The Challenge
Annual return filing sounds straightforward—until you’re managing it for dozens of companies. Each filing requires a fresh company detail retrieval (to obtain a valid ETag confirming data currency), careful validation, and timely submission. Miss a step and the filing fails. Miss the deadline and penalties apply.
- Each annual return requires a current ETag from a fresh company details query—manual retrieval for each entity is time-consuming
- Tracking filing windows across a portfolio of companies is complex and prone to oversight
- Payment processing (direct debit or credit card via redirect URL) adds additional workflow steps
- Staff managing large portfolios spend disproportionate time on administrative filing tasks
- A single missed deadline can result in penalties or compliance issues for clients
The Autohive Solution
Autohive automates every step of the annual return process through the Companies Register API—from initial company detail retrieval to final submission, all orchestrated without manual intervention.
Automated ETag Retrieval
Every annual return requires a valid ETag, obtained from a recent company details query. Autohive retrieves this automatically as part of the filing workflow, ensuring the submission confirms current, accurate company information.
Portfolio-Wide Scheduling
Configure workflows to trigger annual return processes across your entire client portfolio based on each company’s filing window. Autohive handles the scheduling, ensuring no entity falls through the cracks.
End-to-End Filing Submission
Once company details are retrieved and validated, Autohive submits the annual return directly through the Companies Register API—including payment processing support via direct debit or credit card redirect URL handling.
Benefits
- Zero missed deadlines - Automated scheduling ensures every annual return is filed within its window
- Eliminate manual ETag management - ETags are retrieved and applied automatically for each filing
- Scale without adding headcount - Handle annual returns for 50 companies as easily as 5
- Reduce filing errors - Automated data retrieval ensures submissions are based on current, validated register data
- Free professional staff - Accountants and advisors spend time on client value, not administrative filing
How It Works
- Schedule filing triggers - Configure workflows to initiate annual return processes based on each company’s filing period
- Retrieve current company details - Autohive queries the Companies Register API to obtain current company information and capture the required ETag
- Validate data currency - Confirm that company information is up to date and matches your records before proceeding
- Initiate annual return submission - Submit the annual return via the Companies Register API using the captured ETag
- Process payment - Handle payment via direct debit or credit card using the redirect URL returned by the API
- Confirm and log - Record successful filing confirmation for audit trails and client reporting
Getting Started
- Sign up at app.autohive.com
- Connect the Companies Register integration from the marketplace
- Set up your annual return filing workflow with your portfolio of company NZBNs
- Configure your filing schedule and deploy
Learn more about the Companies Register integration.
