Section 382 Companies qualifying as small: generalC1C2C3
United Kingdom
A company qualifies as small in relation to its first financial year if the qualifying conditions are met in that year.
Subject to subsection (2), a company qualifies as small in relation to a subsequent financial year if the qualifying conditions are met in that year.
In relation to a subsequent financial year, where on its balance sheet date a company meets or ceases to meet the qualifying conditions, that affects its qualification as a small company only if it occurs in two consecutive financial years.
For a period that is a company's financial year but not in fact a year the maximum figures for turnover must be proportionately adjusted.
The balance sheet total means the aggregate of the amounts shown as assets in the company's balance sheet.
The number of employees means the average number of persons employed by the company in the year, determined as follows—
find for each month in the financial year the number of persons employed under contracts of service by the company in that month (whether throughout the month or not),
add together the monthly totals, and
divide by the number of months in the financial year.
This section is subject to section 383 (companies qualifying as small: parent companies).
Annotations
Textual amendments
- F1
S. 382(1A) inserted (with effect in accordance with reg. 2(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Small Companies (Micro-Entities' Accounts) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/3008), regs. 2(1), 4(2)(a) (with reg. 3)
- F2
S. 382(2) substituted (with effect in accordance with reg. 2(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Small Companies (Micro-Entities' Accounts) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/3008), regs. 2(1), 4(2)(b) (with reg. 3)
- F3
Words in s. 382(3) table substituted (6.4.2025) by The Companies (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/1303), regs. 1(2), 9(1)(a) (with regs. 2(2), 3)
- F4
Words in s. 382(3) table substituted (6.4.2025) by The Companies (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/1303), regs. 1(2), 9(1)(b) (with regs. 2(2), 3)
Modifications
- C1
Ss. 381-384 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2008) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1911), reg. 5 (as amended: (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by S.I. 2013/2005, regs. 1(1), 3(2) (with reg. 1(5)(6)); (with effect in accordance with reg. 2(2)-(5) of the amending S.I.) by S.I. 2016/575, regs. 2(1), 5; (E.W.S.) (1.10.2018) by S.I. 2018/1030, regs. 1(2), 31(2); (31.12.2020) by S.I. 2019/685, reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 58(2) (with reg. 1(3)-(8), Sch. 1 para. 65) (as amended by S.I. 2020/335, regs. 1, 3, 4 and S.I. 2020/523, regs. 1(2), 22, 25(c); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)); (N.I.) (6.4.2022) by S.R. 2022/121, regs. 1, 31(2); (N.I.) (3.10.2022) by S.R. 2022/234, regs. 1, 31(2)); (N.I.) (1.4.2023) by S.R. 2023/59, regs. 1, 31(2); (N.I.) (29.9.2023) by S.R. 2023/148, regs. 1, 31(2)(a)(b); (N.I.) (27.3.2024) by S.R. 2024/78, regs. 1, 31(2)); (6.4.2025) by S.I. 2024/1303, regs. 1(2), 2(2), 11(2)(3)
- C2
Ss. 380-414 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by S.I. 2009/2436, regs. 3-5, Sch 1 para. 10 (with reg. 7, Sch. 2) (and the said Sch. 1 para. 10 is amended (with application in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Unregistered Companies (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1972), regs. 1(2), 2(2)(a))
- C3
Ss. 382, 383 modified (with effect for the tax year 2021-22 and subsequent tax years) by 2003 c. 1, s. 60C(2) (as inserted by Finance Act 2020 (c. 14), Sch. 1 paras. 5, 24 (with Sch. 1 paras. 30-34))
- C4
S. 382(4)-(6) applied (with modifications) (1.4.2025) by The Clean Heat Market Mechanism Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/81), regs. 1(1), 9(5)(a)
Notes on Part 15
Modifications
- C1
Pt. 15 applied (with modifications) (8.12.2017) by The Risk Transformation Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/1212), regs. 1(2), 162, 163 (with reg. 189)
- C2
Pts. 1-39 modified (31.12.2020) by Regulation (EC) No. 2157/2001, Art. AAA1(3) (as inserted by The European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1298), regs. 1, 97 (with regs. 140-145) (as amended by S.I. 2020/523, regs. 1(2), 5(a)-(f)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1))
- C3
Pt. 15 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2008) by The Bank Accounts Directive (Miscellaneous Banks) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/567), reg. 4, Sch. para. 1 (with Sch. para. 11)
- C4
Pt. 15 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2008) by The Partnerships (Accounts) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/569), regs. 4, 7, Sch. Pt. 1
- C5
Pt. 15 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Unregistered Companies Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2436), regs. 3-5, Sch. 1 para. 16 (with transitional provisions and savings in regs. 7, 9, Sch. 2)
- C6
Pts. 1-39 (except for Pt. 7 and ss. 662-669), 45-47 extended (12.5.2011) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/1265), art. 5(1), Sch. 1 para. 2