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UK company accounts in August 2026: 260,165 published, 17.6% in deficit
Every set of accounts Companies House published in August 2026, read and summarised in one place: 260,165 across 21 publishing days.
Companies House published 260,165 sets of company accounts across the 21 publishing days Cap News collected in August, 1 August to 29 August. 45,026 of the 256,529 with a readable balance sheet reported liabilities larger than assets, 17.6 per cent, much the same as the 17.2 per cent in July 2026. The busiest day was Saturday 1 August, with 32,189 sets; the quietest was Saturday 8 August, with 6,672.
Measured against their own prior year, 70,230 filings were weaker and 137,108 stronger, so 33.9 per cent of those with a comparable year went backwards.
The share in deficit ran from 15.1 per cent on 7 August to 21.1 per cent on 29 August.
Most of the month's accounts were for years ending in November 2025 (80,764 sets, 31 per cent of those with a period end), followed by December 2025.
Among industries with at least 300 filings in the month, unlicensed restaurants and cafes had the highest share in deficit, 31.8 per cent of 1,713.
Day by day
Each row is one Companies House daily file, dated the morning it was published. A file covers the accounts registered the previous day; Tuesday's covers Saturday to Monday. The daily reports for these dates were compiled on 12 September 2026, when Cap News launched, and are summarised here instead.
| Published | Accounts | In deficit | Share | Weaker than a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 Aug | 32,189 | 6,405 | 20.1% | 36.8% |
| Tue 4 Aug | 11,489 | 1,767 | 15.6% | 29.9% |
| Wed 5 Aug | 7,833 | 1,204 | 15.6% | 30.9% |
| Thu 6 Aug | 7,324 | 1,180 | 16.4% | 31.1% |
| Fri 7 Aug | 7,165 | 1,069 | 15.1% | 31.0% |
| Sat 8 Aug | 6,672 | 1,004 | 15.3% | 30.3% |
| Tue 11 Aug | 11,377 | 1,720 | 15.4% | 30.9% |
| Wed 12 Aug | 8,665 | 1,349 | 15.9% | 33.8% |
| Thu 13 Aug | 8,542 | 1,355 | 16.1% | 32.7% |
| Fri 14 Aug | 8,662 | 1,365 | 16.0% | 33.8% |
| Sat 15 Aug | 8,022 | 1,270 | 16.0% | 31.2% |
| Tue 18 Aug | 13,708 | 2,216 | 16.4% | 31.3% |
| Wed 19 Aug | 10,726 | 1,734 | 16.4% | 32.0% |
| Thu 20 Aug | 10,248 | 1,662 | 16.5% | 33.8% |
| Fri 21 Aug | 10,202 | 1,704 | 17.0% | 34.1% |
| Sat 22 Aug | 9,543 | 1,696 | 18.1% | 34.3% |
| Tue 25 Aug | 16,606 | 2,816 | 17.2% | 33.6% |
| Wed 26 Aug | 14,308 | 2,493 | 17.7% | 34.7% |
| Thu 27 Aug | 15,265 | 2,673 | 17.8% | 33.8% |
| Fri 28 Aug | 18,612 | 3,551 | 19.3% | 35.5% |
| Sat 29 Aug | 23,007 | 4,793 | 21.1% | 37.6% |
Industries that filed most
| Industry | Filings | In deficit |
|---|---|---|
| Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate | 15,623 | 23.9% |
| Buying and selling of own real estate | 13,025 | 29.5% |
| Management consultancy activities other than financial management | 11,407 | 14.9% |
| Other business support service activities n.e.c. | 9,078 | 16.0% |
| Residents property management | 7,272 | 4.6% |
| Information technology consultancy activities | 6,700 | 14.9% |
| Other service activities n.e.c. | 6,165 | 16.6% |
| Development of building projects | 5,716 | 22.0% |
Highest and lowest deficit shares by industry
Among industries with at least 300 filings in August 2026.
| Industry | Filings | In deficit |
|---|---|---|
| Unlicensed restaurants and cafes | 1,713 | 31.8% |
| Licensed restaurants | 2,123 | 30.8% |
| Public houses and bars | 1,309 | 30.8% |
| Buying and selling of own real estate | 13,025 | 29.5% |
| Other holiday and other collective accommodation | 654 | 26.8% |
| Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet | 5,401 | 26.6% |
| Take-away food shops and mobile food stands | 2,667 | 26.0% |
| Fitness facilities | 684 | 25.9% |
| Lowest | ||
| Residents property management | 7,272 | 4.6% |
| Dormant Company | 5,410 | 5.2% |
| Non-trading company | 1,860 | 5.4% |
| Dental practice activities | 973 | 7.4% |
| Roofing activities | 700 | 8.7% |
By registered office
The towns with the most filings. A registered office is an address for service, often an accountant's, so this is a weaker signal than the industry split.
| Town | Filings | In deficit |
|---|---|---|
| London | 45,839 | 20.8% |
| Manchester | 4,797 | 17.6% |
| Birmingham | 4,199 | 18.7% |
| Glasgow | 2,968 | 16.1% |
| Bristol | 2,885 | 16.9% |
| Leeds | 2,472 | 17.5% |
| Nottingham | 2,200 | 18.6% |
| Leicester | 2,162 | 19.9% |
Largest employers in the month's accounts
By average employees as each filing states it, shown for size only.
| Company | Industry | Registered office | Employees | Prior year | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LANTERN HOLDCO LIMITED | Activities of production holding companies | London | 37,000 | 39,000 | 4 Aug |
| AMEY SERVICES LIMITED | Human resources provision and management of human resources functions | London | 9,871 | 10,280 | 19 Aug |
| SWANTON CARE & COMMUNITY LIMITED | Other human health activities | Coventry | 3,492 | 2,707 | 29 Aug |
| SUNSHINE CARE TOPCO LIMITED | Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. | Coventry | 3,492 | 2,707 | 29 Aug |
| ROOSTER TOPCO LIMITED | Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. | London | 2,951 | not stated | 4 Aug |
| LEMON PEPPER HOLDINGS LIMITED | Licensed restaurants | London | 2,941 | 2,216 | 4 Aug |
| EDUCATION MANAGEMENT CORPORATION LIMITED | Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. | Harrow | 1,993 | not stated | 27 Aug |
| BIRKIN CLEANING SERVICES LIMITED | General cleaning of buildings | Grays | 1,636 | 1,375 | 8 Aug |
| SEASALT HOLDINGS LIMITED | Other retail sale in non-specialised stores | Falmouth | 1,370 | 1,357 | 27 Aug |
| BENNETT RESTAURANTS LTD | Unlicensed restaurants and cafes | London | 1,369 | 1,895 | 12 Aug |
A deficit here means the accounts reported net liabilities at the balance sheet date. It is not insolvency, and Companies House does not verify what is filed with it. How the figures are produced is on the method page.