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UK company accounts in September 2026: 340,936 published, 17.2% in deficit
Every set of accounts Companies House published in September 2026, read and summarised in one place: 340,936 across 22 publishing days.
Companies House published 340,936 sets of company accounts across the 22 publishing days Cap News collected in September, 1 September to 30 September. 57,613 of the 335,304 with a readable balance sheet reported liabilities larger than assets, 17.2 per cent, much the same as the 17.6 per cent in August 2026. The busiest day was Wednesday 30 September, with 38,727 sets; the quietest was Saturday 5 September, with 8,214.
Measured against their own prior year, 92,707 filings were weaker and 185,737 stronger, so 33.3 per cent of those with a comparable year went backwards.
The share in deficit ran from 15.1 per cent on 3 September to 19.8 per cent on 1 September.
Most of the month's accounts were for years ending in December 2025 (159,125 sets, 47 per cent of those with a period end), followed by March 2026.
Among industries with at least 300 filings in the month, unlicensed restaurants and cafes had the highest share in deficit, 31.0 per cent of 1,963.
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 1 September to 11 September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 Sept | 27,501 | 5,385 | 19.8% | 34.9% |
| Wed 2 Sept | 10,129 | 1,535 | 15.5% | 31.9% |
| Thu 3 Sept | 9,764 | 1,453 | 15.1% | 31.8% |
| Fri 4 Sept | 9,108 | 1,406 | 15.7% | 32.3% |
| Sat 5 Sept | 8,214 | 1,318 | 16.3% | 32.6% |
| Tue 8 Sept | 13,149 | 1,960 | 15.1% | 30.4% |
| Wed 9 Sept | 10,996 | 1,767 | 16.4% | 31.9% |
| Thu 10 Sept | 10,448 | 1,649 | 16.1% | 30.9% |
| Fri 11 Sept | 10,075 | 1,607 | 16.2% | 32.1% |
| Sat 12 Sept | 9,836 | 1,658 | 17.2% | 31.9% |
| Tue 15 Sept | 14,667 | 2,235 | 15.5% | 30.9% |
| Wed 16 Sept | 12,431 | 1,982 | 16.2% | 32.4% |
| Thu 17 Sept | 12,785 | 1,968 | 15.7% | 31.8% |
| Fri 18 Sept | 12,582 | 1,992 | 16.1% | 32.7% |
| Sat 19 Sept | 11,444 | 1,983 | 17.7% | 33.7% |
| Tue 22 Sept | 18,946 | 2,964 | 15.9% | 32.8% |
| Wed 23 Sept | 14,561 | 2,452 | 17.2% | 33.7% |
| Thu 24 Sept | 15,683 | 2,739 | 17.8% | 34.5% |
| Fri 25 Sept | 16,847 | 2,891 | 17.5% | 33.9% |
| Sat 26 Sept | 17,465 | 3,004 | 17.5% | 34.2% |
| Tue 29 Sept | 35,578 | 6,373 | 18.2% | 33.9% |
| Wed 30 Sept | 38,727 | 7,292 | 19.1% | 35.5% |
Industries that filed most
| Industry | Filings | In deficit |
|---|---|---|
| Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate | 21,485 | 25.5% |
| Buying and selling of own real estate | 16,061 | 28.0% |
| Management consultancy activities other than financial management | 14,225 | 14.9% |
| Other business support service activities n.e.c. | 12,941 | 16.1% |
| Residents property management | 10,860 | 4.0% |
| Information technology consultancy activities | 7,993 | 14.5% |
| Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. | 7,742 | 11.9% |
| Other service activities n.e.c. | 7,469 | 17.5% |
Highest and lowest deficit shares by industry
Among industries with at least 300 filings in September 2026.
| Industry | Filings | In deficit |
|---|---|---|
| Unlicensed restaurants and cafes | 1,963 | 31.0% |
| Other holiday and other collective accommodation | 775 | 30.8% |
| Licensed restaurants | 2,383 | 30.3% |
| Public houses and bars | 1,499 | 28.2% |
| Buying and selling of own real estate | 16,061 | 28.0% |
| Take-away food shops and mobile food stands | 2,811 | 26.8% |
| Web portals | 476 | 26.5% |
| Wholesale of wine, beer, spirits and other alcoholic beverages | 352 | 25.9% |
| Lowest | ||
| Residents property management | 10,860 | 4.0% |
| Dormant Company | 7,411 | 4.1% |
| Non-trading company | 2,977 | 5.7% |
| Activities of other membership organizations n.e.c. | 687 | 6.8% |
| Dental practice activities | 1,119 | 7.7% |
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 | 65,913 | 21.4% |
| Manchester | 5,879 | 19.0% |
| Birmingham | 5,025 | 17.7% |
| Glasgow | 3,935 | 16.8% |
| Bristol | 3,581 | 15.4% |
| Leeds | 3,178 | 16.0% |
| Nottingham | 2,812 | 17.7% |
| Leicester | 2,600 | 19.2% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAMWORTH BROTHERS LIMITED | Manufacture of other food products n.e.c. | Leicestershire | 9,348 | 9,348 | 29 Sept |
| BUSY BEES NURSERIES LIMITED | Pre-primary education | Burntwood | 6,059 | 5,709 | 5 Sept |
| OMNI FACILITIES MANAGEMENT LIMITED | Temporary employment agency activities | London | 4,496 | 4,249 | 22 Sept |
| NICHOLAS ASSOCIATES GROUP LIMITED | Management consultancy activities other than financial management | Sheffield | 3,079 | 2,965 | 30 Sept |
| MCLEAN RESTAURANTS LIMITED | Unlicensed restaurants and cafes | Warwickshire | 2,734 | 2,444 | 26 Sept |
| WOODTHORPE HALL GARDEN CENTRES LIMITED | Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (not commercial art galleries and opticians) | Alford | 1,997 | 1,378 | 26 Sept |
| THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP LIMITED | Book publishing | London | 1,939 | 1,616 | 16 Sept |
| C.E.X. LIMITED | Other information technology service activities | London | 1,815 | 1,881 | 30 Sept |
| THE CELTIC MANOR RESORT LIMITED | Hotels and similar accommodation | Newport | 1,660 | 1,577 | 2 Sept |
| H & S RESTAURANTS LTD | Unlicensed restaurants and cafes | Preston | 1,644 | 1,758 | 3 Sept |
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.