Annual Return Date - File

[Cantona7]

We are a new company formed in april 06 and we have been advised our ARD is due.(already!!) Anyway the company who did the paperwork on formation have offered to file the ARD for €110. Is it that difficult to file an ARD.. i know the accounts do not need to be filed unti lthe next time so its just a question of filling in the b1 and paying the fee?? or is it..

does anybody file without asistance?


thanks

 

[bazermc]

An annual return, with no accounts, must be filed 6 months after incorporation called the annual return date. You have 28 days from ARD to file a B1 called due date, the filing fee is €40 with CRO. Is this included in the €110 if so then its really only a €70 fee.

Download a copy of the B1 from cro.ie and if you can complete it correctly yourself then dont bother paying some one €70 or even €110. I can file without assistance but I have been doing them for years, so not to sure of your situation sorry!

 

[Cantona7]

Thanks for that bazermac. I have the B1 here now and i'm wading through it. Although it looks complicated i think id give it a go for €70 saving.

 

[ubiquitous]

Anyway the company who did the paperwork on formation have offered to file the ARD for €110. Is it that difficult to file an ARD..

Filing an ARD is in most cases not particularly complicated but on the other hand you would hardly expect this firm to do this work for free either? If you know what you are doing, it should normally be perfectly feasible to do it yourself. However do bear in mind that the CRO are not exactly the most customer-friendly State body, are quite happy to reject filed documents on for the most minor of reasons, and have very inflexible policies in relation to imposition of (notoriously harsh) late filing penalties. If there is the slightest risk of the process going wrong for you, the €110 might be money well spent.

 

[MandaC]

I file them for a few clients of ours and I have to say I find them more trouble than they are worth. The most annoying thing for me is that they are more of a nuisence to log the filing dates and remember to do them than anything else.

If it is your first annual return and nothing has changed since incorporation then I would certainly do it myself. Bear in mind the following : If the formation agent formed the company for you, they might have held the issued shares first?, and if this is the case the previous shareholders and dates of transfer will have to be listed on the shares page along with the current shareholders if the share transfers took place within the past six months. I find that page is often where people make errors.

Other than that, just make sure everybodys name/address and details etc. are the exact same as listed on the original company package or the B1 will be sent back. If you are going in to the CRO to lodge it yourself, you could ask one of the counter staff to just flick through it for you, explain its your first return. I find most of the counter staff very helpful, but there are some jobsworths there too!!!

BTW €110 is not bad for filing an annual return.

 

[Delber]

Hi

Usually whoever incorporated the company initially would have the 6 month B1 already completed and ready to go, just needing the director & secretary signatures. This applies if the OP used an off the shelf company, however it must be ensured that the initial subscribers have been transferred off the company by using a form B 10. Another issue to consider is if the OP has an accountant / auditor already they may file this for free as it usually only takes minutes to complete and even can file online for € 20. (as agoodwill gesture)

 

[PCS]

The CRO has its own website which is very helpful www.cro.ie Here you will find all the forms and information leaflets that explain what they do and how everything works. You also need to get hold of the companies act 1963 to 2005 which gives you all the relevant laws that govern companies. The work can be done by yourselves but you must be fully aware of all the duties involved as Directors and Company Secretary to ensure that you comply fully to the letter of the law. The penalties are severe and many. Get advice from a professional company secretary. I am not trying to scare you but i have experience in this field and it can be a minefield to the uneducated.
Hope this helps

 

[Cantona7]

thanks for all the advice.
We took a vote and decided to let the professionals do it on this occasion as yes there were issues with the shares initially being held by the formation agent. But we will be prepared for next year..i hope!