Change of Accounting Reference Date

A company's Accounting Reference Date (ARD) automatically defaults to the last day of the month on which the company incorporated. Many new directors prefer to align the company's accounting period to the tax year in order to simplify tax calculations and negate the requirement to draw up separate accounts for HMRC and Companies House.

Please note: In most cases a company can only change it's accounting reference date once in 5 years.

Here is what you will need to extend or reduce the company's accounting period:

Non-Corporate Appointments

• Company Number
• Company Name
• The Current end date for the accounting period
• The new end date for the accounting period
• Has the accounting period been increased or shortened?

We provide a service for electronically updating your company's ARD, this will usually be completed within the same working day the request is made.

• Change your Accounting Reference Date electronically
• Change Accounting Reference Date with form AA01

For paper applications the AA01 form should be delivered to the following address:

Companies House
Crown Way
Cardiff
CF14 3UZ

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Other Secretarial Procedures

• Appoint a new director or secretary
• Resign a director or secretary
• Change the particulars of a director or secretary
• Change the company's registered office address
• Allot shares to a new shareholder
• Increase the share capital
• Transfer shares between shareholders
• Change the company name
• Change the memorandum and articles of association
• Striking off a limited company

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