Annual report for limited companies

Submit your annual report to the Swedish Companies Registration Office 

All limited companies are required to prepare an annual report and submit it to the Swedish Companies Registration Office. Once the annual general meeting has approved the balance sheet and profit and loss statement, you have one month to submit the annual report to the Swedish Companies Registration Office. This means that the Swedish Companies Registration Office must have received the annual report no later than seven months after the end of the financial year. You can choose whether to submit your annual report digitally or to send it by post. 

Submit your annual report digitally 

Limited companies that follow the K2 or K3 regulations can submit their annual report to the Swedish Companies Registration Office digitally. Some of the advantages of this are: 

• Annual report submission is quick. 
• The information is retrieved directly from the company's accounting system. It reduces the risk of errors. 
• You receive immediate confirmation that the annual report has been received. 
• If the annual report is complete, it is registered immediately. 
• This helps reduce the environmental impact because you do not use paper. 

You will need software that supports digital submission to be able to send the annual report to the Swedish Companies Registration Office digitally. 

How to do it 

1. Upload the annual report together with the audit report (where applicable). You do this directly from your software that supports digital submission. 
2. Invite the board member or CEO to sign. You need the personal identity number and email address of the person you invite. 
3. Submit the annual report. The person you invite logs in with their e-ID, signs the confirmation of approval and submits the annual report. You do everything digitally, so there is no need to send in any paperwork. Done! 

When you submit your annual report digitally, you will receive a confirmation that it has been received. If the annual report is complete, it is registered immediately. 

Read more about the parts and annexes of the annual report on the Swedish Companies Registration Office's website (in Swedish)

In addition to the annual report, you must also submit 

• the confirmation of approval 
• the audit report – if your company is required to have an auditor. 
• consolidated accounts and group audit report – if your limited company is a parent company in a large group 

Which regulations apply to your limited company's annual report?

The annual report must be prepared in accordance with one of the Swedish Accounting Standards Board's K regulations. If your limited company is considered a smaller company, you can choose to prepare the annual report according to the simplified K2 rules instead of the main K3 regulations. For larger limited companies, there is no option to choose. Larger limited companies must always prepare the annual report in accordance with the main regulations K3.

What is considered a large enterprise? 

Large enterprises are those that meet at least two of the following criteria for two consecutive years (the same criteria): 

• The average number of employees has been more than 50 in each of the last two financial years. 
• The balance sheet total has exceeded SEK 40 million in each of the last two financial years. 
• The net turnover of the company has exceeded SEK 80 million in each of the last two financial years. 

Other companies are classified as small enterprises. Listed companies are always classified as large enterprises. In most cases, credit institutions, investment firms and insurance companies must also apply the regulations for large enterprises. 

Annual report according to K2 

Limited companies classified as small enterprises can choose to prepare their annual report according to the simplified K2 regulations. 

K2 regulations on the Swedish Accounting Standards Board's website (in Swedish)

The following must be included in the annual report: 

• Directors' report 
• Profit and loss statement 
• Balance sheet 
• Notes supplementing the information in the balance sheet and profit and loss statement. 

Annual report according to K3 

The K3 regulations is the main framework for annual reports. Limited companies classified as large enterprises must apply K3. Limited companies classified as small enterprises may choose to apply K2. 

K3 regulations on the Swedish Accounting Standards Board's website 

The following must be included in the annual report: 

• Directors' report 
• Profit and loss statement 
• Balance sheet 
• Notes supplementing the information in the balance sheet and profit and loss statement. 

If your limited company is classified as a large enterprise, you annual report must also include a cash flow statement. This is optional for small limited companies. 

Auditor 

The smallest limited companies may choose not to have an auditor. However, your limited company is required to have a qualified auditor if it meets at least two of the following criteria: 

• More than 3 employees (on average). 
• Balance sheet total of more than SEK 1.5 million. 
• Net turnover of more than SEK 3 million. 

External links 

Read about limited companies on the Swedish Accounting Standards Board's website (in Swedish)
“Att föra bok” guide on the Swedish Accounting Standards Board's website (in Swedish)