What is my accounting reference date?

When you incorporate a company your accounting reference date is automatically set as a year from the end of the month in which it was incorporated eg. incorporation date was 2nd August 2021, so the accounting reference date will automatically be set as 31st August 2022.

It is possible to change your accounting reference date to be a different date. You can shorten it as many times as you like but you can only extend it once in every five years and it can only be extended to a maximum of 18 months, unless the company is in administration. There are certain other situations where you can extend it more frequently which can be found here.

Changing your company’s accounting reference date will likely impact the filing deadline for your accounts unless you are filing your first period of accounts and will also impact the dates that your corporation tax is due for payment.

If you would like to discuss this further please contact us on 0203 971 5550 or use our simple online contact form to arrange a free initial consultation.

Date published 20 Aug 2021 | Last updated 23 Aug 2021

This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.