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Annual Accounts and Audit Templates

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE ECONOMIC CRIME & CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT 2023 IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN PHASES AND MAY CHANGE SOME OF THE TEMPLATES BELOW. 

The Annual Accounts & Audit section explains the legal requirements on accounting and audit for private companies under the Companies Act 2006. It provides a guidance note and a set of template documents, including board minutes, shareholder resolutions, notices and letters for use by finance directors, company secretaries and auditors when preparing and approving accounts.

Companies are expressly required by law to keep “adequate accounting records” that are “sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions”. In practice this means private companies must prepare and file annual accounts, and failure to do so is a criminal offence. The Guidance Note is a practical “how to” guide on preparing and distributing annual accounts. It also covers:

  • accounting and audit exemptions for small and micro companies
  • audit requirements more generally
  • the process for appointing, removing and replacing an auditor.

Each document in this section is compliant with the Companies Act 2006. A related Companies House form for changing the accounting reference date is also listed for convenience.

When To Use These Templates

Use these templates when you are:

  • Preparing and approving statutory accounts.
  • Considering or claiming small or micro company audit exemptions.
  • Appointing a new auditor.
  • Removing or replacing an existing auditor, including where special notice and a general meeting are required.
  • Managing an auditor’s resignation and documenting the reasons.
  • Changing the company’s accounting reference date (with the relevant Companies House filing).

Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA)

Note that with effect from April 2028, changes to accounts as mandated by ECCTA will take effect. These reforms include requiring small companies and micro entities to file profit and loss accounts, an end to filing abridged accounts and a strengthened eligibility statement for all companies claiming an audit exemption. All UK registered companies will also need to file their annual accounts in iXBRL format from April 2028, with web and paper-based filing routes closed for accounts filings from that date. 

Companies need to begin considering how these changes will impact them and their software and filing arrangements. 

Benefits of Using Simply-Docs Accounts and Audit Templates

✅ Provides a structured set of documents to manage the full accounts and audit cycle, from preparation and approval of accounts through to auditor appointment, removal and resignation
✅ Helps ensure that statutory requirements on accounting records, audits, notices and resolutions are met and properly documented
✅ Supports the use of small and micro company audit exemptions while maintaining a clear, defensible paper trail
✅ Drafted for SME private companies, saving time and reducing the risk of non-compliance with the Companies Act 2006 and evolving ECCTA requirements

Annual Accounts and Audit Templates is part of Corporate. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Corporate for 1 year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What accounting records does the law actually require us to keep? +
Adequate accounting records: sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions, disclose its financial position with reasonable accuracy at any time and enable accounts to be prepared. In particular you need day to day records of money received and spent, a record of assets and liabilities and, if you deal in goods, stock statements. Failure is a criminal offence by every officer in default. The guidance note here translates this into a practical bookkeeping baseline.
When do our annual accounts have to reach Companies House? +
Nine months after your accounting reference date for a private company, six months for a public company. First accounts after incorporation work differently and usually allow longer, check your company's specific date on the Companies House register rather than assuming. Late delivery triggers an automatic civil penalty that escalates with delay, separate from any offence. The board minutes and resolutions here document approval before filing.
Do we need an audit, or can we claim exemption? +
Most small companies are exempt. You qualify as small by meeting two of three thresholds, which for financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025 are turnover of 15 million pounds or less, balance sheet total of 7.5 million pounds or less and 50 or fewer average employees. Group membership can change the answer, and some companies, such as those in regulated financial sectors, cannot claim exemption. The templates include the required exemption statements and auditor correspondence.
Who has to approve the accounts before they are filed? +
The board. Directors approve the annual accounts and a director signs the balance sheet on the board's behalf; the directors remain responsible for accounts that comply with the Companies Act even when an accountant prepares them. Shareholders receive the accounts but a general meeting is not required for a private company unless the articles say so. This sub-folder provides the approval board minutes, circulation letters and related notices.
Is it true that accounts filing is changing at Companies House? +
Yes, from April 2028. All companies will file accounts through commercial software only, web and paper routes close, and small companies and micro entities will file their profit and loss account, with an option not to have it published. These reforms were originally planned for April 2027 and were moved to give companies more time. Nothing changes for accounts due now, but choose software your accountant can file from well before 2028.
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Accounts and Audit - Related Sections

Accounts & Audit - Guidance & Approvals

Accounts & Audit - Filings & Exemptions

All Company Administration & Compliance

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