Accounts preparation, member approval and Companies House filing

LLP Annual Accounts Preparation and Filing

Place the accounting records, professional preparation, members’ approval, required signature and statutory filing into one clearly defined annual route—without treating Companies House accounts as bookkeeping, tax returns or an audit.

Coddan can prepare and file accepted dormant, micro, small and active LLP accounts through its in-house or external-accountant route. The correct category, fee and professional scope are confirmed from the LLP’s actual period, activity, records and eligibility.

Commercial position: dormant LLP accounts are £199 + VAT per accounting period; eligible micro or small LLP accounts start from £495 + VAT; active LLP accounts start from £795 + VAT. Ordinary Companies House accounts filing currently carries no official filing fee. Late penalties, tax, bookkeeping, audit and other professional work are separate.

Registration is not annual organisation

The LLP must create reliable accounts before it can file them

Every LLP must keep adequate accounting records, whether it is trading or not, and annual accounts must be prepared for each financial year unless a narrow statutory exemption applies. Companies House receives a copy of accounts already prepared and approved; it does not build the figures or approve the commercial and accounting judgments behind them.

Period first, deadline second

The filing date follows the LLP’s accounting reference period

A new LLP’s financial year begins on incorporation. Its first accounting reference date normally falls on the last day of the month containing the first anniversary of incorporation. Later periods normally end on that annual date unless the accounting reference date is validly changed.

If accounts are submitted before the deadline but rejected after it, the LLP can still receive an automatic late-filing penalty. Preparation should therefore begin early enough to allow for queries, approval, signature and any correction before delivery.

Classify the LLP from the period and evidence—not from the package name

The LLP’s accounts route depends on actual transactions, current size tests, exclusions, group circumstances, audit requirements and the quality of the available records. An overseas member does not automatically alter the size classification.

Evidence follows the LLP’s actual activity

The accounts can only be as reliable as the records and explanations supplied

Coddan uses a category-specific records request. A dormant LLP is not asked for an active trading ledger without reason, while an active or overdue LLP cannot bypass missing evidence by selecting a filing package.

The precise list depends on the period, activity, category and record quality. Events after the reporting date and the basis for any dormant claim may also require written confirmation.

Preparation may be delegated; approval and statutory responsibility are not erased

Coddan’s in-house accountant or an accepted external accountancy firm may prepare the accounts. The engagement identifies the allocated professional route, scope and filing responsibility. The you supplies the evidence; the members approve; and the balance sheet is signed on behalf of the members as the applicable accounts requirements prescribe.

Audit recognition, not audit by implication

Size is only one part of the audit-exemption decision

For periods beginning on or after 6 April 2025, the principal size test for small-LLP audit exemption uses the £15 million turnover, £7.5 million balance-sheet and 50-employee thresholds, with at least two met. The LLP must also satisfy the wider eligibility rules and include the required statements.

Coddan’s accounts-preparation fee does not include a statutory audit unless a written quotation expressly records the responsible audit firm, scope and fee.

One accounting period per engagement

Choose the package only after the accounts category is supported

The fee covers one accepted accounting period. The following period requires a new annual instruction or engagement. No Companies House official fee currently applies to the ordinary accounts filing itself.

Late filing is a condition to manage, not a package label

Overdue accounts may expose several connected problems

An overdue LLP may need more than submission of a set of figures. Coddan first identifies the missing periods, record condition, current Companies House status, penalties and any tax, strike-off, restoration or insolvency dependency.

The late-filing penalty doubles when accounts are filed late in two successive financial years. It is imposed on the LLP and is separate from possible criminal proceedings against designated members for failure to file.

An overseas member changes the evidence and advice route—not automatically the accounts category

An LLP with non-UK individual or corporate members can still be assessed for dormant, micro, small or active treatment under the applicable rules. Complexity arises where the records, transactions, ownership, currency or professional conclusions cross jurisdictions.

Accounts prepared in a language other than English generally require a certified English translation when delivered to Companies House, subject to the specific Welsh and voluntary-translation rules. Translation or certification is a separate documentary service.

Professional review and lifecycle continuity

A filing route built around preparation, approval and evidence

1. 1. Initial classification. Confirm the period, filing date, activity, claimed category, prior filings, group or audit issues and the condition of the records.

2. 2. Engagement and scope. Identify the contracting entity, allocated in-house or external-accountant route, professional fee, inclusions, exclusions and any separate work.

3. 3. Records and queries. Collect the category-specific evidence, reconcile the available records and send focused questions where facts or balances need explanation.

4. 4. Preparation and review. Prepare the agreed accounts, apply the relevant framework and disclosures, and identify any issue requiring tax, audit, legal or insolvency referral.

5. 5. Member approval and signature. Provide the accounts for approval and obtain the required signature, printed name, representations and filing authority. Coddan does not approve or sign for the members.

6. 6. Filing and outcome. Deliver the approved copy through the accepted Companies House route and record acceptance, rejection or the next corrective step.

The processing window is confirmed after the initial review. It starts only when Coddan has accepted the engagement and received complete records, explanations and required authority. No same-day preparation or Companies House acceptance promise is made.

Clarity proved through the annual route

Separate the records, accounts, tax and audit before work begins

The administrative burden grows when every financial task is described as “doing the accounts”. Coddan’s route identifies the period, category, records, professional responsibility and connected services before the filing stage.

This makes the administration clearer and more straightforward. It does not describe accounting judgments, dormant status, overdue recovery or audit eligibility as simple, easy or guaranteed.

When Coddan pauses, quotes separately or refers the work

The service is accepted only where the evidence, responsibility and professional scope are clear enough for proper preparation and filing.

Keep every connected job with its proper owner

Accounts may expose a governance, filing, tax or solvency issue. LLP annual accounts identifies the connection without taking ownership of the separate professional service.

Capability evidenced by the engagement

Accounts work connected to Coddan’s wider LLP lifecycle

Coddan has provided formation and continuing corporate services since 2005. It operates as a formation agent, is supervised by HM Revenue & Customs as a trust or company service provider, and is registered with Companies House as an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.

Coddan has access to an in-house accountant and works with external accountancy firms. The accepted engagement identifies which route performs the work. These facts do not represent government endorsement, HMRC approval of the accounts, registered-auditor status or authority to give legal or individual tax advice.

Authoritative accounting and filing basis

The statutory, threshold, filing and penalty statements on this page were checked against the position available on 23 September 2026. Eligibility and the required accounts format must be tested for the particular accounting period.

• Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000 — the LLP framework and designated-member responsibilities.
• Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008 — applied accounts and audit requirements.
• Companies House: preparing and filing LLP accounts — accounting records, approval, deadlines, categories, thresholds, audit and filing routes.
• Companies House: late-filing penalties — current penalty bands and enforcement consequences.
• Companies House: software filing — present software capability and announced 1 April 2028 filing changes.
• HMRC: register a partnership for Self Assessment — the separate partnership-tax administration route.

Start with the accounting period and records

Select the supported annual route—or request an accounts assessment

Use the dormant application only where the period appears to contain no significant accounting transactions. Micro, small and active accounts proceed after records and eligibility assessment. Overdue, complex, audit-related and multi-period work requires individual scope.

Acceptance depends on complete records, the applicable accounts category, member approval, professional availability and Coddan’s risk and competence boundaries. Filing cannot be guaranteed to remove penalties, prevent enforcement or determine a tax outcome.

Related guidance

Continue with the guide that matches the next decision you need to make.