On 27 June 2020 Companies etc. (Filing Requirements) (Temporary Modifications) Regulations 2020 (“Regulations”) came into force, to relieve some of the regulatory burden on companies struggling during the coronavirus outbreak.
From 27 June 2020 to 5 April 2021, the Regulations will temporarily extend filing deadlines for various entities, including public companies, private companies and limited liability partnerships (“LLPs”) as well as other Scottish and overseas entities.
In relation to public companies, private companies and LLPs the extensions apply in the following way:
- Company accounts: extended by 3 months to 9 months for public companies and 12 months for private companies and LLPs.
- Confirmation statements: extended from 14 days to 42 days after the end of a company’s confirmation period.
- Event-driven filings (e.g. Changes to directors’/members’ details, PSC information and registered office): extended from 14 days to 42 days after they occur.
- Mortgage charges: for charges created on or after 6 June 2020, the period to deliver the particulars of a charge will automatically increase from 21 days to 31 days starting with the day after the date the charge was created.
These extensions may vary slightly depending on whether or not the company has already been granted an extension or if the company’s accounting reference period has recently changed. The new filing deadlines are being updated gradually on Companies House and we are happy to advise on individual cases.
Please be aware that if your company’s accounts filing deadline falls on or after 6 April 2021 it may still be possible to apply for an extension through the Companies House portal here.
A full breakdown of how the filing extensions apply to Scottish and overseas entities can be found in the government guidance here.
The extensions established by the Regulations are permitted as a result of the new powers granted under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 which also introduced greater flexibility for companies on how they conduct general meetings, a topic discussed in our earlier briefing note which can be found here.