![Accounts Regime Finder]()
Accounts Regime Finder
User guide
AccountsSmarter Workspace
1. What the tool does
The Accounts Regime Finder works out, for a UK limited company and a particular accounting period:
- its size under the Companies Act 2006 (micro-entity, small, medium-sized or large), using the two-year rule;
- which accounting framework to use (for example FRS 105, FRS 102 Section 1A or full FRS 102);
- what to prepare (accounts, directors' report, strategic report);
- whether an audit is needed or an exemption applies;
- the deadlines for Companies House, corporation tax payment and the CT600;
- what has to be filed at Companies House, under the current rules and under the ECCTA rules from 1 April 2028.
The result updates as you type. Use Save record to keep the details for the company and period; next year they carry forward (see section 9). Anything not saved is cleared when you leave the page.
2. Quick start
- From the Workspace menu, open Accounts Regime Finder.
- Type the company number and click Look up on Companies House.
- Check the company details and the period that have been filled in.
- Enter this period's turnover, balance sheet total and average employees from the client's records.
- Fill in any prior-year turnover the lookup couldn't find (small and micro companies often don't file it).
- Tick anything that applies under The company (group, charity, dormant and so on).
- Read the result on the right, review Points to check, then click Copy summary and paste it into the client file.
3. Looking up a company
Enter the 8-character company number, for example 06215141 or SC123456. Shorter numbers are padded with zeros automatically. Then click Look up on Companies House.
The lookup fills in:
- company name, company type and incorporation date;
- the period start and end of the next accounts due (and whether this is the first period);
- the Prior year and Year before figures, where the latest accounts were filed electronically;
- the type and framework of the last two sets of accounts filed.
Open company page and Open filing history take you to the company on the Companies House website in a new tab.
TipA new lookup clears any figures already on the page, so look up first and then type in this period's figures.
4. The Companies House results
After a lookup, the right-hand column shows what was found, in four boxes, above the result.
From Companies House
The company's registered details, the period being worked on, the type of accounts last filed and the framework last used (for example "FRS 105 (micro-entities)").
Filled from the filed accounts
A table of the figures read from the latest accounts filed electronically, for the prior year and the year before:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|
| Turnover | Shows not filed when the profit and loss account wasn't filed, which is usual for micro and small companies. Enter it from the client's records. |
| Balance sheet | Fixed assets plus current assets, plus any prepayments or unpaid share capital shown as a separate line. This is the gross figure the size test uses. |
| Employees | The average number of employees disclosed in the accounts. |
If the latest accounts weren't filed electronically (paper or PDF only), the figures can't be read. The tool then uses the previous electronic filing if there is one and fills only the Year before column, and tells you so.
Accounts filed at Companies House — last two years
The last two sets of accounts, with the date they're made up to, the type of accounts and the date filed. Under each one, where available:
- the framework (FRS 105, FRS 102 Section 1A, FRS 102, FRS 101 or IFRS);
- the audit status (audited, or audit exempt with or without an accountant's report);
- the accounts type (full, filleted, abridged);
- the software they were prepared in, which shows what the previous accountant used.
A paper tag marks accounts filed on paper. A change of year end filed in the same two years is listed too. View opens the filed accounts as a PDF.
Next and To check
Next says what you still need to enter. To check (amber) lists anything that needs your attention, such as missing turnover or overdue accounts.
The company
- Company type: private limited by shares, by guarantee, unlimited or PLC. PLCs can't use the small companies regime.
- Place in a group: if the company is a parent, subsidiary or both, extra questions and a Group figures section appear.
- Regulated financial business, Charity, Dormant and s476 notice: tick any that apply; each changes which exemptions are available.
This period
- Period start and end: filled by the lookup, or type them. Periods over 18 months are flagged.
- Incorporated on: used for first-period deadlines.
- Expected filing date (optional): decides whether the current filing rules or the ECCTA rules (from 1 April 2028) apply. If blank, the Companies House deadline is used.
- First financial period: tick for a company's first accounts. Only this period's figures are then needed.
Company figures
- Enter turnover, balance sheet total (gross assets, before deducting liabilities) and average employees for this period, the prior year and the year before.
- You can type shorthand such as 1.2m or 450k; commas and £ signs are ignored.
- Leave a year blank if it didn't exist. A year with any figure missing is left out of the size test.
- Length (months): this period's length is worked out from the dates; turnover limits are pro-rated for periods that aren't 12 months.
Group figures
For a parent or subsidiary, enter the figures for the whole group (for a subsidiary, the largest group it belongs to), and choose net (after consolidation adjustments) or gross. A group can meet the limits on either basis, so if it fails on one, try the other.
6. Reading the result
| Section | What it tells you |
|---|
| Verdict (teal box) | The size, the framework, the audit position and the Companies House deadline at a glance, with a sentence explaining why. |
| Size test | Each year's figures against the micro, small and medium limits: meets or fails, and whether the company qualifies after the two-year rule. |
| What to prepare | The framework, and the reports needed (accounts, directors' report, strategic report, auditor's or accountant's report). |
| Audit | Whether an audit is required, or which exemption applies (s477, s479, s479A or s480), and the statements needed on the balance sheet. |
| Deadlines | Companies House filing deadline, corporation tax payment date(s) and CT600 due date. A period over 12 months is split into two corporation tax accounting periods. |
| Filing at Companies House | What to file under the current rules and under the ECCTA rules from 1 April 2028. The set that applies is highlighted. |
| Points to check | Warnings and judgement calls, including a change of size or framework since the last accounts filed. |
| File note | Copy summary copies a plain-text summary of the result to paste into the client file. If copying is blocked, the text appears so you can select and copy it. Print / save as PDF opens a report of the details entered and the result. Save record keeps it for next year. |
7. How the size is decided
A company is in a size band if it meets at least two of the three limits. For periods starting on or after 6 April 2025 the limits are:
| Size | Turnover | Balance sheet total | Average employees |
|---|
| Micro-entity | £1m | £500k | 10 |
| Small | £15m | £7.5m | 50 |
| Medium-sized | £54m | £27m | 250 |
Periods starting before 6 April 2025 use the old limits, which the tool applies automatically.
- Two-year rule: a company only changes size once it has met (or failed) the new limits for two consecutive years. That's why the prior years' figures matter.
- Exclusions: PLCs, regulated financial businesses and members of ineligible groups can't use the small regime; charities can't use the micro-entity regime; traded companies can't use the medium-sized exemptions.
- Parents: a parent company is limited by the size of the group it heads.
8. Points to check and limits
Always check the figuresFigures read from Companies House come from the filed accounts as tagged by the accounts software. Check them against the accounts before relying on them.
- Turnover is often missing from filed accounts of micro and small companies. Enter it from the client's records; the size test needs it for every year.
- Paper and PDF-only filings can't be read for figures or framework. Their type still shows, from the Companies House record.
- A change of size or framework since the last accounts is flagged. Moving framework needs transition adjustments and disclosures.
- Charities may need an audit or independent examination under charity law even when company law doesn't require one.
- LLPs follow adapted rules; the tool is written for companies.
- The tool is a decision aid for qualified staff. Check judgement calls against the legislation before relying on them.
9. Saving and next year
Save record (in the File note box) saves everything on the form against the company number and period end, with the size, framework and audit result. Saving again for the same period updates that record rather than adding another. You need the company number to save.
Saved records for the company are listed under the result, in Saved records for this company, with who saved each one and when. Open puts a saved record back on the form; Delete removes it for everyone.
Next year
When you look up the company again, the tool checks for a saved record:
- Last year's record: its figures move across a column. Last year's This period becomes the Prior year, and its Prior year becomes the Year before. This fills the turnover that Companies House doesn't supply.
- Figures read from the filed accounts are kept. If one differs from the saved figure, it's listed in Points to check so you can see which is right.
- The group details and options (such as charity or regulated business) carry forward too and are listed, so you can check they still apply. An s476 notice, dormancy and the expected filing date don't carry forward, as they're decided each year.
- If the size has changed since last year's saved record, that's listed in Points to check.
- A record for this period already saved: it's opened, so you can carry on where you or a colleague left off.
TipSave the record once the accounts are finalised, so next year starts from the final figures.
10. Troubleshooting
| Message | What to do |
|---|
| Enter the 8-character company number first | Check the number. Scottish and Northern Irish numbers start with letters (SC, NI). |
| Companies House has no company with that number | The number is wrong or the company doesn't exist. Search on the Companies House website. |
| Companies House is busy | Wait a minute and try again. All staff share one allowance of 600 lookups every 5 minutes. |
| Needs you signed in with 2FA | Sign out and back in with your 2FA code, then try again. |
| Saving isn't set up yet | The saved records table hasn't been added in Supabase. Email admin@accountssmarter.co.uk. |
| Link isn't set up, or didn't answer | Try again shortly. If it keeps happening, email admin@accountssmarter.co.uk. |
| Result says "Enter the period" or "Enter this period's figures" | A period start and end, and this period's turnover, balance sheet total and employees, are all needed before a result appears. |
