FINANCIAL DATA · PRACTICAL GUIDE
How to find and interpret private company financial statements
Start with the company’s official filing register and identify the exact legal entity and reporting period. Public availability varies by jurisdiction and company type. If a statement is unavailable or incomplete, request accounts from the company or use a data provider that explains its sources, coverage and field availability.
Where can you find private company financial data?
Check the registry filing history for the entity you are researching. A company website may also publish accounts or an annual report. Ask the company for the relevant statements when the public record does not answer the question; retain the document and distinguish company-supplied information from a registry filing.
In the UK, smaller companies can use different filing options from larger companies. Current guidance allows eligible small companies to omit a profit and loss account from the public filing. A missing turnover figure can therefore reflect the filing available to you, rather than a failed search or an absence of sales.
Check the period before comparing the number
Separate the period end, filing date and retrieval date. A recently downloaded record can describe a much older accounting period. Compare the period lengths as well: a short first year should not be placed beside a full year without an explanation.
Keep the original currency and reporting scale beside every value. A number reported in thousands is not directly comparable with a value in base units. If you convert currency or calculate a ratio, retain the original inputs and identify the calculation.
Is this the company or the consolidated group?
Confirm whether the statement covers a single entity or a consolidated group. Group revenue does not establish the turnover of the subsidiary signing a contract. The reporting entity and the entity being assessed should remain separate fields when they differ.
Treat filed figures, estimates and calculated metrics as different kinds of information. A supplier estimate may be useful for prospecting, but should not be relabelled as filed revenue in a credit review or an AI-generated answer.
How should an API represent missing financial data?
Use an explicit availability state and preserve null values. Zero means the reported value is zero; it should not be a substitute for an unavailable metric, a missing reporting period or a restricted module.
CompanyProof profiles can return financial information when the underlying module is available. Check section_status before using an extended module and preserve returned provenance. The financial reference separately identifies direct provider fields; their presence in that catalogue does not make them a standalone CompanyProof endpoint.
A financial figure needs its context
| Attribute | Check | Mistake this prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Registration number and reporting entity | Using parent revenue for a subsidiary |
| Period | Period end and number of months | Comparing a short period with a full year |
| Currency and units | Original currency and any thousands/millions scale | A thousand-fold difference or silent FX conversion |
| Statement scope | Consolidated or standalone | Double-counting group and subsidiary figures |
| Availability | Reported, missing, estimated or unavailable | Treating no data as zero |