Abridged vs filleted accounts: what is the difference and what can you learn from each?

The short answer

Filleted and abridged accounts are two different ways a small company can file less than it prepares. Filleted means leaving whole statements out; abridged means filing statements with fewer line items. A company can do both at once.

"Filleted" is an informal accountants' term, not a word used in the legislation. "Abridged" is a legal term, and abridged accounts are due to be abolished from 1 April 2028 (see below).

Micro-entity accounts

A micro-entity can send Companies House only its balance sheet, with less information. For financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025, a company is a micro-entity if it meets at least two of three tests: turnover of £1 million or less, a balance sheet total of £500,000 or less, and 10 employees or less.

The micro balance sheet uses its own short format set out in Section C of Schedule 1 to the Small Companies Regulations (SI 2008/409), with headings such as fixed assets, current assets, creditors and capital and reserves. It is the most common filing on the register: 1,674,362 active companies (32.4%) last filed micro-entity accounts. Our micro-entity glossary page covers the thresholds in more detail.

Filleted accounts

Filleted accounts are full small company accounts with the profit and loss account and directors' report removed before filing. GOV.UK puts it plainly: a small company can choose whether or not to send a copy of the directors' report and profit and loss account to Companies House.

The legal basis is section 444(1) of the Companies Act 2006: the directors must deliver a copy of the balance sheet, and may also deliver the profit and loss account and the directors' report. What remains on the public record is the full balance sheet and its notes, which can still be informative: debtors, creditors split by type, loans, fixed asset movements and sometimes average staff numbers.

When the profit and loss account is left out, section 444(5A) requires the filed balance sheet to disclose that fact. Section 444(5) also requires a prominent statement that the accounts are delivered under the provisions for companies subject to the small companies regime. Those two statements are the clearest sign that you are reading a filleted set.

Abridged accounts

Abridged accounts are small company accounts drawn up with condensed formats, and they need the consent of all the members (shareholders). Under paragraph 1A of Schedule 1 to SI 2008/409:

• an abridged balance sheet shows only the items preceded by letters and roman numerals in the statutory format, so detail such as the split of debtors or creditors by type can disappear into single totals;
• an abridged profit and loss account combines turnover, cost of sales and other operating income into a single line called "Gross profit or loss", so even when it is filed, turnover is not shown;
• consent must be given each year, for the preceding financial year, and the option is not available to a company that was a charity during the year.

The company must deliver a statement that all members have consented to the abridgement (s.444(2A)). In practice the balance sheet carries a sentence saying the members have agreed to the preparation of abridged accounts in accordance with section 444(2A). The company can also choose to file an abridged profit and loss account and a directors' report, but many abridged filers leave both out, which makes the filing abridged and filleted at the same time.

On 1 October 2026, 148,417 active companies (2.9%) last filed accounts categorised as unaudited abridged, according to our analysis of accounts types.

What can a reader learn from each?

The shorter the filing, the less you can say about trading performance. All three types show net assets, which is often the most useful single figure for a credit decision.

Even without a profit and loss account, you can estimate direction of travel. Compare net assets with the prior year column: if equity fell and no dividends were noted, the company probably made a loss. Our guide on how to read company accounts walks through the balance sheet line by line.

How to spot each type on Companies House

The filing history description and the statements on the balance sheet tell you which regime was used. Check in this order:

1. Filing history description. Companies House labels each accounts filing by type, for example micro company accounts, unaudited abridged accounts or total exemption full accounts. Each label matches a register category, explained in our accounts categories guide.
2. Statement on the balance sheet. Look for the sentence on members' consent under section 444(2A) (abridged) and the disclosure that the profit and loss account has not been delivered (filleted).
3. Page count and contents. If there is no profit and loss page and no directors' report, the filing is filleted, whatever its category.

Why so many companies show no turnover

Most small UK companies do not publish turnover because the law lets them leave it out, and few choose to share it. Micro-entity, dormant and unaudited abridged accounts alone cover 46% of active companies, and many of the 23.8% filing total exemption full accounts also omit the profit and loss account.

Only about 1 in 50 active companies files full, group or medium accounts that put a profit and loss account on the public record. If you need a turnover figure for a small company, our guide on how to find a company's turnover lists the alternatives.

What changes from April 2028

Companies House announced on 9 June 2026 that its accounts filing changes will start from April 2028. The changes mean:

• small companies and micro-entities will have to file a profit and loss account with Companies House, with an option to opt out of publishing it on the public register;
• companies will no longer be able to file abridged accounts;
• all companies will have to file accounts in iXBRL format using commercial software.

So abridged accounts will disappear, but filleting in the public sense will partly survive: Companies House will receive the profit and loss account, yet a small company that uses the opt-out will still not show turnover to the public. Expect the micro-entity and unaudited abridged shares of the register to shift once the rules apply.

To see which accounts type a company last filed and what its balance sheet shows, check it on our accounts page.

Sources

1. Prepare annual accounts for a private limited company: micro-entities, small and dormant companies, GOV.UK, accessed 18 October 2026.
2. Preparing and filing Companies House accounts, GOV.UK, accessed 18 October 2026.
3. Companies House to bring in changes to accounts filing from April 2028, GOV.UK, 9 June 2026, accessed 18 October 2026.
4. Companies Act 2006, section 444: filing obligations of small companies other than micro-entities, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 18 October 2026.
5. The Small Companies and Groups (Accounts and Directors' Report) Regulations 2008, Schedule 1, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 18 October 2026.
6. Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: company accounts factsheet, GOV.UK, accessed 18 October 2026.

FAQ

What is the difference between abridged and filleted accounts?

Filleted accounts leave whole statements out: the small company files its balance sheet and notes but not the profit and loss account or directors' report. Abridged accounts condense the statements themselves into fewer lines, and require every member's consent. A company can file abridged accounts without a profit and loss account, which is abridged and filleted at once.

Do abridged accounts need shareholder approval?

Yes. All members of the company must consent to the abridged balance sheet or profit and loss account, and the consent covers one financial year at a time. The company must deliver a statement to Companies House that all members have consented, which normally appears on the balance sheet with a reference to section 444(2A) of the Companies Act 2006.

Are abridged accounts being abolished?

Yes. Companies House announced on 9 June 2026 that from April 2028 companies will no longer be able to file abridged accounts. From the same date small companies and micro-entities will have to file a profit and loss account, although they can opt out of having it published on the public register, and all accounts must be filed in iXBRL through software.

Why can I not see a small company's turnover?

Because the law lets micro-entities and small companies file without a profit and loss account, and an abridged profit and loss account starts at gross profit. 32.4% of active companies last filed micro-entity accounts and 2.9% unaudited abridged accounts, and neither normally shows turnover. Medium and large companies must file their profit and loss account.

Are filleted accounts less reliable than full accounts?

No. The company prepares the same full accounts for its members and HMRC; filleting only changes what goes on the public register. The balance sheet you see is the same balance sheet the directors approved. What you lose is information, not accuracy: turnover, margins and profit for the year stay private.

Sources: Companies House register and accounts data (Open Government Licence v3.0), legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK guidance where linked. This page is general information, not legal, tax or credit advice. Spotted an error? Email info@globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk.