If you run a small limited company, you may have been bracing yourself for April 2028. Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, small companies and micro-entities were going to have to file their profit and loss account with Companies House for the first time. That would have put your turnover, costs and profit on the public register, where anyone could look them up.
On 23 October 2026, Companies House announced that this part of the plan has been paused. This post explains what that means, what you can keep doing, and the changes that are still going ahead.
What has been announced
Small companies and micro-entities will not have to file a profit and loss account with Companies House from April 2028. The government is pausing the requirement while it looks at ways to join up filing with Companies House and HMRC. The aim, which the government calls "tell government once", is that you shouldn't have to send the same information to two different places.
The announcement came with a written statement to Parliament and the government's response to the Small Business Regulatory Taskforce report. You can read the full news story on GOV.UK.
What stays the same for small companies
For most small businesses, the practical answer is that you can keep filing the same kind of accounts you file today:
- Filleted accounts are still allowed. A small company can still leave its profit and loss account (and directors' report) out of the copy of the accounts it files at Companies House, including for accounts filed after 1 April 2028.
- Abridged accounts are still allowed. Small companies can keep filing abridged accounts, which show a shortened balance sheet.
- Micro-entities can keep filing a balance sheet only, as they do now.
Not sure which of these you file now? Our help article on full and filleted accounts explains the difference.
Heads up - this only changes what goes on the public register. You still have to prepare a full set of accounts for your shareholders, and HMRC still gets your full accounts, profit and loss account included, with your Company Tax Return.
Paused, not cancelled
It's worth being clear about the word "paused". The government hasn't said the idea is gone for good. It wants to find a joined-up way for Companies House and HMRC to collect accounts information, and the profit and loss filing requirement could come back in a different form once that work is done. For now, though, there's nothing to prepare for on this point.
Your profit and loss account stays off the public register for now - but your accounts still have to go through software from April 2028.
What is still going ahead on 1 April 2028
The rest of the April 2028 package hasn't changed. Companies House says the move to software filing "is going ahead as planned".
| Change | Status after the 23 October 2026 announcement |
|---|---|
| Small and micro companies file a profit and loss account | Paused |
| Filleted and abridged accounts | Still allowed |
| Accounts filed with commercial software, in iXBRL | Going ahead - applies to every company |
| WebFiling and paper filing for accounts | Closing |
| Enhanced audit exemption statement | Going ahead |
| All parts of the accounts and reports filed together | Going ahead |
| Limit on shortening your accounting reference period | Going ahead |
Software filing for every company
From 1 April 2028, every UK company must file its accounts using commercial software, in a format called iXBRL (a way of tagging each figure so a computer can read it). That applies whether you file yourself or an accountant files for you. WebFiling and paper filing for accounts will close on that date. You'll still be able to use the Companies House website for other filings, such as your confirmation statement or changes to your directors.
The other changes
- Audit exemption: directors claiming exemption from audit will need to give a stronger statement confirming the company is eligible. We explain the current rules in Audit exemption: when a small company can still be made to have an audit.
- Filing everything together: the different parts of your accounts and reports will need to be filed at the same time, rather than in pieces.
- Shortening your year end: there will be a limit on how often you can shorten your company's financial year. See Changing your company's year end.
For the background to the whole package, see our earlier post on Companies House changes to filing in April 2028. Please note that it was written before the profit and loss change was paused.
What you should do now
- Nothing changes for your next filing. Your deadlines and the accounts you file stay the same. Check your dates in Companies House filing deadlines.
- Plan your move to software. If you still use WebFiling or paper, you'll need to switch before 1 April 2028. Doing it now means your first software filing isn't also your first filing under the new rules.
- Talk to your accountant if you were planning changes, such as a new year end or the way you present your accounts, because of the profit and loss requirement.
How TaxOptimiser can help
We prepare your statutory accounts - micro-entity (FRS 105), small company (FRS 102 Section 1A) or dormant - and file them with Companies House in iXBRL, so you're already on software before the 2028 deadline. For a small company, the copy we file at Companies House can leave out the profit and loss account, while the same figures flow into your Company Tax Return and the full accounts we send to HMRC.
The short version
Small and micro companies won't have to put their profit and loss account on the public register from April 2028 - for now. You can keep filing filleted or abridged accounts. But from 1 April 2028 every company must file its accounts with software, and WebFiling and paper will close for accounts, so it's still worth making the switch in good time.
