On the occasion of Micro, Small and Medium‑Sized Enterprises Day, we examine recent regulatory changes to the criteria determining company size—and how they affect accounting, tax, and strategic obligations.

Why legal size matters

Categorization into micro, small, medium or large companies is far from a mere statistical formality. This legal framework directly impacts accounting requirements, access to public support, audit thresholds, and annual reporting obligations.

A recent EU-level regulation now requires companies to reassess their classification. Specifically, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2775, adopted in October 2023, updates the financial thresholds that define company size. The goal: align these parameters with inflation over the past decade and more accurately reflect the economic reality of SMEs in Europe.

Accumulated inflation and the need for reform

Over the past ten years, inflation has eroded the real value of the size criteria. According to Eurostat, between 2013 and 2023, prices rose by 24.3 % in the euro area and 27.2 % across the EU. Without adjustment, the previous thresholds became outdated, negatively impacting statistics and SMEs’ access to legal or fiscal benefits.

With this reform, Brussels aligns accounting criteria with the current economic context and avoids penalizing companies whose growth was merely nominal—inflation‑driven rather than activity‑driven.

New thresholds by company size

Once EU member states transpose it into national law (in Spain, via updates to the Commercial Code and the Companies Law), the thresholds will be:

• Micro‑enterprises: turnover < …000 € and assets ≤ 450 000 €, with fewer than 10 employees—a 28.6 % increase.

• Small enterprises: turnover up to 15 M €, assets ≤ 7.5 M €, with fewer than 49 employees (member states can set lower thresholds).

• Medium enterprises: turnover ≤ 50 M €, assets ≤ 25 M €, with fewer than 250 employees.

Employee headcount remains unchanged and still critical alongside financial metrics.

Practical impacts: fewer obligations, more opportunities

• Audit exemption: many companies will no longer need to audit their accounts, reducing formal burden and costs.

• Abbreviated accounts: option to use simplified accounting regimes with less detailed statements.

• Lower administrative cost: simpler regulatory compliance.

• New financing opportunities: maintaining micro/small status may reopen access to specific SME grants and aid.

• Public procurement: SMEs may benefit from reserved lots or tailored award criteria in public contracts.

A new perspective on SME status

This change is more than an accounting update: it redefines what it means to be an SME today. New thresholds adapt legislation to real market evolution, preventing nominal growth from triggering unfavorable regulatory shifts.

Being legally recognized as an SME can be a strategic advantage—fiscally, reputationally, and in positioning before investors or financial institutions.

What should companies do now?

1. Reassess their classification under the new thresholds.

2. Treat it as an opportunity to redefine fiscal, accounting, and financial strategies.

3. Monitor the Directive’s national transposition and update internal procedures.

4. Engage expert advisers to fully leverage the reform’s benefits.

At Adlanter, we support companies of all sizes in adapting to these new regulations, offering a strategic vision that goes beyond formal compliance.