends received, and a CIC its CIC34 community interest report: Fileyear prepares the accounts and CIC34 as the package Companies House takes, you upload it there and pay its CIC34 fee, and the Company Tax Return goes to HMRC as usual.
- Is there a membership?
- No. You pay for each filing when you file it, and nothing else. Autopilot is free: it prepares each filing before it is due, and you pay that filing’s price when you approve it.
Dormant company accounts5 questions
- 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.
Confirmation statement4 questions
- Is there a fine for a late confirmation statement?
- Yes. Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, Companies House can now fine the company: GOV.UK says up to £5,000. Not filing is also an offence, and the company can be struck off the register.
- What is a Companies House personal code?
- The code each director gets after verifying their identity with Companies House. The confirmation statement needs it for every director.
- Can I change shareholders in the same filing?
- Yes. Share transfers, SIC codes and the registered email address can all be updated in the statement.
- Why not just use Companies House WebFiling?
- You can. Fileyear adds the personal code check and reminders, and keeps it alongside your accounts.
Director’s Self Assessment5 questions
- Why do I need this as well as the company’s tax return?
- The company’s Corporation Tax Return (CT600) is the company’s own tax. Salary and dividends you personally receive from it are your income, reported on your own Self Assessment.
- Where do the salary and dividend figures come from?
- From the bank lines already categorised as salary or dividend payments to you in your company’s own accounts in Fileyear. You can always correct them against your P60 or dividend vouchers before you file.
- What if I also have rental income or I’m self-employed?
- Fileyear turns that away rather than guess: those need the property or self-employment pages, which this job does not prepare.
- What if my main home is in Scotland?
- Scotland sets its own Income Tax bands for salary and other non-savings income. Fileyear does not calculate these, so this job turns Scottish taxpayers away rather than risk using the wrong bands.
- How much is it?
- £34.80 for each director’s return, paid when you file it. There is no membership.
When something changes
Change registered office3 questions
- Do I need to tell HMRC separately?
- Yes. Companies House and HMRC keep separate records. Fileyear reminds you, along with your bank and insurers.
- Can I use my home address?
- Yes, but it becomes public on the register. A registered office service keeps it private.
- Can I move the registered office to another part of the UK?
- Only within the same jurisdiction. A company registered in England and Wales must keep its registered office there.
Appoint a director3 questions
- How does a new director verify their identity?
- Through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised agent. They then get a personal code to give the company.
- Does the director’s home address go on the register?
- No, if they give a separate service address. Their full date of birth isn’t public either.
- Who decides on a new director?
- Usually the existing board, unless your articles say otherwise.
Remove a director2 questions
- Can I resign if I’m the only director?
- Only once someone else is appointed. A company can’t be left without a director who is a person.
- Does a removed director stay on the register?
- Their past appointment stays visible as resigned.
Change company name2 questions
- How long does a name change take?
- Usually a day or two once filed.
- Does the company number change?
- No. Only the name changes.
People with significant control2 questions
- Do PSCs have to verify their identity?
- Yes. People with significant control also verify their identity with Companies House.
- Is a PSC the same as a shareholder?
- Not always. Only people over the thresholds, or with significant influence, count.
Update a director’s details2 questions
- Why does Fileyear ask for the date of birth?
- Companies House identifies an existing director this way on this form, not by an account reference — and only ever shows the month and year on the public register, so the day is never guessed.
- What if more than one thing changed?
- Fill in everything that changed; leave the rest blank. Fileyear only sends what you filled in.
Issue new shares3 questions
- Do the shareholders need to approve it?
- Not usually, for a private company with one class of shares: the directors can allot more of that class (section 550) unless the articles say otherwise. Otherwise they need the shareholders’ authority (section 551).
- What is a statement of capital?
- The company’s shares after the allotment: each class, how many there are, their total nominal value and anything unpaid. Fileyear adds the new shares to the ones the company already had.
- What if the shares were not paid for in cash?
- Say what was given instead, for example a loan written off or an asset. It goes on the form.
Late or struck off
Overdue accounts4 questions
- Can I appeal a late filing penalty?
- Only for exceptional reasons, such as serious illness or a disaster. Being busy or not knowing isn’t accepted. We show you how to appeal if yours qualifies.
- How long can accounts be overdue before strike-off?
- Companies House can start striking off a company with overdue filings at any time. A first Gazette notice gives about two months to act.
- Do I file the oldest year first?
- Yes. Each year’s closing balances become the next year’s opening ones, so we file them in order.
- Does HMRC fine me too?
- Separately, yes. For a CT600 due from 1 April 2026: £200 when it is late, another £200 at 3 months, and a tax-based penalty from 6 months (£100 each for returns due before then).
Stop a strike-off4 questions
- What does “first Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off” mean?
- Companies House has published that it plans to remove the company from the register, normally after about two months.
- How do I stop it?
- File the overdue documents. Companies House then normally discontinues the action. You can also object if you need more time.
- What happens if the company is struck off?
- It stops existing. Its bank account is frozen and anything it owns passes to the Crown. You’d then need to restore it.
- Is it usually the confirmation statement?
- Yes. About 88% of companies on the weekly list are behind on their confirmation statement.
Restore a company4 questions
- My company’s bank account was frozen when it was dissolved. What now?
- The money now belongs to the Crown. Restoring the company brings it back. For small balances a Bona Vacantia claim can be cheaper, and we’ll tell you which.
- It was struck off more than 6 years ago.
- Then it needs a court order, which Fileyear doesn’t handle.
- I closed it myself with a DS01. Can I restore it?
- Not through administrative restoration. A company closed by voluntary strike-off needs a court order.
- Can Fileyear submit the RT01 for me?
- No. Companies House only accepts form RT01 by post, to Companies House, Crown Way, Cardiff, CF14 3UZ — there is no online service or filing software for it. Fileyear prepares the whole pack; you sign it and post it.
Closing down
Close a company5 questions
- How long does it take to close a limited company?
- At least three months after trading stops, then about two months after the strike-off notice appears in the Gazette.
- Can I close a company with money in the bank?
- Pay it out first. Up to £25,000 can usually be taxed as capital. Above that, the whole amount is taxed as a dividend unless a liquidator is used, so speak to an accountant.
- Can I close a company with debts?
- Not this way. A company that can’t pay its debts needs an insolvency practitioner.
- My company never traded. Is it cheaper?
- Yes. Closing a dormant company is £71.80 in total.
- What happens to the bank account?
- Close it before you apply. Anything left in it when the company dissolves passes to the Crown.
Close a dormant company2 questions
- Do I need to file final accounts for a dormant company?
- Only if accounts are due before you apply. We check the dates for you.
- Does HMRC need to know?
- Yes, if it has the company on record. We include HMRC in the notice letters.
Free tools
Quick answers worked out with the same rules Fileyear files with, all on one page. Nothing is saved.
- Deadline checkerLook up a company, or enter a year end. Get every deadline that follows.
- Corporation Tax calculator19%, 25% and marginal relief in between, worked out for you.
- Late filing penalty calculatorSee what late accounts cost, and what it costs to wait longer.
- Dormant or trading checkerTick what the company did this year. See whether it is dormant for Companies House and for HMRC.
- Confirmation statement date finderLook up a company on the register, or enter its last confirmation date. See when the next statement is due.
- Director’s loan s455 calculatorWhat an overdrawn director’s loan costs in s455 tax, when it is paid and when it comes back.
- Strike-off risk checkerLook up a company. See whether anything overdue puts it at risk of being struck off, and what to file.