Firstly you shouldn’t need to pay an accountant for dormant company filings. What I have done in the past is as follows:
- File the Dormant Company Accounts (DCA) with Companies House. This can be done via their web-filing interface.
- You should receive a request to file a tax return from HMRC with a perforated payment slip. On the payment slip enter “NIL” and mention on there that the company is “DORMANT”. Take a copy of this slip and return it to HMRC.
I would certainly appeal the penalty determination, it should be reversed if you explain the situation. I had a similar situation earlier this year, I sent HMRC a copy of the payment slip marked NIL with a covering letter. Around 1 month later they sent me a new statement showing a zero balance.
If you have any evidence of prior correspondence stating that the company is dormant that should suffice.