Can I still file dormant company accounts by post?

By Ben Davies · Updated 3 October 2026

Yes — for now. If your company is limited by shares, has never traded, has had no transaction except issuing its subscriber shares, and isn't a subsidiary or a charity, you can print form AA02, fill it in, and post it to Companies House. It's free and needs no authentication code (the 6-character code Companies House posts to the company's registered office).

Any other dormant company can still file on paper, but not on AA02: it has to prepare and post a full set of dormant accounts instead.

That's where the good news ends.

Why post is the riskiest route

• Delivery is what counts. Accounts are filed when Companies House receives and accepts them, not when you post them. A form posted the week of your deadline can arrive late — and penalties from £150 apply automatically.
• Errors bounce slowly. A missing signature or a period end that doesn't match your accounting reference date comes back by post, often weeks later, with your deadline gone in the meantime.
• No proof of acceptance. Online routes confirm acceptance electronically; paper leaves you guessing until the register updates.
• Previously-traded companies can't use AA02. The short form is only for never-traded companies. If your company traded before going dormant, posting means preparing a full set of dormant accounts yourself, with every figure the company still carries.

The route is closing

Companies House has confirmed that all company accounts filed on or after 1 April 2028 must go through commercial software — its paper forms and WebFiling's accounts screens close for accounts then, as part of the Companies House accounts reforms.

The alternative

Filing dormant accounts online takes minutes and confirms acceptance the same day in most cases. It also works for a company that traded before going dormant and still carries figures on its balance sheet. Through DormantFile it covers the nil CT600 too, from £19/year.

Read more: Form AA02: dormant company accounts (DCA) explained