{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-386",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-386.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2006/46",
  "legislation_title": "Companies Act 2006",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006",
  "path": "section/386",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "386",
  "heading": "Duty to keep accounting records",
  "text": "(1) Every company must keep adequate accounting records.\n(2) Adequate accounting records means records that are sufficient—\n(a) to show and explain the company's transactions,\n(b) to disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the company at that time, and\n(c) to enable the directors to ensure that any accounts required to be prepared comply with the requirements of this Act ....\n(3) Accounting records must, in particular, contain—\n(a) entries from day to day of all sums of money received and expended by the company and the matters in respect of which the receipt and expenditure takes place, and\n(b) a record of the assets and liabilities of the company.\n(4) If the company's business involves dealing in goods, the accounting records must contain—\n(a) statements of stock held by the company at the end of each financial year of the company,\n(b) all statements of stocktakings from which any statement of stock as is mentioned in paragraph (a) has been or is to be prepared, and\n(c) except in the case of goods sold by way of ordinary retail trade, statements of all goods sold and purchased, showing the goods and the buyers and sellers in sufficient detail to enable all these to be identified.\n(5) A parent company that has a subsidiary undertaking in relation to which the above requirements do not apply must take reasonable steps to secure that the undertaking keeps such accounting records as to enable the directors of the parent company to ensure that any accounts required to be prepared under this Part comply with the requirements of this Act ....",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 386(2)(c) omitted (31.12.2020 with effect in relation to financial years beginning on or after IP completion day) by virtue of The International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/685), reg. 1(2)(3), Sch. 1 para. 3 (with reg. 1(4)-(8), Sch. 1 para. 64) (as amended by S.I. 2020/335, regs. 1, 3, 4 and S.I. 2020/523, regs. 1(2), 22, 25(b)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 386(5) omitted (31.12.2020 with effect in relation to financial years beginning on or after IP completion day) by virtue of The International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/685), reg. 1(2)(3), Sch. 1 para. 3 (with reg. 1(4)-(8), Sch. 1 para. 64) (as amended by S.I. 2020/335, regs. 1, 3, 4 and S.I. 2020/523, regs. 1(2), 22, 25(b)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "Ss. 386-389 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. 6 (as amended (1.10.2009) by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/1804), regs. 2, 85, Sch. 3 para. 16)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Ss. 380-416 applied (with modifications) (1.10.2009) by The Unregistered Companies Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2436), regs. 3-5, Sch. 1 para. 10 (with transitional provisions and savings in regs. 7, 9, Sch. 2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "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))"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/386",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:13:40.060156+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}