UK Company Accounts Explained (Companies House)

UK company "accounts" are one of the most misunderstood parts of Companies House data.

Many users expect full financial statements — turnover, profit margins, cashflow — but Companies House does not publish complete financials for most companies.

This guide explains:

what Companies House accounts data actually represents
which fields are available (and why)
what data is missing (and why that is normal)
how to interpret accounts data responsibly on firmlist

What Companies House means by "accounts"

At Companies House, accounts are statutory filings that summarise a company's financial position at a point in time.

They are:

compliance documents
designed for public record, not financial analysis
often highly abbreviated

Most UK companies file abridged or micro-entity accounts, which significantly limit what is disclosed publicly.

Account types (why disclosure varies)

The level of detail depends on the accounts type:

Micro-entity accounts

Very limited disclosure
No requirement to publish turnover
Minimal balance sheet data only

Small company accounts

Slightly more detail
Still no requirement to publish turnover publicly
Often balance-sheet focused

Dormant accounts

No trading activity
Zero or near-zero values across most fields

As a result, absence of data does not imply absence of activity — it usually reflects legal disclosure limits.

What financial data firmlist can show

Based on Companies House filings, firmlist may include the following fields when available:

Accounts date

The date the accounts relate to — not when they were filed.

Accounting period (start / end)

The financial year covered by the accounts.

Accounts type

Indicates whether the company filed micro-entity, small, dormant, etc.

Audited flag

Whether the accounts were audited (rare for small companies).

Balance sheet data (most commonly available)

These fields reflect financial position, not performance:

Fixed assets

Long-term assets such as property, equipment, or long-term investments.

Current assets

Assets expected to be realised within one year.

Cash at bank

Cash holdings at the reporting date.

Debtors

Money owed to the company.

Creditors

Amounts the company owes.

Net current assets

Current assets minus current liabilities.

Total assets less liabilities

Overall balance sheet position.

Net assets

Assets minus liabilities — often used as a rough indicator of financial resilience.

Equity

Shareholders' funds. Often equal to net assets in small companies.

Profit, loss and turnover (important clarification)

Turnover

Although a column may exist in datasets, turnover is usually not disclosed for:

micro-entities
small companies

In practice:

this field is often blank or zero
absence of turnover data does not mean no revenue

Profit / loss

Similarly:

profit and loss figures are often omitted
or highly aggregated
or unavailable entirely

firmlist does not infer or estimate missing financial data.

Confirmation statements (not financial accounts)

A confirmation statement:

confirms company details (officers, address, PSCs)
is not a financial document
does not include revenue or profit information

Confirmation statements are often confused with accounts but serve a different purpose.

Dormant flag vs dormant accounts

A company may:

be legally Active
but file dormant accounts

This indicates:

no significant accounting transactions
not necessarily dissolution or insolvency

Dormant status should always be interpreted alongside:

company status
incorporation date
filing history

How to use accounts data responsibly

Accounts data on firmlist is best used for:

Filtering, not valuation
Identifying very small vs more established entities
Spotting balance-sheet distress signals
Excluding dormant or inactive companies

It is not suitable for:

credit scoring on its own
revenue estimation
profitability analysis

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming missing turnover means no trading

It usually means non-disclosure, not inactivity.

Treating net assets as company value

Net assets are accounting values, not market valuations.

Using accounts data in isolation

Always combine with:

company age
company status
charges and insolvency data
industry context

How accounts data fits with other firmlist filters

Accounts data works best when combined with:

Company Status (active / insolvent / dormant)
Company Age (new vs established)
Charges & Mortgages
Insolvency cases
Dormant companies guide

This layered approach reduces misinterpretation.