Small Companies Regime for limited companies
Is your Company entitled to the small companies regime?
To understand if your Company is entitled to access the small companies regime certain qualitative and quantitative criteria must be met.
The qualitative criteria are:
The nature of its business.
The eligibility of the Company’s group (if applicable).
The quantitative criteria are:
If the company is a parent company, does the group headed by it qualify as a small group?
Does the company meet the size criteria
Is the company ‘ineligible’ based on the nature of its business?
A company is ineligible for the small companies regime if, during the financial year, the company was:
a public company (plc) (even an unquoted or privately held one).
an authorised insurance company
a banking company
an e-money issuer
a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFiD) investment firm
a UCITS management company
a company that carries on insurance market activity
A scheme funder of a Master Trust scheme within the meanings given by s391(1) of the Pension Schemes Act 2017.
Is the company a member of an ineligible group?
A group is considered ineligible if any of its members is:
a traded company
a body corporate other than a company under CA 2006 (eg, a company incorporated overseas) whose shares are admitted to trading on a UK regulated market.
a person (other than a small company) who has permission under Part 4A Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, to carry on a regulated activity
an e-money issuer
a person who carries on insurance market activity
a scheme funder of a Master Trust scheme within the meanings given by s391(1) of the Pension Schemes Act 2017
a small company (a company that qualified as small by application of the size limits in relation to its last financial year ending on or before the end of the year to which the accounts relate) that is:
an authorised insurance company
a banking company
a MiFiD investment firm
a UCITDS management company.
Does the group headed by the Company qualify as small?
A parent company can only qualify as a small company for its individual accounts if the group headed by it qualifies as small.
In its first financial year a group qualifies as small if it meets the size limits in that financial year.
In any subsequent financial year,it will qualify if the group meets the size limits for two consecutive years.
If the group fails to meet the size limits for two consecutive years, it will not qualify as small on the second year.
Only the group headed by the parent company seeking to take advantage of the small companies regime needs to be considered.
Small groups – size criteria
The size limits are met for a financial year if two out of the three of the following limits are met:
Turnover
Gross <= £12.2 million
Net <= £10.2 million
Balance Sheet Assets
Gross <= £6.1 million
Net <= £5.1 million
Monthly average of employees <= 50
The turnover limit is adjusted proportionately if the financial year is longer or shorter than twelve months.
Does the company qualify as small?
The method is the same as that described above but with different thresholds.
Individual company – size criteria
The size limits are met for a financial year if two out of the three of the following limits are met:
Turnover <= £10.2 million
Balance Sheet Assets <= £5.1 million
Monthly average of employees <= 50
The turnover limit is adjusted proportionately if the financial year is longer or shorter than twelve months.