Companies House has been experiencing delays in processing company filings following an outage on Wednesday 10 June. Submissions began to be received again from 1.00pm on Tuesday 16 June, and we understand that processing resumed this morning, Wednesday 17 June.
Although filings can now be submitted, many documents are being queued and may not appear on the public register, or on the “Find and update company information” service, straight away.
What has happened?
Companies House has confirmed that the issue relates to one of its core systems and has stated that it is not the result of a cyber-attack. During the disruption, certain online filing services were unavailable. While services have now started to reopen, filings remain subject to processing delays.
Where filings are successfully received, Companies House has indicated that it will have a record of the date and time the document was submitted, even if there is a delay before it is processed and shown on the public register.
What does this mean for your company?
The main practical point is that a filing may not be processed or visible immediately after submission. This could affect anyone waiting for confirmation that accounts, confirmation statements, company changes, incorporations, or other statutory documents have been accepted and updated on the register.
There may also be knock-on implications for transactions or administrative processes that depend on Companies House records being updated, which includes related projects that we are working for you. For example, if we have submitted or need to submit your Confirmation Statement but it has not yet been processed by Companies House and the due date has passed, we will be unable to file certain other documents such as appointments of new directors.
Filing deadlines and penalties
It remains important to prepare and submit filings as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for Companies House to clear the backlog. Companies House has said that queued documents will be processed in order of submission, but they will also prioritise in terms of their understanding of the urgency of each document type. Filing promptly should help preserve your place in the queue.
For accounts, late filing penalties are imposed automatically where accounts are delivered late. Companies House has confirmed that it is legally required to issue late filing penalties where applicable, but that penalties caused by the service disruption can be appealed. If you were unable to file because services were unavailable, or if a filing was delayed and later rejected, you should refile as soon as possible and keep evidence of your original filing attempt. Equally, where we have been unable to file documents on your behalf, we will refile as soon as possible and retain evidence to help mitigate any proposed penalties.
Recommended actions
To reduce the risk of further delays or avoidable complications, we recommend that clients:
- continue to send us filing information as early as possible, particularly where a deadline is approaching;
- submit filings promptly once they are ready, rather than waiting for Companies House systems to return fully to normal;
- keep screenshots, confirmation emails, timestamps, or other evidence of any attempted filing, especially if a deadline is close;
- allow extra time where a transaction, finance application, onboarding process, or other third-party requirement depends on Companies House records being updated;
- let us know as soon as possible if a filing is urgent or time-critical, so that we can discuss the best available route.
How we can help
We appreciate that delays of this nature can be frustrating, especially where filings are linked to wider commercial deadlines. We will continue to monitor the position and will submit filings as soon as they are ready and able to be filed through the available Companies House services.
If you are concerned about an upcoming filing deadline, a late filing penalty, or the impact of a delayed filing on a transaction or business process, please contact us. We will be happy to review the position with you and advise on the practical next steps.
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