Draft / placeholder. Scaffolded as the cornerstone explainer for the 2028 content cluster (GTM plan, Phase B). Replace this outline with the full article before publishing.
What's changing
From 1 April 2028, under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA), Companies House will close its free online accounts-filing service and paper filing. Accounts will have to be filed as iXBRL through commercial software.
Who it affects
Roughly the long tail of UK companies that file simple micro-entity or dormant accounts themselves today — the directors most reliant on the free route.
The timeline
- Now → April 2028 — the free Companies House web service still works.
- 1 April 2028 — free web filing and paper filing close; software-only from then on.
What to do
TODO: the practical steps, and the call to action into the reminder list / checker.