DormantFile vs 1st Formations
1st Formations' dormant accounts service works from a questionnaire: you email it back and they file your dormant accounts online within a few working days. It covers Companies House only, and only the simple dormant form — HMRC's side, including any Company Tax Return, stays your job, and it can't file micro-entity accounts. It costs £49.99/yr plus VAT. DormantFile is the self-serve opposite: both filings, done by you in minutes with the details pre-filled from the register, previewed before anything is sent, and watched all year — from £19/yr, and that's the total.
| What you get | DormantFile | 1st Formations |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts to Companies House | Yes | Simple dormant form (AA02) only |
| Tax return to HMRC (CT600) | Yes | You notify HMRC yourself |
| Micro-entity accounts (FRS 105) | Yes | No |
| How you file | Direct, self-serve — both sides in one flow, plus free deadline watchdog, hijack alerts and optional autopilot | Email a questionnaire back, filed within 3 working days |
| Price | from £19/yr (total, no VAT) | £49.99/yr (ex VAT) |
Prices and features as published by each provider and verified in September 2026. DormantFile isn’t VAT registered, so our price is the total you pay; other prices are shown as published, excluding VAT where stated. See the full comparison table.
Choose DormantFile if…
- You want the HMRC side handled too — the Company Tax Return (a nil CT600) goes in the same flow as your accounts, not onto your to-do list.
- Your company traded before and still carries figures from those years, so the simple dormant form doesn't apply — we file dormant accounts that carry them. Or it's repaying a Bounce Back Loan and needs micro-entity accounts, which their dormant service can't file.
- You want it done now, not in a few working days — and watched afterwards, with a daily check of your public record for changes you didn't make and your directors' identity checks tracked.
Questions, answered
- Does 1st Formations deal with HMRC for a dormant company?
- No. Their dormant accounts service covers the Companies House filing only; HMRC's side, including any Company Tax Return, stays with you. DormantFile files the nil CT600 to HMRC in the same flow as your accounts.
- What if my company doesn't qualify for the simple dormant accounts form?
- Companies that have traded in the past, or that have more than share capital on the balance sheet, can't use the simple form. A company like that can still be dormant, as long as nothing about those figures changes in the year, and DormantFile files dormant accounts that carry them — creditors, assets, bills owed but not yet paid (accruals), money owed to it. If it had transactions in the year, such as Bounce Back Loan repayments, it isn't dormant, and we file short micro-entity accounts (FRS 105) instead.
What you’d actually be using
A company’s overview page — the real screen, not a mock-up. Click to enlarge.
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