How long does it take to file dormant company accounts?
By DormantFile · Updated 24 July 2026
Filing itself is fast — the waits hide elsewhere. Here's the honest picture, route by route.
Time to submit
- Filing software (DormantFile): about 2 minutes once your company is set up — the accounts are pre-built from the register, you review and submit. See how we file dormant accounts online.
- WebFiling (DIY, free): 15–30 minutes first time, less once you know the screens.
- Filing agents / accountants: minutes of your time, but typically an email round-trip and up to a few working days of their turnaround.
- Paper AA02 by post: an evening to fill in, then postal time — and accounts only count as filed when Companies House receives them.
Time to acceptance
Online submissions go into Companies House processing immediately and are usually accepted the same day — often within hours. DormantFile watches the submission and confirms the moment it's accepted, so you have proof of filing without checking back. Paper forms take days to weeks to process, and a rejected form restarts the whole cycle by post.
The wait everyone forgets
Online routes need your 6-character authentication code. If you don't have it, Companies House posts it to your registered office — allow up to 10 working days. This, not the filing, is what catches people who start a week before their deadline. If your deadline is close and you have no code, request it today.
Bottom line
With the code in hand, filing dormant accounts online is a same-day job: minutes to submit, hours to acceptance. Without it, add up to two weeks. By post, think in weeks — and from April 2028 the paper and WebFiling accounts routes close anyway.