FreeAgent and the Companies House accounts changes: what directors need to do

If you have read that Companies House is moving to software-only filing in April 2027, that date is out of date. The changes were delayed, and the government has now confirmed they apply to accounts filed on or after 1 April 2028.

That still leaves time, but less than it sounds. Accounts filed after April 2028 include periods that are already running now.

The date moved to 1 April 2028

The accounts changes come from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. They were originally due in April 2027, were delayed in the summer of 2025, and on 12 June 2026 the start date was confirmed as 1 April 2028. The government’s page on the accounts changes says they apply to all accounts filings made on or after that date.

That last part matters. It is the filing date that counts, not when your accounting period started. A company with a year end in the summer of 2027 will be filing under the new rules.

What is changing

• Software only. Accounts will have to be filed using commercial software. The Companies House web service and paper filing close for accounts. Other filings, such as the confirmation statement, can still be made the old way.
• Profit and loss for micro-entities. A micro-entity will have to file its balance sheet and its profit and loss account.
• Profit and loss for small companies. A small company will file its balance sheet, profit and loss account and directors’ report, although the directors’ report requirement is expected to be dropped.
• No more abridged accounts. The option to file abridged accounts goes.
• Limits on shortening your year end. Shortening your accounting reference period more than once in five years will need a business reason.

Micro-entities and small companies will be able to opt out of having the profit and loss account published, even though it has to be filed. Companies House has not yet said how the opt out will work.

What it means if you file through FreeAgent

Today, when FreeAgent files your final accounts it sends Companies House a shortened version: in practice the balance sheet. That is exactly the kind of filing that stops being enough. After April 2028 a micro-entity has to send its profit and loss account too.

Two things work in FreeAgent’s favour. It is already software, so the web filing route closing does not affect you directly. And it can already export full accounts in iXBRL, the format software filing uses.

What we could not find, as of 1 October 2026, was any public statement from FreeAgent about how its year end filing will change for the new rules. We would expect one well before April 2028, but until there is, do not assume the button you press today will do the same job then.

Remember that FreeAgent only prepares micro-entity accounts. If your company has grown into a small company, the new rules make that gap bigger, because small company accounts carry more that has to be filed. Our guide to what FreeAgent can file has the size limits.

Your profit and loss on the public record

For many owner managed companies this is the change that will actually be felt. At the moment, anyone can look up your balance sheet. From April 2028 your turnover and profit are filed as well.

There will be an opt out from publication for micro and small companies. Until Companies House explains how it works, nobody can tell you whether it is a tick box or something more involved. If your margins are something you would rather competitors and customers did not see, this is worth keeping an eye on.

The part that is already live

One piece of the same law is already in force. Identity verification became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025. Existing directors give their personal code with the company’s next confirmation statement. If you have not done it yet, our guide to Companies House identity verification explains when your deadline falls.

What to do now

1. Work out which of your year ends will be filed on or after 1 April 2028. That is your first filing under the new rules.
2. Check you are still a micro-entity. If you have grown, FreeAgent’s year end filing is not the right route either way.
3. Decide how you feel about your profit and loss being filed, and watch for how the publication opt out will work.
4. Keep an eye on FreeAgent’s announcements before your first filing after April 2028.
5. Get your directors’ identity verification done if it is not already.

Late filing still costs the same under the new system: £150 up to a month late, rising to £1,500 after six months, and doubled if you are late two years running. More on that in missed your annual accounts deadline?

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