Companies House Software Filing

[AndrewMurray]

Hello,

I'm a software engineer and I'm looking towards creating a software package which allows users to electronically file documents, much like the software which can be found on the 'accounts software' page of Companies House website. Though I intend to start with secretarial type documents such as change in address (287), annual return (363a) and allotment of shares (88(2)).

I initially became interested in this when I realised that the current software available is rather expensive and not straight forward.

I'm interested to learn if any of the users of this forum make use of such software, any experiences they may have and what you would like to see from such software. Does anyone here use this type of software? I would be interested in getting in touch.

(Apologies if I’ve not posted to the correct forum. I felt that those who have annoyances with such software are likely to visit here).

Thanks,

Andrew Murray

 

[Williams lester]

Not sure which software packages you have seen and what you regard as expensive, could you specify what sort of price per company you are looking at pitching your software?

 

[Alpha]

Hello,

I'm a software engineer and I'm looking towards creating a software package which allows users to electronically file documents, much like the software which can be found on the 'accounts software' page of Companies House website. Though I intend to start with secretarial type documents such as change in address (287), annual return (363a) and allotment of shares (88(2)).

I initially became interested in this when I realised that the current software available is rather expensive and not straight forward.

I'm interested to learn if any of the users of this forum make use of such software, any experiences they may have and what you would like to see from such software. Does anyone here use this type of software? I would be interested in getting in touch.

(Apologies if I’ve not posted to the correct forum. I felt that those who have annoyances with such software are likely to visit here).

Thanks,

Andrew Murray

Andrew

Your first problem is that simply producing the ability to file a few forms such as those mentioned would not interest anyone. The forms are available to be filed electronically via companies house website and are not too onerous.

The value to most accountants, for example, is to have the ability to maintain all their clients details in a company secretarial package and then be able to file from it, which would remove duplication of effort.

Also the ability to file accounts from accounts production packages is also something that accountants would use as very few packages actually file direct. (There is software called efilex which allows the user to file accounts from VT accounts production package, and would work with any self produced accounts in excel. It is based on a table defining where the data comes from in an excel spreadsheet and puts it into the correct format for filing. It was intended to develop it to be able to extract data from other file formats but I don't think this has ever got further than the drawing board. This costs £100 pa to license)

A company secretarial package such as those done by Forbes costs around £300 for, I think, 200 companies. Other packages such as PC share register produced by bhis but licensed tio a number of other companies such as PTP and Keytime costs £110 for 25 companies and then has a stepped cost after.

Just something to think about

 

[AndrewMurray]

Hi both,

Thanks for your helpful replies.

The packages I’ve looked at so far are those listed on the Companies House website as products they've tested - I'm unable to post the URL here as I'm a relatively new user. The page is the first page listed after performing a google search for "Accounts, Secretarial & Incorporations Software Table".

It's early days for us at the moment and I think we are at the very beginning of the learning curve involved in this market. We're currently trying to access the need of such a product and figure out what we can bring to the market. We would like to price our product competitively, though it's too early to say what price.

Yes I now realise that with WebFilling such a software offering doesn't provide much value. However, as you pointed out Alpha, there seems to be strong interest from accountants and solicitors. What features are typically found in a secretarial package besides the ability to store the details of many companies and to submit them? E.g. besides the information required for e filling? Is there often a need to flexibility or integration with other/existing systems?

With regards to accounts - this is something we'd like to offer in the future. I've looked at efilex - thanks for the link. Are they current accountancy packages that allow you to export data in XBRL?

Many thanks for your time so far.

 

[Tom McClelland]

Yes I now realise that with WebFilling such a software offering doesn't provide much value. However, as you pointed out Alpha, there seems to be strong interest from accountants and solicitors. What features are typically found in a secretarial package besides the ability to store the details of many companies and to submit them? E.g. besides the information required for e filling? Is there often a need to flexibility or integration with other/existing systems?

The benefit is only having to enter stuff once. If you take a system like Iris, for example (to quote something at the upmarket end for smaller accountancy practices), their Company Secretarial module that files the kind of documents you're talking about integrates with a single client database that also allows practices to enter their client's details once only, then track hours worked, manage the practice-client relationship, generate and store documents such as ML and terms letters and other standard letters, do their CH accounts, corporation tax, personal tax of directors, and finally bill the client. I expect that Digita and Sage et al offer a similar set of modules that avoid the need to rekey data wherever possible.

There is only significant value in what you're talking about if it saves the practice from rekeying the same data into disparate systems, otherwise they might as well just go online on the CH website and file the documents by hand using CH's own html interface. OK, it is a little clunky but once anyone has used it a couple of times they aren't really going to struggle.

So the more practice operations and management modules you can offer the more likely it is that you'll be able to interest practices in what you have to offer, if it is better quality or undercuts the competition on price.