Starting in 2028, SMEs will have to submit their P&L

Starting in 2028, small and micro businesses will need to report their profits and losses.

For small and micro business networks in the UK, filing annual reports will be a big change. The archiving process has traditionally been a relatively efficient process with minimal disclosure. Under long-standing regulations, small corporate entities can utilize “stuffed” or summarized accounts, allowing them to submit basic balance sheets while keeping more detailed financial data confidential.

But the regulatory landscape is about to change. Following the formal finalization of measures set out under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, Companies House has confirmed a major overhaul of its corporate reporting rules. From April 2028, every small business and micro entity in the UK will be legally required to file a full profit and loss statement.

This historic transition is designed to modernize the UK’s corporate register, increase financial transparency and eradicate economic crime. This new mandate will fundamentally change the way you prepare, package and submit your annual figures to Companies House, so understanding these changes early will ensure your business remains compliant without administrative hurdles.

What is a profit and loss statement?

Profit and loss can also be referred to as P&L or a income statement. It is a fundamental financial document that summarizes a business’s revenues, costs, and expenses incurred during a specific accounting period.

Unlike a balance sheet, which provides a static picture of what a business owns and owes at any point in time, a P&L statement tells a dynamic story about a company’s operational efficiency over the course of a financial year. It details:

• Gross Turnover: Total sales revenue generated before any deductions.
• Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Direct costs are closely related to production or service delivery (e.g. raw materials, direct labor).
• Gross profit: Turnover minus direct sales costs.
• Operational Costs/Overhead: Indirect operational costs, such as rent, marketing, utilities and administrative salaries.
• Net profit: A definitive conclusion that shows exactly how much actual profit (or loss) the business made after accounting for all expenses, interest, and taxes.

Historically, micro entities and small businesses were permitted to completely omit these statements from their public filings to avoid providing competitors with insight into their profit margins and cost structures. Starting April 2028, this omission will no longer be an option.

What else is changing for businesses in 2028?

The implementation of mandatory profit and loss reporting is just one pillar of a broader corporate reporting modernization package. When the April 2028 deadline arrives, some long-standing accounting shortcuts will disappear altogether.

File annual reports with commercial software, not paper or the web

The days of logging onto the free Companies House Web Filing portal to type in some balance sheet numbers by hand are over. From April 2028, Companies House is closing all web and paper-based account filing routes.

Every company in the UK, including inactive entities, must submit their annual accounts using commercial accounting software. This application must be submitted in iXBRL (Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language), which automatically applies digital data tags to your financial numbers so that regulatory systems can scan and analyze the information instantly.

Accounts and reports must be filed together in full

Under current rules, companies sometimes file different components of corporate reports piecemeal or take advantage of time gaps. The 2028 reform introduces strict “single package” requirements. All components of your company’s required financial filings must be combined and submitted electronically as one unified package.

Abridged accounts are terminated

Small companies no longer have the legal option of preparing or filing “summary” reports. Condensed accounts allow small companies to combine certain line items on the balance sheet and profit and loss accounts to simplify disclosures. From April 2028 onwards, the financial reporting framework will require complete standard line item breakdowns that match your business size category.

A stronger statement of eligibility will be required when claiming an audit exemption

If your small or micro business claims exemption from a formal audit of its accounts, as most UK small businesses do legally, your directors will face greater accountability. The new regulations state that directors must provide a clearer and more unequivocal statement of eligibility directly on the balance sheet, specifying precisely which legislative criteria qualify a company for an exemption.

You won’t be able to shorten your accounting reference period as often

Some businesses have historically shortened or extended their accounting reference periods (financial year end dates) repeatedly to align with tax advantages or delay filing deadlines. To curb practices that obscure timely financial tracking, Companies House will strictly limit how often a company can shorten its accounting period. Businesses will be required to provide a clear and valid business justification if they seek to shorten the term more than once in a five-year period.

What impact will it have on business?

The move to software-only filing and mandatory profit and loss reporting has sparked significant debate among business groups, including organizations such as the Federation Small Business (FSB) warns that this may result in additional administrative burdens and operational costs. However, the government has introduced important compromises to protect commercial privacy.

Privacy Compromise: Publication Opt-Out

To address widespread fears that publishing sensitive cost data could harm small businesses or expose them to predatory pricing from larger competitors, GOV.UK has confirmed a opt-out mechanism.

Meanwhile, small and micro businesses must apply their profit and loss statement with Companies House, they can actively choose to do so withhold P&L from public register. This creates a “frosted glass” effect:

Who sees your data? Companies House, HMRC and law enforcement agencies will have full access to your P&L to verify compliance and fight fraud.

Who doesn’t see your data? The general public, your customers, your neighbors, and your direct competitors will not see your profits and losses in the public register if you choose not to participate.

Closerness & Higher Digital Efficiency

For businesses that still rely on manual spreadsheets, paper records, or basic text documents to manage their annual bookkeeping, the 2028 deadline presents a mandatory call to action. You need to switch to a modern cloud accounting platform capable of generating and delivering tagged iXBRL financial files.

While this requires an adjustment period and potential subscription costs, the long-term benefits of digital accounting are enormous. Automated software dramatically reduces human entry errors, simplifies VAT tracking, and gives founders real-time visibility into their cash flow rather than leaving them to decipher their financial health months after the year ends.

How Swoop can help

While April 2028 may still seem far away, the 21-month implementation timeline announced by the government gives businesses time to conduct a thorough audit of their systems without resorting to expensive, last-minute compliance panics.

Transitioning your business to software-only compliance is also a key opportunity to unlock healthier commercial terms. At Swoop, our advanced matching platform analyzes clean digital financial data to instantly connect your business with optimized funding pathways, from commercial loans and alternative finance facilities to innovation grants and equity investments.

By improving your financial processes today, you will protect your company’s compliance in 2028 while actively putting your business in the best position to secure growth capital, optimize cash flow, and track your true profitability.

Don’t wait for regulatory deadlines to disrupt your daily operations. Talk to an expert today on Swoop to find out how to seamlessly modernize your business accounting and ensure your company profile is ready for the future.