Summary and deadlines
For every financial year (ending on 31 August), academies must produce:
- An annual report
- Financial statements
These are collectively known as ‘the accounts’, and must be audited by an independent, registered auditor.
The audited accounts will also be received by the members of the trust at the AGM.
Deadlines
- 31 December: submit accounts to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) via the online form
- 31 January: publish accounts on your trust's website
- 31 May: file accounts with Companies House
As well as the accounts, your trust needs to submit an annual accounts return. For 2022-23, the accounts return will go live from 12 September 2023. The deadline to submit is 30 January 2024.
The information you need to include is set out in the Academies Accounts Direction 2022 to 2023 document, which this article is based on. If you have questions on the specific details, we’d recommend you ask your accountants