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All companies must send their accounts to Companies House each year. Recent evidence suggests that UK companies are increasingly struggling to file their accounts on time, with around 213,000 private companies reportedly missing their deadline in 2019-2020, resulting in over £93 million of penalties being issued. Over a fifth of companies that filed their accounts late that year had also filed late in the previous year. Under the Companies Act 2006 ("the Act"), the deadline for private companies to file their annual accounts is nine months from the end of the accounting reference period. There are slightly different rules for filing your first set of annual accounts and if these cover a period of more than 12 months, you must deliver them to Companies House within 21 months of the date of incorporation or 3 months from the accounting reference date, whichever is longer. Not filing your accounts at Companies House in a timely manner is also a criminal offence (under section 451 of the Act) and directors can be personally fined in the criminal courts. It is likely to come as a shock to most company directors who receive a summons to attend the Magistrates' Court in Cardiff for a criminal prosecution, particularly directors in larger pharmacy companies where directors are often detached from the preparation of accounts and senior financial staff and accountants are instructed to take care of such matters.