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#Post#: 127955--------------------------------------------------
County Court Claim – Companies House £150 Late Filing Penalty –
What should I do?
DIR By: ch340
Date: August 16, 2026, 2:43 pm
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I have received a County Court Claim Form relating to an unpaid
£150 Companies House late filing penalty and would really
appreciate some advice on what I should do next.
The company accounts were sent to my accountant before the
filing deadline. The accountant submitted them before the
deadline, but there was apparently an issue with the accounting
software which meant the accounts did not reach Companies House
in time.
My accountant told me that the software company had accepted
liability and had submitted an appeal against the penalty. I
subsequently received several notices from Companies House
requesting payment of the £150 penalty. My accountant advised me
not to pay because the software company would cover the penalty
if the appeal was ultimately rejected.
I then received a letter from BW Legal stating that they had
been instructed by Companies House and requesting payment of the
£150, otherwise legal proceedings would be commenced. My
accountant advised me to contact BW Legal and tell them that the
penalty was under appeal and awaiting a decision, but
unfortunately I failed to do this at the time.
I have now received a County Court Claim Form. The issue date is
24 July 2026.
I was abroad from 12 July until 5 August and therefore did not
see the claim until I returned. The claim form states that I
have 14 days to respond from the date of service. I understand
there are deemed service rules for claims sent by post, but I am
now concerned that the deadline may already have passed.
I have not yet contacted Companies House, BW Legal or the court,
and I have not made any payment. I have also not yet been able
to speak to my accountant because it is the weekend, so I don't
currently know the outcome or current status of the software
company's appeal.
My main questions are:
1. Do I need to respond to the County Court Claim immediately,
even though the penalty is/was under appeal?
2. Should I file an Acknowledgment of Service now, even if I am
still waiting for my accountant to confirm the appeal status?
3. Could a CCJ already have been entered, or would there have to
be a judgment first?
4. Given that I was abroad and did not receive the claim until 5
August, is there anything I can do if the response deadline has
already passed?
5. Should I contact the court, Companies House and/or BW Legal
first thing tomorrow, or should I wait until I have spoken to my
accountant?
6. Can I wait until I have spoken to my accountant tomorrow, or
do I need to file an Acknowledgment of Service today?
I appreciate that I may need professional legal advice, but I
would be grateful for any guidance on the immediate steps I
should take to avoid making the situation worse.
#Post#: 128620--------------------------------------------------
Re: County Court Claim – Companies House £150 Late Filing
Penalty – What should I do?
DIR By: BertB
Date: August 24, 2026, 3:51 am
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What are the software company appealing against. Your fine?
Personally I would not be leaving myself the possibility of
receiving a CCJ in the hands of your accountant's software
company. None of this hurts them in anyway. Phone the SW
company, find out what stage they are at and what correspondence
they have received. In the meantime pay BW and send an invoice
to your accountant for the fees, who in turn can bill the SW
company.
A software fault that they have admitted liability for is
unlikely to make anyone drop this.
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