What Makes a Company 'Dormant'
A UK company is dormant for Companies House purposes if it has had no 'significant accounting transactions' during the financial year — meaning no trading activity beyond a handful of permitted exceptions like paying for its own incorporation or filing fees.
Filing Dormant Accounts and the Confirmation Statement
Even a dormant company must still file annual dormant accounts with Companies House and submit a confirmation statement — skipping either can put the company at risk of being struck off, regardless of whether it's actually trading.
Key Insights
- 1Dormant doesn't mean exempt from filing — it means simplified filing, and the deadlines still apply.
- 2A confirmation statement is separate from dormant accounts and covers different information (company details, not financials).
- 3Missing a filing deadline is one of the most common reasons small UK companies get struck off unintentionally.
- 4If a company starts trading again, it needs to notify HMRC and begin filing full accounts going forward.
