Companies Act 2014 section 346

Alteration of annual return date

Section 346 sets out the various ways in which a company can change its annual return date, including the conditions, time limits, and restrictions that apply.

• If a company files its annual return early, the new annual return date automatically shifts to each anniversary of that earlier date, unless the company elects to keep its existing date or formally establishes a new one.
• A company (other than one filing its first annual return) may establish a new annual return date by filing a return with the Registrar within 56 days of the existing date, with a prescribed notification nominating the new date — no financial statements need be annexed to this return.
• The new annual return date must fall within six months of the existing date, and a company cannot change its annual return date again using this procedure for at least five years.
• The Registrar may permit a holding company or its subsidiary to extend its annual return date so that the subsidiary's date aligns with the holding company's, provided the directors of the relevant entity apply for or consent to the extension.