What is an Annual Account?
An annual account is a financial snapshot of a company prepared once a year.
All Danish businesses are subject to the annual account law, according to which they must submit an annual account. The basis for the annual account is the bookkeeping carried out during the year, where income and expenses are entered.
You can ensure an accurate annual account with Acubiz
Many companies today use automated and digital expense management systems, such as Acubiz, to ensure that the annual account is accurate.
The annual account provides an overview of a company’s finances, including income, expenses, assets, VAT, and possibly cash flows and key figures depending on the company’s accounting class.
There are different requirements for the annual account depending on the type of company. There are more requirements when a limited company prepares an annual account than when a sole proprietorship does.
We will look at the different requirements in more detail later.
What period does the account cover?
Why should you prepare an annual account?
There are two main reasons to prepare an annual account.
One reason is that it provides a good overview of your company’s finances. With a clear overview of income, expenses, and other key figures, it is easier for you to develop your business.
The other reason is that it is a requirement for most types of businesses.
Here is a list of companies that must report their annual account:
- Private limited companies
- Partnership companies
- Limited companies
- Limited partnership companies (if all owners are companies)
- Interests companies (if all owners are companies)
- European cooperative societies (SCE companies)
- Employee investment companies
- Companies with limited liability
- Commercial foundations
Companies that do NOT have to report an Annual account
If you own a sole proprietorship, PMV, or I/S, your tax form determines whether you must prepare a formal account. Preparing a formal account is not required if you are taxed under ordinary personal tax rules. Instead, you must comply with tax principles by properly recording.
If you use the business scheme or the capital return scheme, there is a requirement that you must prepare a formal account. The account must comply with the requirements for accounting class A.
Here is a more specific list of the type of company that does not have to report accounts:
- Sole proprietorships
- Limited partnerships (if at least one of the owners is a person)
- Partnerships (if at least one of the owners is a person)
- Personally owned small businesses
- Bankrupt companies
- Companies that have submitted an exception declaration
- Companies under reconstruction
Requirements for annual accounts
An annual account must include
Income statement
The income statement shows the relationship between all income and expenses. The purpose is to establish whether there is a profit or loss in the company during the fiscal year.
Balance sheet
A balance sheet indicates your company’s assets and liabilities.
Assets are a company’s values and consist of fixed assets, inventories, cash, and receivables. Liabilities consist of the company’s obligations, equity, liability provisions, and debt. This is to show how a company has financed its assets.
The important thing is that assets and liabilities must always match each other in the accounts.
Management Certification
The company’s management must include a statement of the latest year’s activities and expectations for the following year.
Applied Accounting Principles
Here, the applied accounting principles are described.
Annual Account and Deadline - When Should the Annual Account Be Filed?
Regarding the deadline for the annual account, the deadline also depends on your type of company.
If you have a company (ApS or A/S), you must submit the financial statements to the Danish Business Authority at the end of the year. The deadline for reporting the annual account is no later than five months after the end of the fiscal year. Most annual accounts follow the calendar year, where the report must be submitted by May 31 of the year after.
However, listed companies and state-owned limited companies must submit their annual account by four months after the end of the fiscal year.
If you operate a personally owned business (sole proprietorship), you do not need to submit the financial statements to the Danish Business Authority or Skattestyrelsen (Danish tax agency). Instead, you must provide information about your financial figures and results (profit or loss) by submitting your information form by July 1st, the year after your fiscal year ends. Skattestyrelsen can retrieve information from the information form if you are selected for a tax audit.
Do you want to know more?
To prepare an annual report, you must have control of all receipts from the year.
With Acubiz, you are sure to have the process of all employee-related expenses and receipts digitized. Therefore, you are sure that this part of the process is under control when the annual report is being prepared.
Save time on administrative tasks and configure Acubiz with your company’s accounting practices to collect, manage, and optimize the administrative sub-processes associated with expenses.
Contact us if you want to know how we can help your business or book a free online demo to learn more.
FAQ
What is an annual account?
How do you create annual accounts?
Who needs to sign the annual report?
When should you prepare an annual report?
When should you submit an annual report?
You must submit your annual report to the Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen) no later than five months after the end of the accounting period. However, large companies must submit the report no later than four months after the fiscal year ends.