What’s my company’s year end?

A financial year is usually a 12 month period for which you prepare accounts. Every company must prepare accounts that report on the performance and activities of the company during the financial year. Your financial year starts on the day after the previous financial year ended or, in the case of a new company, on the day of incorporation.

Financial years are determined by reference to an accounting reference period that ends on a specified date known as the Accounting Reference Date (ARD).

You may choose to make up your accounts to the accounting reference date or a date up to 7 days either side of it.

For all newly formed companies, their first accounting reference date will be the last day of the month in which the anniversary of their incorporation falls. Subsequent accounting reference dates will automatically fall on the same date each year.

For example, if your company was incorporated on 6 April 2016 its first accounting reference date would be 30 April 2017 and 30 April for every year thereafter.