Business

Spain — Business: Accounting

Spanish companies must prepare annual accounts (cuentas anuales) — Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Account, and Statement of Changes in Equity — under the Plan General de Contabilidad (PGC), Spain's national GAAP framework; larger or listed groups may instead use adapted IFRS. Directors must prepare and sign the accounts within 3 months of the financial year-end (31 March for a calendar-year company); shareholders must approve them at the Annual General Meeting within 6 months of year-end; and the approved accounts must be filed with the Registro Mercantil within 1 month of approval, with an ultimate deadline of 30 July for calendar-year companies. Missing this timeline can trigger administrative penalties and closure of the company's registry page, blocking any further corporate filings (director changes, capital increases, etc.) until remedied.

Instituto de Contabilidad y Auditoría de Cuentas (ICAC) · Last verified 2026-07-18

Key Facts

  • Annual accounts follow the Plan General de Contabilidad (PGC); larger/listed groups may use adapted IFRS.
  • Directors must prepare and sign accounts within 3 months of year-end (31 March for calendar-year companies).
  • Shareholders must approve accounts at the AGM within 6 months of year-end.
  • Accounts must be filed at the Registro Mercantil within 1 month of approval — ultimate deadline 30 July for calendar-year companies.
  • Missed deadlines can close the company's registry page, blocking further corporate filings until resolved.

Steps

  1. 1. Prepare and sign accounts — Directors prepare and sign the Balance Sheet, P&L, and Statement of Changes in Equity within 3 months of year-end.
  2. 2. Approve at AGM — Shareholders approve the accounts at the Annual General Meeting within 6 months of year-end.
  3. 3. File at the Registro Mercantil — Submit approved accounts within 1 month of approval; ultimate deadline is 30 July for calendar-year companies.

Timelines

  • Preparation deadline: 3 months from year-end
  • AGM approval deadline: 6 months from year-end
  • Registry filing deadline: 1 month from approval (ultimate: 30 July for calendar-year companies)

Required Documents

  • Balance Sheet
  • Profit and Loss Account
  • Statement of Changes in Equity

Common Mistakes

  • Missing the Registro Mercantil filing deadline, which triggers registry-page closure and blocks future corporate acts.
  • Assuming IFRS applies automatically without checking whether the PGC (standard Spanish GAAP) is required instead.

Related Topics

annual-compliancecorporate-tax
← Back to Spain guides