{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-557",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-557.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2006/46",
  "legislation_title": "Companies Act 2006",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006",
  "path": "section/557",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "557",
  "heading": "Offence of failure to make return",
  "text": "(1) If a company makes default in complying with—\nsection 555 (return of allotment of shares by limited company), or\nsection 556 (return of allotment of new class of shares by unlimited company),\nan offence is committed by every officer of the company who is in default.\n(2) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable—\n(a) on conviction on indictment, to a fine;\n(b) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding one-tenth of the statutory maximumone-tenth of the greater of £5,000 or the amount corresponding to level 4 on the standard scale for summary offences.\n(3) In the case of default in delivering to the registrar within one month after the allotment the return required by section 555 or 556—\n(a) any person liable for the default may apply to the court for relief, and\n(b) the court, if satisfied—\n(i) that the omission to deliver the document was accidental or due to inadvertence, or\n(ii) that it is just and equitable to grant relief,\nmay make an order extending the time for delivery of the document for such period as the court thinks proper.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 557(2)(b) substituted (E.W.) (12.3.2015) by The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Fines on Summary Conviction) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/664), reg. 1(1), Sch. 3 para. 9(15) (with reg. 5(1))"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/557",
    "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."
}