HMRC publishes stangest excuses for late company accounts

Each year HMRC receives various bizarre and unusual excuses from directors who fail to file their company accounts on time.

Some of the most outrageous reasons given include:

• “Goats ate my accounts”
• “I found my wife in the bath with my accountant”
• “Pirates stole my accounts”
• “We delivered the accounts to the betting office next door to Companies House”
• “A volcano erupted and prevented me from filing”
• “Slugs ate my accounts”
• “It was Valentine’s Day”
• “My company was more successful than I thought it would be, so I was too busy to file”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, none of these excuses was accepted by HMRC.

Senior HMRC Enforcement Manager, Nick Parker, said:

“There will always be unforeseen events that mean a company is unable to file accounts on time. In exceptional circumstances, companies can request an extension to the filing deadline, however these requests must be received before the filing deadline.”

If you are struggling to meet a deadline, why not get in touch and see how we can help? In the meantime, take a look at HMRC’s jolly video below: