Annual Return Date

The ARD is set to a later date by filing Form B1B73. Form B1B73 must be filed electronically (€20 fee) and may be filed by a company not more than once in every five years. Form B73 should not be filed with the company’s first annual return (due six months after incorporation). See below.

It is a statutory requirement that Form B1B73 be delivered to the CRO within 56 days from the company’s existing ARD. As a matter of law, a Form B73 is ineffective and cannot be accepted by the CRO if it is filed more than 56 days after the company’s existing ARD. If your company wishes to extend its current ARD, it may do so by: delivering an annual return to the CRO not later than 56 days after its current ARD, to which no financial statements need to be annexed, and nominating on Form B73 the new ARD, which date may be not later than six months after its first ARD.

• ● A company’s first annual return is made up to the date which is 6 months post-incorporation, no financial statements attached. (Section 349 Companies Act 2014).
• ● Filing the B1B73 shortens the timescale within which financial statements have to be filed by the company
• ● For example a company incorporated on 10 February 2019 is due to make its first annual return (without financial statements) up to 10 August 2019. On filing this return, its next annual return date becomes 10 August 2020. If the company files a B1B73 with its first return, however, it creates a new ARD, being the date nominated by it on the B1B73, and financial statements will have to be attached to its second return which can be made up to 10 February 2020 at the latest.