Answer
What filed accounts show an investor
What can investors see in my Companies House accounts?
Investors can read whatever you file at Companies House, which is free to search. GOV.UK says a micro-entity can send only a balance sheet with less information, and a small company can send abridged accounts. So the public record may show less than a forecast needs, and an investor asks you for the rest.
Last reviewed 23 October 2026. Written by HAM Agency.
An investor can look you up before they reply to your email. What they find on the register is often thinner than the company you have just described, and the gap is where the questions start.
What the register holds
Companies House says anyone can get some details about a company for free. That includes the registered address, the date of incorporation, current and resigned officers, document images, mortgage charge data and previous company names. The accounts you have filed sit among the document images.
So the accounts are public. What they contain depends on the type you filed.
Why the type matters
GOV.UK says statutory accounts must include a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, notes, and a director's report unless the company is a micro-entity. It also says some companies can send simpler accounts to Companies House.
| Company type | What GOV.UK says it can do |
|---|---|
| Micro-entity | Prepare simpler accounts, and send only a balance sheet with less information to Companies House |
| Small company | Send abridged accounts, and choose whether to send the director's report and profit and loss account |
| Dormant | Has had no significant transactions in the financial year |
Both size tests are set by GOV.UK as any two of three measures: turnover, balance sheet total and number of employees. The current limits are on the GOV.UK page, and your accountant confirms which test your company meets.
GOV.UK also says that sending abridged accounts means less information about your company is publicly available. For a small company it needs the agreement of all the members.
What stays outside the public file
A small company or micro-entity must still send statutory accounts to its members and to HMRC with the Company Tax Return, GOV.UK says. The shorter version is what goes on the register. The fuller version exists, and an investor will ask for it.
What an investor asks for on top
- The full accounts and the Company Tax Return, if the register shows only a balance sheet.
- Management accounts since the year end, because the filed accounts are always out of date. GOV.UK gives nine months after the year end as the deadline for filing annual accounts.
- The model, reconciled to the accounts. The opening position in the forecast should match the last filed balance sheet, or the difference should be written down.
What to do before they look
- Search your own company on Companies House and open the latest accounts as a stranger would.
- Write one paragraph on what the register doesn't show and where the fuller figures are.
- Put the full accounts and the tax return in the data room, next to the model.
Your accountant confirms which accounts the company can file and what they must contain. Raise Ready builds the pack that sits behind them. The ham.agency seed data room checklist lists the rest of what goes in.
Questions
Can an investor see my accounts without asking me?
They can see what you have filed. Companies House lets anyone get some details about a company for free, including document images, officers and mortgage charge data. What the accounts contain depends on what type you were allowed to file.
Does filing simpler accounts count against me?
GOV.UK describes abridged and micro-entity accounts as a normal option for companies that qualify, and says they mean less information is publicly available. An investor who finds less on the register simply asks you for more. Your accountant confirms which accounts your company can file.
Are the public accounts the same as the ones I send to HMRC?
Not necessarily. GOV.UK says a small company or micro-entity must still send statutory accounts to its members and to HMRC as part of its Company Tax Return, even when it sends a shorter version to Companies House. Your accountant can tell you what went where.
What does Raise Ready do about this?
Raise Ready helps you lay out the accounts, the model and the explanation of the gap between them, then reads the pack the way an investor's adviser would. It doesn't prepare or file accounts, and it doesn't give tax, legal or investment advice. Your accountant confirms which accounts you can file and what they must contain.