Compliance rescue
Overdue, locked out, or in the Gazette. Start here.
Most of our client work starts with a company already in trouble: a strike-off notice, penalties stacking up, a Government Gateway nobody can open, a director who left without being taken off the record. Here is what each one means and what we do about it.
Strike-off notice
Companies House proposes to strike off a company that has stopped filing. A notice is published in the Gazette; two months later the company is dissolved. We lodge the objection the same day and file the overdue documents that caused it, because objecting alone only delays the next notice.
Overdue confirmation statement
A small fee and about fifteen minutes. It is the cheapest problem here to make disappear. Before we file, we check the officer list against reality; if a resigned director is still shown, we correct that first rather than confirm a record we know to be wrong.
Overdue accounts
Penalties are automatic and escalate with time. They double if the company was also late the year before. A qualified accountant prepares the accounts; we assemble the records, brief them and chase.
| Accounts filed | Penalty, private company |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 month late | £150 |
| 1 to 3 months late | £375 |
| 3 to 6 months late | £750 |
| More than 6 months late | £1,500 |
| Late two years running | Doubled |
Government Gateway locked out
For most companies in this position the original Gateway email is on a dead domain and the registered mobile is lost, so the two-step code has nowhere to land. Holding the user ID and password is not enough. Without the Gateway there is no VAT application, no Making Tax Digital filing and no PAYE.
- Online route, when you hold the user ID and can receive a code: 45 minutes with the director reachable.
- Phone route, when there is no user ID on file: the helpdesk, batched so four companies cost one hold queue rather than four.
- Collect first, when we hold almost nothing: the job is gathering identity basics before any attempt, because a failed attempt burns a two-hour lockout the helpdesk cannot lift.
Lost Companies House authentication code
Without it nothing can be filed. The replacement is posted to the registered office and takes 5 to 10 working days, so we request it first, before anything that depends on it. If the registered office is wrong, we fix that before we request the code, or the letter goes to someone else.
No director on record
A private company must have at least one director. With none, the company is in breach and nothing can be filed until an appointment is made. We prepare the appointment for the incoming director to sign. We never suggest a nominee.
Ownership changed and nobody filed it
A change in who owns or controls the company has to be recorded in the company’s own PSC register within 14 days and filed with Companies House within a further 14. We review the change the same day and file it.
Straight answers
Common questions
I have had a letter about strike-off. How long do I have?
The first Gazette notice gives two months before the company is dissolved. Objecting to the strike-off stops the clock; filing the overdue documents is what actually ends it. Send us the letter today and we do both.
The company is already dissolved. Can it come back?
Sometimes, through administrative restoration or a court order, but it is slower and dearer than objecting in time, and the assets have already passed to the Crown in the meantime. If you are reading this before the dissolution date, act now.
Nobody can get into the Government Gateway. Is that fatal?
No, but it blocks VAT, Making Tax Digital and PAYE until it is fixed. We recover it. Which of three routes we use depends on what you still hold, and a wrong attempt burns a two-hour lockout, so we work out which route applies before we try.
Will you file wrong accounts to stop a penalty?
No. Filing wrong accounts costs far more than filing late ones. Accounts are prepared by a qualified accountant; we assemble the records and chase the deadline.
Send the letter, the number, or whatever you have
We check the public register before we call back, so the first conversation is about what is actually due and what it costs if it stays that way.
Book a call
Send us what you have. Even a photo.
A short call, no pressure. We check the public register before we speak to you, so we can tell you what is actually due, what it will cost if it is left, and which of it we can take off your desk this week.
Email: [email protected]
Supreme Business Advisory Ltd, company number 17025531. London.