Once formed, a company must keep accounts, hold or dispense with annual meetings, file returns and, above certain sizes, have an audit. Deadlines are tight and penalties include fines, director disqualification and strike-off. Audit exemptions differ: the UK and Singapore exempt small private companies, while a UAE mainland LLC must appoint an auditor regardless of size.
Accounts and filing deadlines
A UK private company files annual accounts with Companies House within nine months of its year end (21 months from incorporation for first accounts). German corporations must transmit their annual accounts electronically to the company register body within one year of the balance sheet date. In France, SA and SARL accounts must be approved within six months of year end and filed within one month of approval, or two months if filed electronically.
In the UAE every mainland company keeps its accounting records at its head office for at least five years and prepares annual financial statements. In the United States, Delaware corporations file an annual report and pay franchise tax by 1 March, with a minimum of USD 175 under the authorised shares method.12345
Meetings and returns
Singapore companies must hold AGMs within four to six months of their financial year end unless the meeting is dispensed with, and must file annual returns on time to avoid penalties of up to S$600. A UAE mainland LLC's general assembly must meet at least once a year within four months of the year end. Saudi Arabia adds an investment-level duty: a registered foreign investor must submit an annual update of its Ministry of Investment registration declarations.6789
Audit thresholds
A UK private company can claim audit exemption if it meets two of: turnover up to GBP 15 million, balance sheet up to GBP 7.5 million and 50 or fewer employees, for financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025. Singapore exempts a small private company meeting two of: revenue up to S$10 million, assets up to S$10 million and 50 or fewer employees. Saudi micro and small companies with revenue and assets each up to SAR 10 million and up to 49 employees need not appoint an auditor. A UAE mainland LLC, by contrast, must have one or more auditors elected by the general assembly and its accounts are audited each year.10111213
| Market | Meeting or return | Accounts deadline | Audit threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Confirmation statement (see market guide) | 9 months after year end | Exempt if two of GBP 15m turnover, GBP 7.5m assets, 50 staff | GOV.UK |
| Singapore | AGM within 4 to 6 months; annual return (penalty up to S$600) | Not stated here | Exempt if two of S$10m revenue, S$10m assets, 50 staff | ACRA |
| UAE mainland (LLC) | General assembly within 4 months of year end | Records kept 5 years | Auditor required | Commercial Companies Law |
| Saudi Arabia | Annual update of investment registration | Not stated here | Micro and small exempt (SAR 10m revenue and assets, 49 staff) | Ministry of Commerce; Ministry of Investment |
| Germany | Not stated here | Disclosure within 12 months | See market guide | HGB s325 |
| France | Approval within 6 months | Filing within 1 month of approval (2 if electronic) | See market guide | Service-Public |
| United States (Delaware) | Annual report and franchise tax by 1 March | Not researched | Not researched | Delaware Division of Corporations |
Decisions to make
- Which financial year end will each entity use?16823Meeting and filing deadlines in the UK, Singapore, the UAE, Germany and France all run from the year end.
- Does the entity qualify for audit exemption, and does group membership affect that?101113The UK and Singapore exemptions depend on size tests and group position; UAE mainland LLCs need an auditor regardless.
- Who will own the compliance calendar for each entity?76Late filings bring fines, director disqualification and strike-off risk.
- Do we hold a Saudi investment registration that must be updated each year?9If the update window lapses, registration must be reactivated within three years or redone.
Documents usually needed
- Annual financial statements and, where required, auditor's report
- Minutes or written resolutions of the annual meeting
- Annual return or confirmation statement
- Statutory registers (members, directors, controllers) brought up to date
- Group compliance calendar with deadlines for each entity
Common mistakes
- Assuming dormant or small subsidiaries need no filings
- Relying on a UK or Singapore audit exemption without checking group size
- Forgetting the Delaware franchise tax and annual report while the business operates elsewhere
- Missing the UAE four-month general assembly window
Questions businesses ask
Does a small UAE mainland LLC need an audit?
The Commercial Companies Law requires an LLC to have one or more auditors and its accounts to be audited each year, without a small-company exemption in the articles read. Confirm against the law as amended.13
When must a UK private company file accounts?
Within nine months of its financial year end, and within 21 months of incorporation for its first accounts.1
What this guide does not yet confirm
These points need checking with a qualified local professional before you rely on them.
- India's annual filings (financial statements and annual return to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs) and AGM deadline were not confirmed on an official page.
- Singapore's annual return deadline and AGM breakdown by company type were on linked pages not yet checked.
- UAE free zone annual requirements vary by zone and were not researched; the effect of the 2025 amendment to the Commercial Companies Law was not reviewed.
- The UK confirmation statement deadline is not restated here; see the market guide.
Sources and review status
Each statement is numbered to the source it was checked against. We use official sources where we can, and each statement says whether it was checked against an official or a secondary source. Sources last checked on 19 October 2026. None of it has been professionally reviewed yet: it is research checked against official and secondary sources by WONE Global, not legal or tax advice.
A private company must file annual accounts with Companies House within 9 months of its financial year end (first accounts within 21 months of incorporation), pay corporation tax within 9 months and 1 day of the end of its accounting period, and file its Company Tax Return within 12 months. Private limited companies. Different payment dates apply to large and very large companies.
Reused from market guide claim gb-tax-004.
Annual accounts must be transmitted electronically to the body operating the company register (Unternehmensregister) no later than one year after the balance sheet date. Disclosure duty of corporations; scope of documents depends on size class.
Reused from market guide claim de-tax-015.
SA and SARL accounts must be approved within six months of year-end, and companies must file their annual accounts with the commercial court registry within one month of approval, or two months if filed electronically through the Guichet des formalités des entreprises. SAS shareholders set the approval period in the articles; six months is usual. Micro and small companies may file a confidentiality declaration (micro: two of balance sheet 450,000 euros, turnover 900,000 euros, 10 employees; small: 7.5 million euros, 15 million euros, 50 employees).
Reused from market guide claim fr-tax-020.
Every UAE mainland company must keep its accounting records at its head office for at least five years from the end of the financial year and prepare annual financial statements including a balance sheet and profit and loss account. Companies under the Commercial Companies Law.
Read from the 2021 text as reproduced by a free zone authority. The UAE Legislation Portal records one later amendment to the law, reported by a secondary source as Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2025, which was not reviewed; confirm the current article.
Delaware domestic corporations must file an annual report and pay franchise tax on or before 1 March each year; the minimum franchise tax is $175 under the Authorized Shares Method and $400 under the Assumed Par Value Capital Method, with a $200,000 maximum. State rule (Delaware corporations). The annual report fee is $50 for non-exempt corporations and $25 for exempt corporations (stated on the Division's How to Form page).
The FAQ prints the maximum as $200.000.00, apparently a typographical error for $200,000.00, which the How to Form page states. Reused from market guide claim us-establish-007.
Singapore companies must hold annual general meetings within four to six months of their financial year end, unless the meeting can be dispensed with. Directors who do not meet AGM requirements may face enforcement action such as prosecution, disqualification and debarment. The deadline depends on company type; the detailed breakdown was on a linked page not yet checked.
Singapore companies must file annual returns with ACRA on time to avoid penalties of up to S$600, and filing offences can also lead to fines, director disqualification and striking off. Deadlines depend on company type and financial year end; the deadline page could not yet be checked.
The general assembly of a UAE mainland LLC must be convened by the manager or board of managers at least once a year within the four months following the end of the financial year. Mainland LLCs under the Commercial Companies Law.
Read from the 2021 text as reproduced by a free zone authority. The UAE Legislation Portal records one later amendment to the law, reported by a secondary source as Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2025, which was not reviewed; confirm the current article.
A registered investor must submit an annual update of its registration declarations; if the update window lapses, registration can be reactivated within three years, after which re-registration is required. All investors registered with the Ministry of Investment.
Reused from market guide claim sa-establish-008.
A private company can claim audit exemption if it meets at least two of: turnover of no more than £15 million, balance sheet total of no more than £7.5 million, and 50 or fewer employees on average. Financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025 (previously £10.2 million turnover and £5.1 million assets). Not available to public companies (unless dormant), most subsidiaries without the subsidiary exemption, banks, insurers, e-money issuers, MiFID firms or companies with shares on a regulated market; shareholders holding 10% can require an audit.
Reused from market guide claim gb-tax-006.
A private company is exempt from statutory audit as a small company if it meets at least two of three criteria for the past two consecutive financial years: revenue of S$10 million or less, total assets of S$10 million or less, and 50 employees or fewer. If the company is part of a group, the group must also qualify as a small group on a consolidated basis. New companies are assessed on the current year.
Reused from market guide claim sg-tax-015.
Micro and small companies with annual revenue and assets of no more than SAR 10 million each and no more than 49 employees are exempt from appointing an auditor. Companies under the Companies Law; the director or chairman must attach a statement to the financial statements.
Thresholds as described by the Ministry of Commerce; confirm whether all criteria must be met in the Companies Law Implementing Regulations. Companies with non-Saudi shareholders filing income tax returns are generally expected to file audited financial statements (PwC, Tax administration). Reused from market guide claim sa-tax-023.
A UAE mainland LLC must have one or more auditors elected by the general assembly, and its accounts are audited each year. Mainland LLCs; Article 27(1) applies the annual audit to joint stock companies and LLCs.
Read from the 2021 text as reproduced by a free zone authority. The UAE Legislation Portal records one later amendment to the law, reported by a secondary source as Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2025, which was not reviewed; confirm the current article.
Questions on this topic
13 statements on annual compliance: accounts, audits, meetings and returns
