Using information available from Companies House Inform Direct is able to advise you when the next (or first) set of accounts are due.

Note: For most companies, accounts must be filed no later than 9 months after the Accounting reference date.

What is the Accounting reference date?
To make sure you do not miss important dates that follow on from the Accounting Reference Date you will receive both:

• Email reminders; and
• System Alerts

On the Portfolio Screen

The Latest Date to Submit Accounts is shown for each company in a Portfolio. You can sort the companies in a Portfolio under any of the different headings. By sorting the companies using the 'Latest Date to submit Accounts' toggle you will bring those with the most imminent or even overdue accounts to the top.

Note: In a busy practice this feature can save much embarrassment if the accounts have been prepared but someone omitted to actually file them.

On the Dashboard

There is a Key Dates section for each company. You will see a Next Accounts due date - here 31st January 2016 which is 9 months after the 30/04 Accounting reference date. There is also a counter which, as well as showing the months or days left also changes from green>amber>red as the deadline draws closer.

Note: The first set of accounts must always be filed within 21 months of incorporation. So if you incorporate a company on the 10th March 2015, the Accounting Reference Date will be 31/03 and the first accounts must be filed by 10th December 2017.

E-mail alerts

An email reminder will be sent:

• 14 days after the Accounting Reference Date has passed
• 28 days before the Latest Date to submit accounts (if the accounts have not yet been filed)

Note: If the company is Dormant then you can use Inform Direct to file the Annual Accounts. There is an easy to use step by step wizard for this.

How do I file Dormant Company Accounts?