My cousin is heavily involved in voluntary work and runs a Company
Limited by Guarantee. He is a Director and filed the annual accounts
on time and then went away for a few says. When he returned home the
annual return had been returned un-filed because he had put 2007
instead on 2008 on the return. He altered it and returned it but by
now out of time and he has been landed with a £150 fine. The company
hasn't earned £150 this year so you can see this is a very small
concern. He appealed but the fine has not been lifted. Has he no
option but to pay up?

pete

"Peter Turtill"  wrote in message 
news:saa6f5tleatq1jnf2pvqgolncq9h88pvnl@4ax.com...
> My cousin is heavily involved in voluntary work and runs a Company
> Limited by Guarantee. He is a Director and filed the annual accounts
> on time and then went away for a few says. When he returned home the
> annual return had been returned un-filed because he had put 2007
> instead on 2008 on the return. He altered it and returned it but by
> now out of time and he has been landed with a £150 fine. The company
> hasn't earned £150 this year so you can see this is a very small
> concern. He appealed but the fine has not been lifted. Has he no
> option but to pay up?
>
> pete

Sadly, assuming he's proffered all the "possibly acceptable" excuses, the 
fine will have to be paid.

He's been a bit unlucky in the sense that annual accounts tend to get a 
fairly cursory check, and often errors aren't spotted.

But Co.Ho. goes to great lengths on its website and in its journals to 
stress the time limits, and they always emphasise that defective accounts 
may be returned and must then be re-submitted within the filing deadline. 
And the Co.Ho. time scale is pretty generous - especially in the context of 
a LbG charity which (presumably) would have its AGM fairly soon after y/e.

I suggest he swallows hard - and maybe considers filing on-line in future. 
This is tedious as the stuff has to be re-typed (unless he uses commercial 
s/ware that would be prohibitively expensive).  But it's harder to get 
things wrong - especially dates.

Incidentally, the "Annual Return" and "Annual report and accounts" to which 
your post refers are two different things.

Sorry not to be more encouraging.... but the Co.Ho. rules are the price paid 
for the advantages which incorporation offers.

-- 
Martin

On Thu, 5 Nov 2009 20:37:57 -0000, "Martin"
 wrote:

>
>"Peter Turtill"  wrote in message 
>news:saa6f5tleatq1jnf2pvqgolncq9h88pvnl@4ax.com...
>> My cousin is heavily involved in voluntary work and runs a Company
>> Limited by Guarantee. He is a Director and filed the annual accounts
>> on time and then went away for a few says. When he returned home the
>> annual return had been returned un-filed because he had put 2007
>> instead on 2008 on the return. He altered it and returned it but by
>> now out of time and he has been landed with a £150 fine. The company
>> hasn't earned £150 this year so you can see this is a very small
>> concern. He appealed but the fine has not been lifted. Has he no
>> option but to pay up?
>>
>> pete
>
>Sadly, assuming he's proffered all the "possibly acceptable" excuses, the 
>fine will have to be paid.
>
>He's been a bit unlucky in the sense that annual accounts tend to get a 
>fairly cursory check, and often errors aren't spotted.
>
>But Co.Ho. goes to great lengths on its website and in its journals to 
>stress the time limits, and they always emphasise that defective accounts 
>may be returned and must then be re-submitted within the filing deadline. 
>And the Co.Ho. time scale is pretty generous - especially in the context of 
>a LbG charity which (presumably) would have its AGM fairly soon after y/e.
>
>I suggest he swallows hard - and maybe considers filing on-line in future. 
>This is tedious as the stuff has to be re-typed (unless he uses commercial 
>s/ware that would be prohibitively expensive).  But it's harder to get 
>things wrong - especially dates.
>
>Incidentally, the "Annual Return" and "Annual report and accounts" to which 
>your post refers are two different things.
>
>Sorry not to be more encouraging.... but the Co.Ho. rules are the price paid 
>for the advantages which incorporation offers.

Many thanks for your advice Martin. It is disappointing but the fine
will have to be paid then.

pete

In article <UJGIm.4$9M4.0@newsfe03.ams2>, Martin 
 writes
>
>"Peter Turtill"  wrote in message 
>news:saa6f5tleatq1jnf2pvqgolncq9h88pvnl@4ax.com...
>> My cousin is heavily involved in voluntary work and runs a Company
>> Limited by Guarantee. He is a Director and filed the annual accounts
>> on time and then went away for a few says. When he returned home the
>> annual return had been returned un-filed because he had put 2007
>> instead on 2008 on the return. He altered it and returned it but by
>> now out of time and he has been landed with a £150 fine. The company
>> hasn't earned £150 this year so you can see this is a very small
>> concern. He appealed but the fine has not been lifted. Has he no
>> option but to pay up?
>>
>> pete
>
>Sadly, assuming he's proffered all the "possibly acceptable" excuses, 
>the fine will have to be paid.
>
>He's been a bit unlucky in the sense that annual accounts tend to get a 
>fairly cursory check, and often errors aren't spotted.
>
>But Co.Ho. goes to great lengths on its website and in its journals to 
>stress the time limits, and they always emphasise that defective 
>accounts may be returned and must then be re-submitted within the 
>filing deadline. And the Co.Ho. time scale is pretty generous - 
>especially in the context of a LbG charity which (presumably) would 
>have its AGM fairly soon after y/e.
>
>I suggest he swallows hard - and maybe considers filing on-line in 
>future. This is tedious as the stuff has to be re-typed (unless he uses 
>commercial s/ware that would be prohibitively expensive).  But it's 
>harder to get things wrong - especially dates.
>
>Incidentally, the "Annual Return" and "Annual report and accounts" to 
>which your post refers are two different things.
>
>Sorry not to be more encouraging.... but the Co.Ho. rules are the price 
>paid for the advantages which incorporation offers.
>

Companies House have in the past allowed a 14 day period of grace for 
rejected accounts to be resubmitted.

However this has been ended for accounts filed on or after 1 October 
2009 so check what date they were originally received.

See:

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/miscellaneous/removalConcession.sh
tml

Always best to get the accounts filed nice and early - no reason not to. 
Far too many people (including most of my clients) leave things until 
the last minute.



-- 
Jon Griffey FCCA CTA
Hackett Griffey
Chartered Certified Accountants & Registered Auditors
2 Mill Road, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 8BD, United Kingdom

Tel (01440) 762024

www.hackettgriffey.com

See www.hackettgriffey.com/legal.htm for disclaimers