This article outlines the steps to take to apply for a presenter account with Companies House as part of the process for preparing to file your Final Accounts and Corporation Tax returns using FreeAgent.
Before you can file accounts through FreeAgent, you will need to apply for a presenter account with Companies House. You will also need to enter the company authentication code issued to you by Companies House when you incorporated the company along with the presenter ID credentials as part of the filing process. If you have lost the company authentication code, you can request a copy from Companies House.
Applying for a presenter account
Begin by navigating to HMRC’s website, where you’ll be given the following three options for applying for your presenter account:
If you only file a set of accounts for your own business, select the second option: ‘Application for a presenter account - for filing documents without a fee’. This is for a standard account with no credit.
If you are unsure which option to select for your business, please check with your accountant and/or Companies House.
Completing the form
Once you’ve selected the relevant presenter account type, follow the prompts provided to complete the form.
For section four of the form, ‘Do you require this account for:’, tick the ‘Software Filing’ checkbox if you plan to file your accounts through FreeAgent, or the ‘Both’ checkbox if you also need to file other forms directly to Companies House through their filing platform - for example, a Confirmation Statement.
Once you have applied for a presenter account, Companies House will send your presenter ID credentials to you. The presenter ID is 11 characters long and is a mixture of numbers and letters that starts with 000 and ends with 000.
Please note that if you receive your presenter ID credentials from Companies House via email, you will need to wait at least 24 hours before you can use them to file your accounts in FreeAgent.
When submitting Final Accounts to Companies House, please enter your presenter ID, presenter authentication code and company authentication code into FreeAgent manually rather than allowing your browser to auto-fill the fields for you, to avoid any errors.
