Companies Act 1976

6 The period allowed for laying and delivering accounts

(1) Subject to section 7 below, the period allowed for laying and delivering accounts in relation to any accounting reference period of a company shall be determined for the purposes of sections 4 and 5 above in accordance with the following provisions of this section.

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this section, the period allowed for laying and delivering accounts in relation to any accounting reference period of a company—

(a) if it is a private company, shall be the period of ten months after the end of the accounting reference period ; or

(b) if it is a company other than a private company, shall be the period of seven months after the end of the accounting reference period.

(3) Where a company carries on business, or has interests, outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man and, in respect of any accounting reference period of the company, the directors, before the end of the period allowed in relation to that accounting reference period by virtue of subsection (2) above, give to the registrar of companies a notice in the prescribed form—

(a) stating that the company so carries on business or has such interests; and

(b) claiming an extension of the period so allowed by a further period of three months;

the period allowed for laying and delivering accounts in relation to that accounting reference period of the company shall be three months longer than would otherwise be allowed by virtue of that subsection.

(4) Subject to the following provisions of this section, where the first accounting reference period of a company—

(a) begins or began on the date of the incorporation of the company ; and

(b) is or was a period exceeding twelve months;

the period which would otherwise be the period allowed for laying and delivering accounts in relation to that accounting reference period in accordance with the preceding provisions of this section shall be treated as reduced by the number of days by which that accounting reference period is or was longer than twelve months.

(5) The period allowed for laying and delivering accounts in relation to the first accounting reference period of a company shall not by virtue of subsection (4) above be treated as reduced to a period of less than three months after the end of that accounting reference period.

(6) Subject to subsection (7) below, in relation to the accounting reference period of a company as respects which notice is given by the company under section 3 above, and which by virtue of that section is to be treated as shortened in accordance with that notice, the period allowed for laying and delivering accounts shall be—

(a) the period allowed in relation to that accounting reference period of the company in accordance with the preceding provisions of this section ; or

(b) the period of three months beginning with the date of the notice;

whichever of those periods last expires.

(7) If for any special reason the Secretary of State thinks fit to do so, he may by notice in writing to a company extend, by such further period as may be specified in the notice, the period which in accordance with the preceding provisions of this section is the period allowed for laying and delivering accounts in relation to any accounting reference period of the company.