The unusual excuses come from directors who fail to file their company accounts on time.
Some of the most outrageous reasons given include:
- pirates stole my accounts (we rather suspect the people at Companies House may mean excuses involving online data piracy rather than the Pirates of the Caribbean sort)
- goats ate my accounts
- I found my wife in the bath with my accountant
- we delivered the accounts to the betting office next door to Companies House
- a volcano erupted and prevented me from filing
- slugs ate my accounts
- it was Valentine’s Day
- my company was more successful than I thought it would be, so I was too busy to file
The companies which gave these excuses had received a late filing penalty and their appeals were unsuccessful. Penalties increase depending on how late the accounts are filed and the status of the company.
Companies and directors should be aware of their responsibility to file accounts with Companies House. Companies can sign up to receive e-mail reminders, which can be sent to up to four e-mail addresses so there is no excuse for not doing so.
There will always be unforeseen events that mean a company is unable to file accounts on time. In exceptional circumstances, companies can request an extension to the filing deadline, however these requests must be received before the filing deadline.
Most companies can file accounts electronically – it’s faster and easier. The Companies House WebFiling service has in-built checks to ensure that all the relevant information is provided before a customer can submit. It also provides filers with automatic e-mail confirmation that accounts have been received and once they have been accepted for filing.
More information can be found on the .Gov website.
