Further to the update in eNews last week regarding the CRO filing deadlines, the CRO issued the following statement on Friday last 23 October:
The Registrar is aware of pressures that a small number of Companies face in meeting the deadline of 31 October and has announced that all elements of the annual return will be accepted if delivered by the date on the signature page (available when Form B1 is submitted online).
If you are unsure about your annual return deadline contact eb1@dbei.gov.ie
The Institute sought clarification from the CRO on this statement and they have today confirmed the following:
If the company is due to file,or has already filed a B1 but not yet sent the signature page, they can file a new B1 up to 31/10/2020 and will then have 28 days from submission date to upload financial statement and deliver the signed signature page. If the B1 has recently been submitted and the date on the signature page is after 31/10/2020 then that date is the correct deadline.
Therefore, if a B1 is filed electronically on Friday 30 October 2020, the submission date for the signed B1 will be 28 days later, i.e. 27 November 2020. If all elements of the annual return are submitted by that date then it will be deemed to have been filed on time.
Members are of course encouraged to file as normal if at all possible.
If you are unsure about your annual return deadline or have any other queries please contact eb1@dbei.gov.ie