# Filleted accounts example for a small company

Source: https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/templates/filleted-accounts-example/

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026

Filleted accounts are a small company's accounts as filed at Companies House, without the profit and loss account and the directors' report. The filed balance sheet and notes copy the full accounts, and the balance sheet states that they are delivered under the small companies regime and that the profit and loss account is not filed.

## Key facts

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Who can file them | Small companies (and micro-entities, which file only the balance sheet) |
| Left out of the filed copy | The profit and loss account and the directors' report (Companies Act 2006, s444) |
| Statement on the filed balance sheet | That the accounts are delivered under the provisions for the small companies regime (Companies Act 2006, s444(5)) |
| Profit and loss account not filed | The balance sheet must disclose that fact; micro-entities need not (Companies Act 2006, s444(5A)) |
| The members | Still receive the full accounts |
| After 1 April 2028 | Still allowed: the government confirmed on 23 October 2026 that filleted accounts remain |

As at 25 October 2026.

## Example filed balance sheet

Illustrative only: the company, the names and every figure are invented. Adapt the wording to the company's facts; the directors remain responsible for the accounts they approve.

**[Company name] Limited. Registered in England and Wales, registered number [12345678]. A private company limited by shares. Registered office: [address].** Balance sheet as at 31 December 2026. The figures are those of the [small company accounts example](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/templates/small-company-accounts-example/): the filed copy is the same balance sheet, not a summary.

| | Note | 2026 £ | 2025 £ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fixed assets | | | |
| Tangible assets | 5 | 85,000 | 70,000 |
| Current assets | | | |
| Stocks | | 60,000 | 55,000 |
| Debtors | | 210,000 | 190,000 |
| Cash at bank and in hand | | 140,000 | 105,000 |
| | | 410,000 | 350,000 |
| Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | 6 | (215,000) | (190,000) |
| Net current assets | | 195,000 | 160,000 |
| Total assets less current liabilities | | 280,000 | 230,000 |
| Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year | 7 | (40,000) | (42,000) |
| Provisions for liabilities: deferred tax | 8 | (9,900) | (7,900) |
| Net assets | | 230,100 | 180,100 |
| Capital and reserves | | | |
| Called up share capital | 9 | 100 | 100 |
| Profit and loss account | | 230,000 | 180,000 |
| Shareholders' funds | | 230,100 | 180,100 |

## The statements on the filed balance sheet

- The company's annual accounts and reports have been delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. (the statutory text of s444(5), in a prominent position)
- These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. (the small companies regime statement of s414(3), above the signature)
- A statement that the profit and loss account has not been delivered (s444(5A)). The Act prescribes no wording; for example: The company has elected not to file the profit and loss account in accordance with section 444 of the Companies Act 2006.
- For the year ending 31 December 2026 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476. The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
- Approved by the board of directors on [date] and signed on its behalf by [printed name], Director.

If the accounts are audited and the profit and loss account is not filed, the notes must also give the details of the auditor's report required by s444(5B). A micro-entity does not need the statement that the profit and loss account was not delivered.

## Filleted, abridged and full accounts

| | Filleted | Abridged | Full |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | A filing choice: fewer components delivered | A preparation choice: fewer line items in the accounts themselves | Everything prepared and delivered |
| Members' copy | Full accounts | The abridged accounts | Full accounts |
| Consent needed | No | All members, for the year just ended | No |
| Statement | s444(5) and s444(5A) | Members have agreed to abridged accounts, s444(2A) | - |
| Available to | Small companies | Small companies, not charities | Every company |

Abridged accounts combine the first profit and loss lines into gross profit and show only the balance sheet headings with letters and roman numerals; the members must agree, and the statement reads: "The members have agreed to the preparation of abridged accounts for this accounting period in accordance with section 444(2A)." Companies House requires the same set of abridged accounts for the members and the register.

## What happens next

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 contains a requirement for small companies to file their profit and loss account, but it has not come into force. On 23 October 2026 the government paused it and said it will continue to allow abridged and filleted accounts. From 1 April 2028 all accounts, filleted or not, must be filed with commercial software in iXBRL.

HMRC is different: the Company Tax Return includes the full statutory accounts, so HMRC receives the profit and loss account even when Companies House does not. File by the deadline from the [filing deadline calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/filing-deadline-calculator/).

## Frequently asked questions

**What are filleted accounts?**
The copy of a small company's accounts filed at Companies House without the profit and loss account and the directors' report. The balance sheet and notes are a copy of those in the full accounts.

**Is filleting allowed after April 2028?**
Yes, under current plans. On 23 October 2026 the government said filleted and abridged accounts remain available when software-only filing starts on 1 April 2028.

**Do the shareholders get filleted accounts?**
No. Filleting affects only the filed copy. The members receive the full annual accounts, including the profit and loss account and the directors' report.

**Is there official wording for the statement that the profit and loss account is not filed?**
No. The Act requires the balance sheet to disclose the fact but prescribes no wording, so any clear statement to that effect works.

## Sources

- [Companies Act 2006, section 414](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/414)
- [Companies Act 2006, section 444](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/444)
- [Companies Act 2006, section 475](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/475)
- [Companies House: preparing and filing Companies House accounts](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/filing-your-companies-house-accounts/life-of-a-company-part-1-accounts)
- [Companies House: update to accounts filing from April 2028 (23 October 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/companies-house-update-to-accounts-filing-from-april-2028)
- [Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, section 54](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/56/section/54)
- [The Small Companies and Groups (Accounts and Directors' Report) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/409), Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/409/schedule/1/part/1)

## Related pages

- [Do small companies file a profit and loss account?](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/questions/do-small-companies-file-profit-and-loss-account/)
- [Tools and templates](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/)
- [Companies House filing](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/guides/companies-house-filing/)
- [Company size calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/company-size-calculator/)
- [Companies House accounts filing deadline calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/filing-deadline-calculator/)
- [First accounts deadline calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/first-accounts-deadline-calculator/)
- [Late filing penalty calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/late-filing-penalty-calculator/)