How many UK companies have overdue accounts? (October 2026)
Key figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Active companies on the register | 5,166,057 |
| Active companies with overdue accounts | 93,785 (1.8%) |
| Overdue by up to 3 months | 69,699 (74% of overdue) |
| Overdue by 3 to 12 months | 12,885 |
| Overdue by 1 to 2 years | 3,026 |
| Overdue by more than 2 years | 8,175 |
| Companies whose first accounts are overdue | 16,436 |
| Companies under a proposal to strike off (separate status) | 423,006 |
Snapshot: Companies House free company data product, register as of 1 October 2026. A company counts as overdue when its status is "Active" and its next accounts due date is before 1 October 2026. Companies already in liquidation, administration or under a strike-off proposal are not counted, so the figure measures companies that are still trading on paper but have missed a deadline.
Overdue rate by accounts type
The larger the company, the more likely it is to be late. Audited accounts take longer to prepare, and many subsidiaries rely on a parent company guarantee and file late without much consequence.
| Accounts type at last filing | Active companies | Overdue | Overdue rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit exemption subsidiary | 33,610 | 5,010 | 14.9% |
| Full | 79,385 | 6,686 | 8.4% |
| Group | 27,091 | 1,784 | 6.6% |
| Small | 62,564 | 3,861 | 6.2% |
| Medium | 6,231 | 223 | 3.6% |
| Dormant | 559,853 | 13,234 | 2.4% |
| Micro-entity | 1,674,362 | 24,640 | 1.5% |
| Unaudited abridged | 148,417 | 2,155 | 1.5% |
| Total exemption full | 1,228,842 | 17,498 | 1.4% |
| No accounts filed yet | 1,341,352 | 16,436 | 1.2% |
Overdue rate by industry
Grouped by the first SIC code each company declares (two-digit division, divisions with more than 20,000 active companies).
| Highest overdue rates | Companies | Overdue rate |
|---|---|---|
| 64 Financial services, incl. holding companies | 189,366 | 3.1% |
| 66 Activities auxiliary to financial services | 23,577 | 3.0% |
| 94 Membership organisations | 20,147 | 2.7% |
| 82 Office administration and business support | 180,424 | 2.5% |
| 74 Other professional, scientific and technical | 155,013 | 2.5% |
| 78 Employment activities | 45,023 | 2.4% |
| Lowest overdue rates | Companies | Overdue rate |
|---|---|---|
| 98 Private households | 125,141 | 1.1% |
| 69 Legal and accounting | 75,513 | 1.2% |
| 01 Crop and animal production | 32,819 | 1.3% |
| 86 Human health | 158,378 | 1.3% |
| 43 Specialised construction | 274,999 | 1.3% |
| 71 Architecture and engineering | 81,183 | 1.3% |
Holding companies (SIC 64209 sits in division 64) top the list. Accountants and lawyers, unsurprisingly, are among the most punctual.
Overdue rate by postcode area
Registered office postcode, areas with more than 30,000 active companies.
| Postcode area | Companies | Overdue rate |
|---|---|---|
| EC (London, City) | 183,843 | 3.6% |
| W (London, West) | 183,078 | 3.0% |
| CF (Cardiff) | 53,480 | 2.9% |
| SW (London, South West) | 100,707 | 2.7% |
| WC (London, West Central) | 134,251 | 2.5% |
| B (Birmingham) | 148,735 | 2.0% |
| M (Manchester) | 118,489 | 1.9% |
| EH (Edinburgh) | 75,144 | 1.6% |
| SG (Stevenage) | 32,021 | 1.2% |
Central London and Cardiff postcodes host large numbers of registered office and formation agent addresses, so companies registered there are often not run from there. The high rate says more about virtual offices than about the cities themselves.
Why it matters when you check a company
Overdue accounts are one of the simplest early warning signs on a supplier, customer or borrower. A company that is months late has either lost control of its finances, lost its accountant, or stopped trading without telling anyone. Companies House then issues penalties and, if nothing is filed, starts the process of striking the company off.
Deadlines: a private company files accounts within 9 months of the end of its financial year; first accounts are due 21 months after incorporation. Public companies have 6 months.
How to check one company, or a whole list
- One company: search it on our company search. The page shows the accounts due date and the last balance sheet date.
- A list of suppliers or customers: add them to a watchlist through the API or MCP server. The
get_alertstool flags overdue accounts, status changes and falling net assets. - Raw data: the register is published monthly by Companies House as a free download under the Open Government Licence.
Methodology
Source: Companies House "Free Company Data Product" (BasicCompanyData), snapshot of 1 October 2026, 5,704,712 companies of all statuses, of which 5,166,057 "Active". Overdue: AccountsNextDueDate earlier than the snapshot date. Companies whose accounts were filed in the last days before the snapshot may still show the old due date, so the 0 to 3 month band slightly overstates lateness. Accounts type is the category of the last accounts filed. Computed by Global Mindset Marketing Ltd. You may reuse these figures with a link to this page.
FAQ
How many UK companies are late filing accounts?
93,785 active companies (1.8% of 5.17 million) were past their accounts due date on 1 October 2026, based on the Companies House register.
What happens if a company files its accounts late?
Companies House charges an automatic late filing penalty from £150 to £1,500 for a private company, doubled for a second late year in a row. If accounts are not filed at all, the registrar can strike the company off and directors can be prosecuted.
How can I see if a company's accounts are overdue?
The Companies House register shows the next accounts due date for every company. If that date has passed and no new accounts appear in the filing history, the accounts are overdue. Our company pages show the due date next to the last balance sheet date.
Which companies are most often late with accounts?
Subsidiaries using the audit exemption (14.9% overdue) and companies filing full audited accounts (8.4%) are late far more often than micro-entities (1.5%).
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