This page contains an automatically-updated list of every public limited company that’s missed the deadline for filing its confirmation statement. Listed companies are highlighted in yellow.1Most PLCs aren’t listed. So why become a PLC? Perhaps because you’re planning to get a listing at some point. Perhaps you want to offer securities to some of the public, without a listing. Perhaps you just like the cachet of having “PLC” in your name. But it comes with a somewhat higher level of compliance obligations.
The confirmation statement used to be called the “annual return” – it’s simply a short confirmation that the company’s details held with Companies House are still correct. Accounts can be late for legitimate reasons (e.g. auditors raising a technical query that takes time to resolve), but there’s no legitimate reason for not filing a confirmation statement. So it’s unfortunate there are no penalties for failing to file a confirmation statement on time.2In theory it’s a criminal offence, but it’s very rarely prosecuted. Companies House will automatically start the process for striking off a company that fails to file, but it’s easy to object and stop this.
You can click on each column to sort it, and click on a company name to jump to its Companies House entry.
Confirmation statements are usually filed online so, unlike accounts, if a company is on this list it’s unlikely to be due to processing delays at Companies House. 3The companies that are many years in default are strange “zombies” which were dissolved, and then restored to the register – I don’t know what’s going on there.
We publish a separate list of PLCs that failed to file their accounts on time,.
The list is generated by a script that runs at 2am every Monday morning.4But occasionally more frequently
The code is available on our GitHub. Thanks to M for original idea and original coding, and to Companies House for the API which enables all this.
Image by DALL-E 2: “a late alarm clock”.
Tax Policy Associates provides this list as a useful tool but accepts no responsibility for any errors; if a company’s filings are important to you, please check directly with Companies House.
- 1Most PLCs aren’t listed. So why become a PLC? Perhaps because you’re planning to get a listing at some point. Perhaps you want to offer securities to some of the public, without a listing. Perhaps you just like the cachet of having “PLC” in your name. But it comes with a somewhat higher level of compliance obligations.
- 2In theory it’s a criminal offence, but it’s very rarely prosecuted. Companies House will automatically start the process for striking off a company that fails to file, but it’s easy to object and stop this.
- 3The companies that are many years in default are strange “zombies” which were dissolved, and then restored to the register – I don’t know what’s going on there.
- 4But occasionally more frequently
2 responses to “Every PLC that’s failed to file its confirmation statement on time”
I can imagine there could be other scripts/software code that could be run for example to show late filing of financial statements (which could be an early indicator/warning for creditors/employees/HMRC etc) as well as all sorts of other interesting info like tracking changes in ownership, listing all the entities which are linked to tax havens or certain individuals (like MPs, PEP’s etc). Do you have any plans to explore this further? Also I would recommend reading and following Richard Murphy on his musings about Co House (I know that you have crossed swords with him before on other matters but I think when it comes to Co House ineffectiveness and role you 2 are somewhat aligned). This video and some of his other blogs and material is worth noting
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/06/14/why-do-we-give-small-companies-a-free-tax-ride-in-the-uk/
we are working on this!
Richard Murphy used to be an important figure in the tax world ten years ago, but now he’s pursued a variety of weird conspiracy theories, and I don’t regard his research as evidence-based.