The easiest way to file dormant company accounts in 2026
By DormantFile · Updated 10 June 2026
Filing dormant accounts is never going to be fun, but the difference between the hardest route and the easiest one is bigger than most directors realise — in time, in risk of rejection, and in what happens when you forget next year. Here are the four ways to do it, easiest last.
Option 1: Paper AA02 by post
Print the AA02 form, fill it in by hand, post it to Companies House, and wait. No authentication code needed, but everything else is against you: postal delays count against your deadline, handwriting errors get forms bounced weeks later, and you get no instant proof of filing. Companies House itself is steering everyone away from paper, and the 2028 software-only reforms will close this route entirely.
Verdict: slowest, riskiest, soon to disappear.
Option 2: Companies House WebFiling
Free, official, and fine — if your company qualifies for the AA02 dormant form (dormant since incorporation, never traded) and you remember to do it. You'll need your authentication code, and you do the whole thing manually each year: no deadline tracking, no pre-filled accounts, no warning if something is drifting. WebFiling is also scheduled to close for accounts filing as part of the 2028 move to software-only filing, so this route has a shelf life.
Verdict: free and legitimate, but entirely on your memory — and the route is closing.
Option 3: An accountant
Hand it to a professional and it gets done properly. For a trading company that's money well spent; for a dormant company it usually means £150+ a year for ten minutes of work, and most dormant companies simply don't need one. You're also still in the loop — a good accountant will ask you to confirm dormancy each year anyway, because that statement is yours to make, not theirs.
Verdict: easy but expensive, and you still answer the same annual question.
Option 4: Filing software
Purpose-built software sits in the middle: cheaper than an accountant, far more supportive than WebFiling. DormantFile files dormant accounts in about two minutes through the official Companies House API, tracks your deadlines with email reminders from 90 days out, syncs against the register daily, and covers the nil CT600 side too — from £19 a year.
And after your first filing, you can make next year easier still: autopilot prepares the next set of dormant accounts, emails you before the deadline, and files when you confirm with a single click. It's optional and off by default — but it turns the easiest route into a one-click one.
Verdict: the easiest sustainable route, and the only one that gets easier in year two.
Side by side
| Route | Cost | Your time | Reminders | After 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper AA02 | Free (plus postage) | An evening + wait | None | Closed |
| WebFiling | Free | ~20 minutes a year | None | Closed for accounts |
| Accountant | £150+/year | Emails back and forth | Theirs | Fine |
| DormantFile | From £19/year | ~2 minutes — or one click on autopilot | 90 to 1 days out, plus overdue | Built for it |
Key points
- Paper and WebFiling both work today but are being phased out by the April 2028 software-only reforms.
- An accountant is the expensive way to file a form that barely changes year to year.
- Software files in minutes through the official API, with deadline reminders the free routes never give you.
- With autopilot switched on, year two onwards is one click: confirm the company is still dormant and the filing is done.