The UK government confirmed on 9 June 2026 that the planned Companies House filing reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 will go ahead, with implementation from 1 April 2028 rather than the previously expected date of 1 April 2027.
The changes are intended to increase corporate transparency, modernise the accounts filing process and support efforts to tackle economic crime.
The revised timetable gives companies additional time to prepare, but the direction of travel is now clear. Businesses should use the extra lead-in period to review their reporting processes, filing systems and readiness for the new disclosure and digital filing requirements.
One of the most significant changes is the removal of abridged and filleted accounts for small companies. Under the reformed regime, both small companies and micro-entities will be required to file a fuller set of financial information with Companies House, including a balance sheet and profit and loss account, together with an auditor’s report where applicable. However, while filing of the profit and loss account will be mandatory, both small companies and micro-entities will be able to opt out of having that information published on the public register, although further details of the opt-out process are yet to be confirmed by Companies House. Even where publication is withheld, the profit and loss account will remain accessible to HMRC, Companies House and law enforcement agencies. The government has also confirmed that small companies will no longer be required to prepare or file a directors’ report as part of the wider reforms to modernise corporate reporting.
The reforms will also introduce mandatory digital filing for all accounts. From 1 April 2028, companies will be required to file accounts digitally using commercial software, with submissions tagged in iXBRL (Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language). The Companies House WebFiling service for accounts and paper accounts submissions will be withdrawn, and companies will be required to file the complete set of applicable accounts components together.
In addition, companies claiming audit exemption will be required to provide a strengthened statement confirming both the exemption being relied on and their eligibility to claim it. The government has also said that new rules will restrict the ability of companies to shorten their accounting reference period, although further detail on how those restrictions will operate is still to be published.
These reforms form part of the wider transformation of Companies House under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. Their aim is to improve the transparency, accuracy and reliability of information on the company register, support better business decision-making and strengthen the UK’s ability to prevent fraud and other economic crime.
Although implementation has been deferred to April 2028, businesses should treat this as a confirmed reform package rather than a proposal under review. Companies may therefore wish to assess now whether their current accounting software, reporting processes and year-end procedures will be capable of meeting the new filing obligations.
Further details can be found in the government guidance here.
If you would like to discuss how these proposed reforms could affect your business or reporting obligations, please speak to your usual Hillier Hopkins contact.
