AccountsWebFiling

Guide

Companies House WebFiling is changing: how to file your company accounts

Companies House is moving to software-only accounts filing. From April 2028, free WebFiling for accounts ends and accounts must be filed with commercial software. Here's what's changing and how to file now — including the simplest, cheapest routes for small and dormant companies.

What is changing?

For years, company directors could file their annual accounts directly with Companies House using the free WebFiling portal. From April 2028 that option ends: company accounts must be submitted using commercial software that files through the Companies House electronic filing gateway in the required iXBRL format. Web and paper filing of accounts stops, and the abridged-accounts option is being removed. (The date was originally April 2027, but was pushed back to April 2028 to give companies more time.)

Two related points worth knowing. First, the separate free HMRC and Companies House joint service for filing accounts and a Company Tax Return together closed back in 2026, so some directors already need a new route. Second, WebFiling itself isn't disappearing — it stays open for confirmation statements, director changes and other filings; it's accounts that move to software-only.

Nothing about your core legal obligations changes. You still have to file accounts every year, by your deadline, or face a late-filing penalty. Mainly the method changes — from a free government form to software.

Who is affected?

Anyone who filed their own company accounts through WebFiling — most often directors of:

  • Micro-entity companies (very small companies)
  • Dormant companies (companies that haven't traded)
  • Small companies filing abridged or filleted accounts

If you use an accountant to file, nothing changes for you — they already use software. This guide is for directors who filed themselves.

Your options for filing now

1. Use an accountant

The traditional route. Reliable, but for a simple micro-entity or dormant filing it can cost far more than the filing is worth, and many accountants aren't set up for one-off small jobs.

2. Buy full accounts-production software

Professional packages can file accounts, but they're built for accountants — priced and designed for practices handling many clients, not a single director filing once a year.

3. Use a simple online filing service

Purpose-built tools now fill the gap left by WebFiling: you enter your figures, the tool produces the correct iXBRL accounts and files them with Companies House for you. This is usually the fastest and cheapest route for a director filing their own small-company or dormant accounts. AccountsWebFiling is one such service (£15 a year).

Which type of accounts do you file?

Micro-entity accounts (FRS 105)

The simplest accounts, for the smallest companies. Broadly, you qualify if you meet at least two of: turnover not more than £1m, balance-sheet total not more than £500,000, and not more than 10 employees. Micro-entity accounts are essentially a balance sheet plus a few required statements — no profit-and-loss account or directors' report is filed with Companies House. Read the full micro-entity accounts guide.

Dormant company accounts

If your company hasn't traded during the year (no significant accounting transactions), you can file dormant accounts — a very short filing that keeps the company compliant. Read the full dormant company accounts guide.

Small-company accounts (FRS 102 Section 1A)

If you're above the micro thresholds but still a small company (broadly: turnover not more than £15m, balance-sheet total not more than £7.5m, not more than 50 employees), you file under FRS 102 Section 1A — full or abridged, and usually "filleted" (balance sheet and notes, no profit-and-loss account) when delivered to Companies House. Read the full small-company accounts guide.

Deadlines and penalties

Private companies must normally file accounts within nine months of their accounting reference date. Miss the deadline and Companies House charges an automatic late-filing penalty that increases the later you file — so it pays to file early. You can check your company's next accounts due date on the Companies House register. Read the full deadlines and penalties guide.

Step by step: filing with AccountsWebFiling

  1. Choose your accounts type — micro-entity, dormant, or small — with guidance on which regime you qualify for.
  2. Find your company — search the Companies House register and your details and accounting dates fill in automatically.
  3. Enter your figures — a guided balance sheet; last year's comparatives can be brought forward from the public record.
  4. Validate — your accounts are checked against Companies House's own iXBRL validator, so errors are caught before you submit.
  5. File — enter your company authentication code and submit directly to Companies House, then track the outcome.

See how AccountsWebFiling works

Frequently asked questions

Is WebFiling really going away?

For accounts, yes — from April 2028 the free WebFiling route for company accounts ends and accounts must be filed by software through the Companies House gateway. WebFiling stays open for confirmation statements and other non-accounts filings. You can move to software now rather than waiting for the deadline.

Do I need to be an accountant to file myself?

No — but you are responsible for the accuracy of your accounts as a director. A good filing tool validates your accounts against Companies House's checks before you submit. If your affairs are complex, take professional advice.

What is iXBRL?

iXBRL is the tagged electronic format Companies House requires for accounts. You don't need to understand it — the software produces it for you from the figures you enter.

This guide is general information, not professional advice. AccountsWebFiling is not affiliated with Companies House.