Software-only filing is coming — Diligent Entities as a means to submit financial statements
From 1 April 2027, Companies House will require all financial statements to be filed digitally via software, using iXBRL tagging — a major shift introduced under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act.
While this change affects how companies prepare and submit accounts, it doesn’t have to disrupt your existing processes. In fact, if your financial statements are already prepared and tagged, Diligent Entities offers a simple, secure way to submit them — without needing to overhaul your workflow.
What’s changing
The move to software-only filing means companies must:
- Prepare iXBRL-tagged financial statements
- Submit them via filing software
Most accounting teams already use software that supports iXBRL tagging. But submission is a different story — and that’s where governance matters. Traditionally, the Company Secretarial team manages the submission process, ensuring board approvals are documented, authentication codes are protected, and corporate legal compliance is tracked. These governance controls sit naturally with the Company Secretarial team.
Diligent Entities: Purpose-built to support good governance
Diligent Entities provides direct submission of iXBRL-tagged financial statements to Companies House, well ahead of the 1 April 2027 deadline.
That means:
✅ No need to change your current process: Your finance teams will simply prepare the accounts, including an iXBRL tagged version as usual, and provide these to the Corporate Secretarial team for board approvals and submission them through Diligent Entities.
✅ Governance stays robust: The Company Secretarial team retains control over approvals, compliance, and authentication.
✅ Seamless change: Diligent Entities already supports submission of documents and forms to Companies House and now extends that capability to financial statements.
With Diligent Entities, you get:
Submitting accounts through Diligent Entities avoids fragmented governance responsibilities, with a single team managing board approvals, additional separate direct submissions (such as parental guarantee documentation), and LLP-specific rules.
The only change your business needs to make is ensuring your financial statements are iXBRL-tagged. Once that’s done, Diligent Entities takes care of the rest — enabling a smooth, compliant submission to Companies House.
Take control of your filing process with Diligent Entities
Don’t let the transition to software-only filing impact your governance processes. Diligent Entities empowers your Company Secretarial team to stay in control, maintain compliance, and submit financial statements with confidence.
Get ahead of 2027 filings with a process built for your business — not against it. Explore Diligent Entities today and see how your team can stay in control.
More to explore
Leveraging AI for smarter entity management
AI is revolutionizing entity management, making corporate governance more efficient. Discover how to streamline compliance with cutting-edge software.
Optimizing reporting processes with Diligent Entities
Learn why should organizations prioritize robust reporting capabilities and how Diligent Entities can optimize your reporting processes
Government One Login or ACSP? Making the right IDV choice for your board under ECCTA
Navigate mandatory identity verification under ECCTA. Learn about GOV.UK One Login and ACSP routes, and choose the best IDV approach for your board to ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
