The table below is intended to provide guidance on the commencement timetable for the Companies Act 2006.
This table was last updated on 30 November 2007. Whilst it cannot be considered definitive, the table has been compiled based upon the Companies Act 2006 Table of Commencement Dates produced by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the first, second, third and fourth Companies Act 2006 commencement orders. Future commencement dates may be subject to change.
It should be noted that on 7 November 2007 BERR announced that the implementation of those provisions of the Companies Act 2006 previously timetabled for implementation on 1 October 2008 will be delayed to 1 October 2009. However, the Government is going to consult with key stakeholders regarding the implementation of certain provisions in order to establish whether they can, in fact, be implemented on 1 October 2008 as previously planned (such provisions are marked "subject to consultation" in the Commencement Date column of the table).
Those commencement dates indicated with an asterix (*) are taken from the commencement orders rather than the guidance commencement timetable produced by BERR. The orange highlighting indicates those provisions which are already in force.
Part Commencement Date 1 General introductory provisions (sections 1 to 6) 1 October 2009 Exceptions:- section 2 (The Companies Acts)
- section 17 (a company's constitution) which comes into force so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in October 2007
- sections 29 (resolutions and agreements affecting a company's constitution) and 30 (copies of resolutions or agreements to be forwarded to registrar)
- section 44 (execution of documents)
- sections 69 to 74 (similarity to other name in which person has goodwill)
- sections 82 to 85 (trading disclosures)
(sections 89 to 111) 1 October 2009 8 A company's members (sections 112 to 144) 1 October 2009 Exceptions:
- sections 116 to 119 (rights to inspect and require copies of the Register of Members)
- sections 155 to 159 (underage and natural directors)
- sections 162 to 167 and 240 to 246 (directors' residential addresses)
- sections 175 to 177 and 182 to 187 (directors' conflict of interest duties)
- section 247 (power to make provision for employees on cessation or transfer of business)
- sections 275 to 279 (provisions applying to private companies with a secretary and to public companies)
- sections 308 (manner in which notice to be given), 309 (publication of notice of meeting on website) and 333 (sending documents relating to meetings etc in electronic form)
- sections 327(2)(c) (notice required of appointment of proxy etc) and 330(6)(c) (notice required of termination of proxy's authority)
- section 362(a) (introductory) and the words "and to independent election candidates"
- section 363(2)(a) (political parties, organisations etc to which this part applies) and the words "or an independent election candidate to whom"
- section 363(3) (political parties, organisations etc to which this part applies)
- section 363(4) (political parties, organisations etc to which this part applies) and the words "or independent election candidate" and "independent candidate"
- section 364(3) (meaning of "political donation")
- sections 365(1)(a) and (b)(i) (meaning of "political expenditure") and the words "or an independent election candidate"
- section 366(1)(a) (authorisation required for donations or expenditure) and the words "or to an independent election candidate"
- section 367(3)(a) (form of authorising resolution) and the words "or independent election candidates"
- section 378(2) (donations not amounting to more than £5,000 in any twelve month period) and the words "or to an independent election candidate"
- section 385 (quoted and unquoted companies) which comes into force in so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in October 2007
- section 417 (contents of directors' report: business review)
- section 463 (liability for false or misleading statements in reports)
- sections 485 to 488 (appointment of auditors by private companies)
- sections 545 (companies having a share capital), 546 (issued and allotted share capital), 548 (equity share capital) and 629 (classes of shares) which come into force so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in October 2007
- section 558 (when shares are allotted) which came into force so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in April 2007
- sections 811(4) (right to inspect and require copies of entries), 812 (court supervision of purpose for which rights may be exercised) and 814 (register of interests disclosed: offence in connection with request for or disclosure of information)
23 Distributions (sections 829 to 853) 6 April 2008 24 A company's annual return (sections 854 to 859) 1 October 2009 25 Company charges (sections 860 to 894) 1 October 2009 26 Arrangements and reconstructions (sections 895 to 901) 6 April 2008 27 Mergers and divisions of public companies (sections 902 to 941) 6 April 2008 28 Takeovers etc (sections 942 to 992) 6 April 2007* 29 Fraudulent trading (section 993) 1 October 2007* 30 Protection of members against unfair prejudice (sections 994 to 999) 1 October 2007* 31 Dissolution and restoration to the register (sections 1000 to 1034) 1 October 2009 32 Company investigations: amendments (sections 1035 to 1039) 1 October 2007* 33 UK companies not formed under the Companies Acts
(sections 1040 to 1043) 1 October 2009 Exceptions:
- section 1043 (unregistered companies)
- sections 1060 (the registrar) to 1061 (the registrar's function) which came into force in so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in April 2007
- section 1063 (fees payable to registrar)
- sections 1068(5) (registrar's requirements as to form, authentication and manner of delivery), 1077 to 1080 (public notice of receipt of certain documents), 1085 to 1092 (inspection etc of the register), 1102 to 1107 (language requirements: translation) and 1111 (registrar's requirements as to certification or verification)
- sections 1068(1) to (4), (6) and (7) (registrar's requirements as to form, authentication and manner of delivery), 1114 (application of provisions about documents and delivery), 1117 (registrar's rules) and 1120 (application of this Part to overseas companies) which came into force so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in January 2007
- section 1068(1) to (4), (6) and (7) (registrar's requirements as to form, authentication and manner of delivery) so far as necessary for the purposes of The Companies (Cross-Border Mergers) Regulations 2007
- section 1124 (amendments of the Companies Act 1985)
- sections 1121 (liability of officer in default), 1122 (liability of company as officer in default), 1125 to 1131 (general provisions) and 1133 (transitional provisions) which came into force so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in January 2007
- sections 1121 to 1123 (liability of officer in default) and 1125 to 1133 (general provisions, production and inspection of documents and supplementary) which came into force so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in April 2007
- sections 1121 to 1123 (liability of officer in default) and 1125 to 1133 (general provisions, production and inspection of documents and supplementary) which came into force so far as they apply to offences under Part 14 or 15 of the Companies Act 1985
- sections 1134 (meaning of "company records"), 1135 (form of company records) and 1138 to 1140 (duty to take precautions against falsification and service of documents on the company, directors, secretaries and others) which came into force so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in April 2007
- sections 1137(1), (4), (5)(b) and (6) (regulations about inspection of records and provision of copies)
- sections 1143 to 1148 (sending or supplying documents or information)
- section 1157 (power of court to grant relief in certain cases)
- section 1158 (meaning of "UK-registered company") which came into force so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in October 2007
1 October 2007*
- section 1167 (meaning of "prescribed")
30 September 2007*
- sections 1168 (hard copy and electronic form and related expressions) and 1173 (minor definitions: general) which came into force so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in January 2007 and again in April 2007, October 2007 and December 2007 so far as necessary for the purposes of those provisions brought into force in April 2007, October 2007 and December 2007
- section 1170 (meaning of "EEA State" and related expressions)
- sections 1175 (removal of special provisions about accounts and audit of charitable companies)
- sections 1180 (repeal of certain provisions about company charges) and 1181 (access to constitutional documents of RTE and RTM companies)
- sections 1274 (grants to bodies concerned with actuarial standards etc) and 1276 (application of provisions to Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- sections 1277 to 1280 (information as to exercise of voting rights by institutional investors) and 1283 (commonhold associations)
- section 1281 (disclosure of information under the Enterprise Act 2002)
- section 1282 (expenses of winding up)
- section 1283 (amendment of memorandum or articles of commonhold association)
- section 1284 (extension of Companies Act to Northern Ireland) which came into force so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in April 2007 and again in September 2007, October 2007 and December 2007 so far as necessary for those provisions brought into force in September 2007, October 2007 and December 2007
- section 1295 (repeals)