news and events

At Beacon, we like to keep our visitors up to speed with the latest happenings in the world of Company Registrations and Compliance.

Please visit regularly for updates.

 

latest news

COMPANIES REGISTRATION OFFICE CHRISTMAS 2024 DEADLINES

The CRO will endeavour to process all applications as quickly as possible, however, in order to give your applications the best chance to be registered prior to the 2024 Christmas holidays, the suggested deadline dates are as follows:

Fé Phráinn Online Scheme – 9th December 2024

Ordinary Online Scheme – 2 December 2024

Change of Name – 9th December 2024

Re-registration – 9th December 2024

Company Name Reservations – 15th December 2024

All applications received by the CRO will be processed in strict date order

If you require help with any filings at the CRO please contact either Carol Dwyer at cdwyer@bcos.ie, Sharon Spendlove at sspendlove@bcos.ie, Emma Doyle at edoyle@bcos.ie or Emma Dwyer at edwyer@bcos.ie.

30th September 2024 Annual Return Filing

The busiest period for filing annual returns is fast approaching for those companies whose annual return is dated 30th September 2024.  Those companies must file their annual return with their financial statements at the Companies Registration Office (“CRO”) no later than 25th November 2024.

Failure to file an annual return before the deadline can have consequences:

Late Filing Penalty

Annual returns which are filed late with the CRO incur an initial late filing penalty of €100 for the first day after the company’s filing deadline, and this accrues at a daily rate of €3, up to a maximum of €1,200 per return, until the annual return is filed.

Loss of Audit Exemption

Failure to file an annual return and accounts on time, will result in a company losing its audit exemption for the next two years.

Prosecution of Companies and Directors

Directors of a company who fail to file the company’s annual return may be prosecuted under S865 of the Companies Act 2014 and can face a fine of up to €5,000 for late filing.

Involuntary Strike Off

Failure to file an annual return, may result in the Registrar beginning involuntary strike off proceedings against a non-compliant Company.

If you require help with the filing of your annual return and accounts at the CRO please contact either Carol Dwyer at cdwyer@bcos.ie, Sharon Spendlove at sspendlove@bcos.ie or Emma Doyle at edoyle@bcos.ie.

Adjustments in Size Criteria for certain companies and groups

The European Union (Adjustments of Size Criteria for Certain Companies and Groups) Regulations 2024 have increased the balance sheet and turnover thresholds for ‘micro’, ‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘large’ companies in the Companies Act 2014 by 25%.

These adjustments will result in more companies falling within the category of micro or small and will therefore benefit from audit exemption.

The new Regulations come into force on 1st July 2024 and the new thresholds will apply for the financial years commencing 1 January 2024. Companies may also have the option to apply them from 1 January 2023 in certain circumstances.

The size threshold criteria for certain companies and groups will increase as follows:

Micro company: A balance sheet not greater that €450,000 with a net turnover of €900,000 and 10 employees.

Small company: A balance sheet no greater than €7.5 million with a net turnover of €15 million and 50 employees.

Medium sized company: A balance sheet must be no greater than €25 million with a net turnover of €50 million and 250 employees.

Large company: A balance sheet no greater than €25 million with a net turnover of €50 million and 250 employees, or that exceeds the thresholds for a medium company.If you have any queries on these changes, please contact Carol cdwyer@bcos.ie, Sharon sspendlove@bcos.ie or Emma edoyle@bcos.ie.

VOLUNTARY STRIKE OFF

If a company has ceased trading or has never traded it can apply for voluntary strike off at the CRO, provided all of the following conditions are satisfied:

• the company has delivered all outstanding annual returns to the CRO;
• the amount of any assets or liabilities of the company does not exceed €150;
• the company delivers a letter of no objection to the CRO from the Revenue Commissioners dated not more than three months before the date of application for strike-off; and
• the company has placed an advertisement of its intention to apply to be struck-off the Register no more than 30 days before the date of application in one daily national newspaper.

At present it is taking approximately 12 weeks to obtain a Letter of no objection from the Revenue Commissioners, therefore Directors need to be mindful if the Company’s annual return date is within that timeframe.
The CRO have not yet issued a date for when strike off notices will begin to be issued again to non-compliant companies, however we understand that this is imminent. We will monitor this and issue any updates from the CRO.

NEW COMPANIES BILL

The General Scheme of the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024 was published in March 2024 and will make some amendments to the Companies Act 2014.

Some of the key changes included are:-

  • A company may file their annual return & accounts late once in a 5 year period, without the automatic loss of audit exemption;
  • A registered office agent may notify both the Registrar of Companies and the company that they will no longer provide a registered office address for that company;
  • The Registrar of the Register of Beneficial Ownership may notify the Registrar of Companies of the failure of a company to make an RBO filing.

Companies and Industrial and Provident Societies will be given the option to hold virtual general meetings on an ongoing basis, making this a permanent feature. The Bill also provides for additional grounds for the involuntary strike off of companies.

It is proposed to give the Corporate Enforcement Authority additional powers regarding information gathering and information sharing between statutory bodies. We will monitor the ongoing progress of the Bill in due course.

register of beneficial ownership (RBO)

Every Company registered in Ireland must have the details of their ultimate beneficial owners recorded at the Register of Beneficial Ownership (“RBO”). Newly incorporated companies have 5 months from the date of incorporation, to register the details of its beneficial owners with the RBO. Each Company must also keep its own internal RBO register within its statutory register.

Any changes in the ultimate beneficial owner(s) must also be recorded at the RBO within 14 days of the change.

Failure to comply with the above requirements can result in the Registrar commencing prosecution proceedings against the Company.

If you require any assistance with this mandatory filing, please contact any member of the Beacon team.

The results of the Irish Enterprise Awards 2024 are in. We are delighted to announce that Beacon Company Secretaries has been awarded “Independent Corporate Compliance & Advisory Firm of the Year 2024”.

VIRTUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

The extension of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020 related to the holding of Annual General Meetings (AGMs) and general meetings in Ireland by electronic means has been extended to 31st of December, 2024.  This will allow companies to continue to comply with their legal obligations and allow members to hold directors accountable.

If you have any questions in relation to the extension of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020, please contact Carol, Sharon or Emma.

CHRISTMAS 2023 DEADLINE FOR INCORPORATIONS, CHANGE OF NAME REREGISTRATIONS AND COMPANY NAME RESERVATIONS

The CRO cannot guarantee that submissions received after the dates set out below will be processed before the Christmas break.

Fé PHRAINN ONLINE SCHEME 12 DECEMBER 2023
A1 ORDINARY ON LINE SCHEME 07 DECEMBER 2023

CHANGE OF NAME 8 DECEMBER 2023
REREGISTRATIONS 8 DECEMBER 2023
COMPANY NAME RESERVATIONS 15 DECEMBER 2023

If you require any assistance with incorporations, change of Company name or Business name registration, please contact Carol cdwyer@bcos.ie or Emma edwyer@bcos.ie

form b1 & ARD - dates

An Irish registered company is required to file an Annual Return (Form B1) with the Companies Registration Office (“CRO”) each year regardless of whether the company has traded or is dormant.

For companies that have an accounting period / year end of 31st December, 2022, their annual return date (“ARD”) is 30th September.

Annual returns must be filed with the CRO no later than 56 days from the company’s ARD. Failure to file an annual return on time will result in a financial penalty of €100 on the first day following the deadline and this accrues by €3 per day up to a maximum penalty of €1,200. In addition, the company will also lose its audit exemption.

The filing deadline for companies with a year end of December 31st, 2022 is approaching on 25th November, 2023. If you require assistance, please contact Sharon, Emma or Carol to discuss this further.

The results of the Irish Enterprise Awards 2022 have been announced. We are thrilled to announce that Beacon Company Secretaries Ltd has been awarded:

Best Independent Corporate Compliance Firm 2022.

Please note that from the 1st March next, the following Forms must be e-filed on CORE:

G1, G2, E2, E2A, E2B, E2C, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E11, C6, C7, H1 and H15

Forms which have not been filed on CORE will not be accepted after this date and will be returned for online submission.

For more information please visit www.cro.ie.

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Emma Dwyer

Emma is the latest addition to the Beacon team, having joined the company in 2020. She acts as the glue that holds the business together, ensuring that our services are delivered on time and on budget.

She studied Culinary Arts at Athlone IT and before coming to work with us, Emma had a successful career as a chef.

Her sister, Carol, Owner of the Company persuaded Emma to come on board and she now looks after our Financial Administration.

Emma is a committed member of her local GAA Club, St. Peter’s GAA, Dunboyne, where she acts as a coach with its Underage Section. She is an avid and dedicated Meath GAA Hurling, Football and Camogie fan, following the representative teams around the country to support them.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys reading and movies, the occasional glass of red wine and spending time with her family.

Sharon Spendlove

Sharon joined Beacon Company Secretaries in 2015, adding her knowledge and experience to the team. She has worked for over ten years in the Company Secretarial environment and her vast expertise further underpins Beacon's pursuit of excellence in its field.

 

Sharon studied law and was conferred with an LLB (Hons) Degree in Law from the University of Cardiff, Wales.

She worked in a number of legal practices before she discovered her love for Company Law and Management. Sharon has a vast knowledge of the compliance area and is very client focused having responsibility for both international and domestic clients in all aspects of corporate compliance.

When she’s not at work, Sharon is a dedicated walker, often clocking up 50km a week. She also enjoys movies, books and box sets.

She has worked tirelessly in the charity sector for many years, in particular, raising much needed funds for humanitarian causes at home and abroad. In 2018, she travelled with her daughter to India to see the result of a fundraising effort that raised €50,000 for a hospital there. All of this activity is fitted in around raising her two teenage daughters.

Emma Doyle

Emma joined the team at Beacon Company Secretaries in 2019, confirming and cementing her interest in Company Law and fulfilling her ambition to follow in her father's footsteps in the sector.

 

Emma holds a Certificate in Company Secretarial Law and Practice and most recently achieved a Diploma in Corporate Law and Governance from the Law Society of Ireland.

Previously, Emma worked in the aviation and hospitality industries, including serving as Cabin Crew for Emirates, in Dubai and in many leading hotels, including the K Club in Ireland.

Emma loves to tour Ireland, with Doolin being one of her favourite destinations. She’s seldom seen without her two Springer Spaniels, Cody and Archie, whose boundless energy keep her on her toes.

Emma’s a sports nut, regularly attending Leinster Rugby games at home and abroad. She also has a passion for Formula 1 Motor Racing, in particular the McLaren Team.

Carol Dwyer

Carol is vastly experienced in the Company Secretarial arena. She recently celebrated her tenth anniversary at Beacon, having joined the team in 2011.

 

Prior to working with us, she spent many years in London in various Company Secretarial roles. Since her return to Ireland in 1997, Carol has worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Hewlett-Packard International Bank plc.

A graduate of LSB, Dublin and certified by The Chartered Governance Institute, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the business and leads the team at HQ.

In her spare time, Carol is an avid GAA fan. She is heavily involved in her local Club, St. Peter’s GAA and will be seen at most Meath games as well. A keen runner, she has completed three marathons in the past five years.

On the rare occasions she’s not on a sideline, Carol enjoys catching up on box sets and old movies, or meeting friends and family for dinner and drinks.