CRO, CORE, Company Secretarial Services, Companies Office, Annual Returns filing

The new CORE (Companies Online Registration Environment) Portal will be launched on 16^th December 2020.  The new Portal will make filing with the Companies Registration Office (CRO) easier and more efficient in terms of registering entities, submitting documentation, checking company status, CRO account management, etc.

Main Features of the new CORE Portal include:

1. The ability to upload signed PDF signature pages. This removes the requirement to post signature pages to the Companies Registration Office and should greatly reduce issues such as lost or delayed post as well as missed filing deadlines. A signature page must be generated and signed then a PDF version of the signed signature page can then be uploaded to the system. Please be aware, the option of E-signatures to sign the signature page will not be available.

2. An automatic Fifty Six days to file Annual Returns. This replaces how presenters file annual returns.  Currently the Form B1 can be filed and a signature page generated twenty eight days after the ARD with a further twenty eight days to file the accounts.  From 16^th December 2020 companies will have an automatic 56 days from its ARD (annual return date) to complete the entire filing process which will include (a) preparing the annual return in CORE, (b) uploading the financial statements, (c) generating the signature page once the financial statements have been successfully uploaded, (d) uploading the signed signature page in a PDF format and (e) make the necessary filing payment.

3. From 16^th December 2020 it will be possible for CORE users to preview, remove and upload a new version of the financial statements before the B1 signature page is generated. Currently a new signature page is created every time a set of financial statements is removed and a new version is uploaded.

For further information, please click: https://cro.ie/services-and-help/core/

Please be aware that the information contained in this article is of a general nature.  It is not intended to address specific circumstances in relation to any individual or entity. All reasonable efforts have been made by Accounts Advice Centre to provide accurate and up-to-date information, however, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate on the date it is received or that it will continue to remain so. This information should not be acted upon without full and comprehensive, specialist professional tax advice.