Companies House: P&L filings
9th June 2026
The UK government has confirmed some significant changes to Companies House filing requirements, with new rules set to come into force from 1 April 2028. While these reforms have been in discussion for some time, we now have much clearer guidance on what they will mean in practice for small and micro-sized companies and the news is good.
Under the new rules these companies will be required to file a Profit and Loss (P&L) account with Companies House, in addition to the balance sheet that is already submitted each year.
Initially, the proposal was that P&L accounts would be publicly available for inspection on the Companies House register. Unsurprisingly, this raised concerns for company directors and shareholders, as it would give competitors, suppliers, customers and the general public access to commercially sensitive information.
In a very welcome development, the government has listened to feedback and confirmed that small and micro sized companies will be able to opt out of making their P&L publicly visible. This is a sensible and pragmatic amendment, striking a balance between improving transparency for Companies House while protecting confidential financial data.
(To be eligible to opt out, you need to be below 2 of 3 above ‘Small’ New criteria for 2 consecutive years).
This news will come as a relief to many business owners that had been concerned about their P&L becoming publicly available.
