Short, exact definitions of the terms you meet on Companies House and in UK company accounts, each with where to find it in a real filing and why it matters.
The accounting reference date is the day a company's financial year ends. How it is set, how to change it, and how it drives the accounts deadline.
Capital and reserves is the bottom half of a UK balance sheet: share capital plus retained profits and other reserves. It always equals net assets.
Each Companies House accounts category explained: micro entity, total exemption full, abridged, dormant, full, small, group, with counts.
Active, proposal to strike off, liquidation, administration, voluntary arrangement, receivership and dissolved: what each status means, with counts.
A confirmation statement confirms a company's register details at least once every 12 months, due within 14 days. Contents, £50 fee and penalties.
Creditors due within one year and after more than one year explained: what each line includes, the iXBRL tags, a worked example and what to watch.
A dormant company has no significant transactions. Dormant accounts rules, Companies House vs HMRC dormancy, and how many UK companies are dormant.
Micro-entity: turnover up to £1m, balance sheet up to £500k, up to 10 staff (2 of 3, from April 2025). What micro accounts reveal and how many file them.
Net assets are total assets minus all liabilities. What the figure shows, where it sits in UK accounts and why it can be negative without insolvency.
Net current liabilities mean short-term debts exceed current assets. Where the line sits on a UK balance sheet, how to read it and when it matters.
Overdue accounts means a company missed its Companies House filing deadline. Deadlines, late filing penalties, strike-off risk and how common it is.
A PSC owns or controls a UK company: more than 25% of shares or votes, power over the board, or significant influence. Where to find and check PSCs.
A SIC code is the 5-digit code a UK company uses to describe its business on Companies House. How codes work, where to find them and their limits.
What total assets less current liabilities means on a UK balance sheet, how it is calculated, a worked example and what a negative figure signals.
UK company numbers are 8 characters: 8 digits in England and Wales, or a 2-letter prefix such as SC, NI, OC or OE plus 6 digits. Every prefix explained.
iXBRL is the tagged HTML format UK companies use to file accounts with Companies House and HMRC. How it works, how to read it and how common it is.