A company is dormant if it’s currently not involved in any business or activity. Any company that’s already incorporated but not receiving revenue is prima facie dormant. While the corporate tax department recognizes these companies, they are still required to file their annual accounts.
Why File Accounts for a Dormant Company?
A dormant account is a company with no significant financial transactions throughout the accounting period. By substantial, we mean accounting transactions that the company should enter into its financial records.
Transactions such as penalties for late accounts filing, monies paid to subscriber shareholders, and filing fees cannot be termed as being significant transactions. To put it simply, a company remains dormant if it has not made any such transitions within the accounting period. The evidence for dormancy lies in the accounting records, so dormant companies must file accounts by law. You can register dormant accounts online with much ease, as described below.
Accounts for a Dormant Company
Once a company has been declared dormant, it’s automatically exempted from submitting corporate tax returns unless it has received further notice from the relevant authorities requiring it to file such tax returns.
However, the company will still have to file its annual accounts and confirmation statement. Dormant accounts are filed with the relevant authorities.
Dormant Accounts Filing Tips
Below are some tips to help you file your dormant company’s annual accounts.
- Director’s Filing Responsibilities
The annual accounts filing responsibilities for business owners of unquoted companies such as limited companies and sole traders are similar to those of quoted companies like plc companies.
The three primary filing requirements are completing the corporate tax return form, the confirmation statement, and filling company accounts. This applies even when an account is recognize as being dormant.
Fortunately, the process of filing dormant accounts is a bit simpler as these business owners are allow to submit a simplified balance sheet.
The Filing Process
If you are the CEO of a company that has never made any business transaction or one whose only transaction is the issue of shares to subscriber shareholders, the process of filing dormant accounts is pretty straightforward.
You will find the dormant account filing forms on the corporate tax department website. Can complete and submit these forms online with much ease. Will be require to submit the following information:
- Full company name
- Accounting year-end date
- Details of any company transactions, including pending share capital due by shareholders
- Confirmation of any cash held
- Verification of the company’s assets
- Information on any share capital issued to shareholders
- Approval by all company directors
- Date of Approval
- Relevant signatures
When filing dormant accounts online, you will receive verification in real-time, and the turnaround for approval is much quicker.
When Should You File Dormant Accounts?
Dormant account filing is an annual process. The deadline for submission of the filing forms is nine months after the date of your company’s incorporation. The agency proactively sends reminder letters so you won’t miss the deadline.
- Free Services
Filing annual accounts for your dormant company will not incur costs, unlike filing accounts for an active company. However, if you have missed the deadline, you might incur penalties. Failure to submit dormant account filings can also result in your company being struck off.
Confirmation Statement
A confirmation statement was previously call an annual return, and it’s another requirement for dormant account filing. It is a snapshot of your company’s accounting period, verifying information on the companies’ register.
Like filing dormant accounts, submitting a confirmation statement is a simple and straightforward process. You can file this document by completing the relevant forms on the relevant website. You will need to submit the following information:
- Company address
- Director(s) details
- An overview of the company’s share structure and any relevant shareholder details
- Nature of your business
Unlike filing dormant accounts, you are required to pay a fee for filing the confirmation statement regardless of whether the company is dormant or active. After filing your first confirmation statement, the next filing deadline will be on the date of incorporation. From there, the next due date will be exactly a year after the previous submission of lil dicky girlfriend
To avoid incurring unnecessary penalties, commit to filing your submissions before the due date. The good news is that the agency allows you up to 28 days after the due date before charging you a penalty.
Can You Contract Using a Dormant Company?
It is possible to come across dormant companies that have never traded, but dormancy does not necessarily mean that a company is a non-trading kind. Non-trading companies do not conduct any business but may still have everyday transactions such as legal fees, rent, and bank charges.
On the other hand, a dormant account should not have significant transactions, including contracting jobs. If you want your company to retain its inactive status, you cannot use it for contracting purposes.
There are many reasons why some business owners prefer keeping their companies dormant. It could be to protect a brand name in preparation for a launch or to restructure a previously active company.
Links
