How to find a UK company's turnover

Short answer

You can find a UK company's turnover for free on Companies House only when the company has filed a profit and loss account, because turnover is the first line of that statement. Medium-sized and large companies must deliver full accounts including the profit and loss account; micro-entities and small companies currently may deliver a balance sheet and notes only.

Key facts:

• Micro-entities may send only a balance sheet to Companies House; small companies can choose whether to send the profit and loss account and directors' report (GOV.UK).
• A company is small if it meets two of: turnover up to £15 million, balance sheet total up to £7.5 million, no more than 50 employees, for financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025 (SI 2024/1303).
• From 1 April 2028, small companies and micro-entities must deliver a profit and loss account, but can opt out of having it published on the register (Companies House, 9 June 2026).
• On 1 October 2026, 32.4% of active companies last filed micro-entity accounts and only 1.5% full accounts (UK Company Data, accounts type study).

Which accounts show turnover?

The accounts category on the register tells you, before you open a document, whether turnover is likely to be there. The table shows what each category usually contains.

Source: UK Company Data analysis of the Companies House register, 1 October 2026. See accounts categories and micro-entity for definitions.

How to find turnover on Companies House, step by step

The whole process takes a few minutes per company.

1. Search the company by name or number on the Companies House register and open the right legal entity. Check the company number, because similar names are common.
2. Open the filing history and filter by accounts. The latest entry is usually at the top, described with the balance sheet date.
3. Read the description. Micro company and dormant company accounts almost never contain turnover; full, group and medium company accounts almost always do.
4. Open the document and find the profit and loss account (also called the income statement or statement of comprehensive income). Turnover, sometimes labelled revenue, is the first line.
5. Check the column. The current year and the prior year sit side by side, and larger companies often report in thousands.
6. For a group, use the consolidated profit and loss account of the parent if you want the turnover of the whole business, and the subsidiary's own accounts if you trade with one entity.

Why most small companies hide turnover

Most small companies do not publish turnover because the law lets them leave the profit and loss account out of the filed copy, and few choose to share it. The filed copy then contains the balance sheet and notes, an option often called filleted accounts.

Companies prepare full accounts for their shareholders and for HMRC; the option only affects what goes on the public register. So the absence of turnover tells you nothing about whether the company is trading.

What changes in April 2028

Companies House will introduce accounts filing changes from April 2028, after moving the date from April 2027 in an announcement on 9 June 2026. From 1 April 2028:

• Small companies and micro-entities must deliver a profit and loss account to Companies House, but can opt out of having it published on the public register.
• The component parts of the accounts must be filed together, which ends the current balance-sheet-only option for small companies.
• Small companies can no longer prepare and file abridged accounts.
• All accounts must be filed through commercial software in iXBRL format; web and paper filing for accounts closes.

The practical result: Companies House will hold turnover for almost every company, but a small company that uses the opt-out will still not show it to the public. Expect more turnover data after 2028, not complete data.

What you can infer without turnover

When turnover is hidden, the rest of the filing still gives you a sense of scale. These signals are free and appear in most small company accounts:

• Average number of employees. Every company must disclose it in the notes (Companies Act 2006, s.411). It is the single best size proxy.
• Trade debtors. Money owed by customers at the year end. A business that invoices on 30-day terms carries roughly one month of sales in debtors, so a large debtor balance implies meaningful sales.
• Size category. A company filing micro-entity accounts claims to meet two of the micro limits, one of which is turnover up to £1 million. A small company meets two of the small limits, including turnover up to £15 million. Because only two of three conditions are needed, this is a strong hint, not proof.
• Balance sheet movements. Rising cash, debtors and creditors over several years usually mean a growing business.
• Net assets. Rising net assets show retained profit even when the profit itself is not published.

Our guide on how to read company accounts explains each balance sheet line.

Paid sources and their limits

Paid company information services cannot see a turnover figure that the company did not file. When their reports show turnover for a small company that filed only a balance sheet, the figure is an estimate from a model, so look for a label such as "estimated" before relying on it.

Other routes to a real number:

• Ask the company. A customer or lender asking for turnover in a credit application is normal, and management accounts are often more current than filed accounts.
• Check tender and public procurement records for contract values if the company sells to the public sector.
• Look at the parent's group accounts, which may break down turnover by segment or subsidiary.

Getting turnover at scale

For more than a handful of companies, reading PDFs stops being practical. Accounts filed electronically in iXBRL tag each figure, including turnover where the company filed it, so software can read them.

We have parsed about 37 million iXBRL accounts filed from 2008 to 2026, covering about 7 million companies, and about 70% of active companies have at least one machine-readable filing. Large groups often file PDF only, so their turnover is not in iXBRL data. The official Companies House API returns filing history and document links, not figures. To pull turnover and balance sheet figures for a list of company numbers, get a free API key or read about our financial data API.

Sources

1. Prepare annual accounts for a private limited company: micro-entities, small and dormant companies, GOV.UK, accessed 17 October 2026.
2. Preparing and filing Companies House accounts, GOV.UK, accessed 17 October 2026.
3. Companies House to bring in changes to accounts filing from April 2028, GOV.UK, 9 June 2026, accessed 17 October 2026.
4. Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act: company accounts factsheet, GOV.UK, accessed 17 October 2026.
5. The Companies (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1303, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 17 October 2026.
6. Companies Act 2006, section 411: information about employee numbers and costs, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 17 October 2026.

FAQ

Is a company's turnover public in the UK?

Only if the company files its profit and loss account with Companies House. Medium-sized and large companies must, so their turnover is public. Micro-entities and small companies can currently file a balance sheet and notes only, which keeps turnover off the public register. From 1 April 2028 they must deliver a profit and loss account but can opt out of publication.

Why can't I see turnover on Companies House?

Most likely the company filed micro-entity or small company accounts without a profit and loss account, which the law allows. Check the accounts description in the filing history. If it says micro company accounts or dormant company accounts, there will be no turnover. The company still prepares full accounts for its shareholders and HMRC.

How can I estimate a small company's turnover?

Use the average number of employees in the notes, the size of trade debtors, the accounts category and the trend in cash and net assets. A micro-entity meets two of three micro limits, one being turnover up to £1 million, so its accounts type is a hint rather than proof. For a firm figure, ask the company directly.

Will small companies have to publish turnover from 2028?

Not necessarily. From 1 April 2028 small companies and micro-entities must deliver a profit and loss account to Companies House, but they can opt out of having it published on the public register. Companies House announced the April 2028 start on 9 June 2026, replacing the earlier April 2027 plan.

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.