Key points
- Every company files annual accounts at Companies House and a Company Tax Return (CT600) at HMRC. They are separate filings with different deadlines.
- Corporation Tax is 19% on profits up to £50,000 and 25% from £250,000, with marginal relief in between. It is paid 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period.
- Register for VAT if taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months. If the company pays any salary, it runs payroll and reports on or before every payday.
- Every director must verify their identity with Companies House: new directors before appointment, existing directors by the company's next confirmation statement. A confirmation statement is not accepted until all directors have done so.
At a glance: the main taxes and filings, with deadlines
| What | To | Deadline | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register for Corporation Tax | HMRC | Within 3 months of starting to do business | Every company that starts trading |
| Annual accounts | Companies House | First accounts: 21 months after incorporation. After that: 9 months after the year end | Every company, including dormant ones |
| Corporation Tax payment | HMRC | 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period | Companies with taxable profits (larger companies pay in instalments) |
| Company Tax Return (CT600) with accounts and computations | HMRC | 12 months after the end of the accounting period | Every company within Corporation Tax, or that receives a notice to file |
| Confirmation statement | Companies House | Within 14 days after the end of each 12-month review period | Every company |
| VAT return and payment | HMRC, through Making Tax Digital software | Usually 1 month and 7 days after each quarter | VAT-registered companies |
| PAYE reports (Full Payment Submission) | HMRC | On or before each payday | Companies paying any salary, including to directors |
| PAYE and National Insurance payment | HMRC | 22nd of the following tax month (19th if paying by post) | Employers |
| Expenses and benefits (P11D) and Class 1A National Insurance | HMRC | P11D by 6 July; Class 1A paid by 22 July (electronic) | Employers providing benefits not payrolled |
| Director's Self Assessment | HMRC | 31 January after the end of the tax year | Directors with income to report, for example dividends above the allowances |
The exact dates for your company are in your HMRC business tax account and on the Companies House service. Our guide to year-end accounts and deadlines has a deadline calculator.
Tax year, financial year and your company's year
Three different "years" appear in UK rules:
- Tax year: 6 April to 5 AprilUsed for Income Tax, National Insurance, payroll and Self Assessment. The 2026/27 tax year runs from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027.
- Financial year: 1 April to 31 MarchCorporation Tax rates are set for each financial year. Financial year 2026 runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
- Your company's own yearFor Companies House, this is the period up to the accounting reference date: by default, the last day of the month in which the anniversary of incorporation falls. For HMRC, Corporation Tax is charged for accounting periods. They normally match the accounts but are never longer than 12 months.
If you change your accounting reference date at Companies House, update the accounting period with HMRC too. Otherwise the tax return can be rejected and the deadlines will be wrong.
Your first year: a worked example
A company is incorporated on 12 June 2025 and starts trading the same day. Its accounting reference date is 30 June 2026, so its first accounts cover just over 12 months. Because a Corporation Tax period cannot be longer than 12 months, there are two.
| Filing | Period | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| First confirmation statement | Review period to 12 June 2026 | 26 June 2026 |
| Corporation Tax payment, period 1 | 12 June 2025 to 11 June 2026 | 12 March 2027 |
| First accounts to Companies House | 12 June 2025 to 30 June 2026 | 12 March 2027 (21 months after incorporation) |
| Corporation Tax payment, period 2 | 12 June 2026 to 30 June 2026 | 1 April 2027 |
| Two CT600 returns | Both periods above | 30 June 2027 |
From then on, the company's year runs from 1 July to 30 June.
If the company does not start trading straight away, the accounts still start on the day of incorporation. The first Corporation Tax period usually starts when trading begins, so HMRC's dates can differ from Companies House's. HMRC sends a letter with your Corporation Tax dates once the company is set up for Corporation Tax.
Corporation Tax
Corporation Tax is charged on taxable profit: the profit in the accounts, adjusted for tax. Depreciation, client entertaining and fines are added back. Capital allowances and losses brought forward are deducted.
Small profits rate: 19%
- Taxable profit up to £50,000.
Main rate: 25%
- Taxable profit of £250,000 or more.
- In between: 25% reduced by marginal relief.
The rate depends on profit, not turnover. The £50,000 and £250,000 limits are shared between associated companies and reduced for periods shorter than 12 months.
Pay 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period. File the CT600 with the accounts and tax computation within 12 months. Companies with profits over £1.5 million pay in quarterly instalments. The full method, with a calculator: how to calculate Corporation Tax.
VAT
Registration. You must register if your VAT taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days alone. A business based outside the UK that makes taxable supplies here must register whatever its turnover. You can also register voluntarily.
Rates. Standard rate 20%. Reduced rate 5%, for example home energy and children's car seats. Zero rate 0%, for example most food, books and children's clothing. Zero-rated sales are still taxable: they count towards the threshold and you can reclaim VAT on related costs. Exempt supplies are outside VAT.
Returns. Every VAT-registered business keeps digital records and files through Making Tax Digital software. Most file quarterly. The return and payment are due 1 month and 7 days after the end of each period, even if that day is a weekend or bank holiday. Businesses that regularly receive repayments can ask for monthly returns.
Annual accounting scheme. If estimated taxable turnover is £1.35 million or less, you can file one return a year, due 2 months after the end of your annual VAT period, and pay instalments during the year.
Selling online or through marketplaces? Read VAT for online sellers.
PAYE and National Insurance
If the company pays anyone a salary, including its directors, it registers as an employer before the first payday and runs payroll. It reports each payment to HMRC on or before payday, and pays Income Tax and National Insurance by the 22nd of the following tax month (a posted cheque must arrive by the 19th). Small employers may be allowed to pay quarterly.
| 2026/27 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) | Rate |
|---|---|
| Employer National Insurance | 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year |
| Employee National Insurance | 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above |
| Employment Allowance | Up to £10,500 off the employer's bill. Not available if the director is the only employee paid above £5,000 |
Employers must also check right to work, pay at least the National Minimum Wage and enrol eligible staff in a workplace pension. Step by step: taking on your first employee.
Paying yourself: dividends and Self Assessment
Directors often take a small salary plus dividends. Dividends come out of profit after Corporation Tax. Each needs a board minute and a dividend voucher, and the company must have enough accumulated profits.
- Dividend allowance: £500
- Basic rate band: 10.75%
- Higher rate band: 35.75%
- Additional rate band: 39.35%
The basic and higher rates rose by 2 percentage points from 6 April 2026.
If dividends go over your allowances, report them to HMRC, usually on a Self Assessment return, and pay the tax by 31 January after the tax year. Money taken without payroll or proper dividend paperwork is a director's loan, which can bring an extra tax charge for the company. Compare the options: salary or dividends.
Companies House: accounts, confirmation statement and identity
Annual accounts. Every company files accounts, even a dormant one. First accounts are due 21 months after incorporation, then 9 months after each year end. You can currently file online or on paper. Companies House has announced that from 1 April 2028 all accounts must be filed using commercial software.
Confirmation statement. At least once every 12 months, the company confirms its registered office, officers, shareholders, people with significant control and SIC code. File it within 14 days after the end of the review period. The fee is £50 online or £110 on paper.
Identity verification. Since 18 November 2025, anyone becoming a director must verify their identity first. Existing directors confirm their verification with the company's next confirmation statement, and the statement is rejected until every director has a verified personal code. People with significant control must also verify. An Authorised Corporate Service Provider, such as an accountant, can verify identities for you.
Watch: verifying a director's identity, step by step
The video goes through each screen of a director's identity verification for Companies House, from the start to the confirmation.
How to Verify a Director with Companies House: Step by Step
Each step of a director's identity verification for Companies House, from starting the check to the confirmation.
Chapters
- Introduction
- Start the verification
- Select your nationality
- Choose a verification method
- Scan the QR code
- Enter your address details
- Verification completed
Video in English. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
Penalties for missing deadlines
- Accounts filed late at Companies House: from £150 (up to 1 month late) to £1,500 (over 6 months), doubled if the accounts were also late the year before.
- CT600 filed late: £200, or £400 if more than 3 months late, for returns due on or after 1 April 2026. Repeated failures cost more, and very late returns add tax-geared penalties.
- VAT returns filed late: penalty points. At the threshold (4 points for quarterly filers) each further late return costs £200.
- Tax paid late: interest from the day after the due date. Late VAT also brings late payment penalties.
Frequently asked questions
Does a dormant company have to file anything?
Yes. It files dormant accounts and a confirmation statement every year at Companies House. A Company Tax Return is usually not needed while it is dormant for Corporation Tax, unless HMRC sends a notice to file.
Is filing accounts at Companies House the same as filing the tax return?
No. Companies House receives the accounts. HMRC receives the CT600 with the accounts and computations. Filing one does not file the other, and each has its own deadline and penalties.
When must my company register for VAT?
When VAT taxable turnover in any rolling 12 months goes over £90,000, or you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days. Register within 30 days of the end of the month in which you went over. Non-UK businesses selling in the UK have no threshold.
Do I need payroll if I am the only director?
Only if the company pays you a salary. Many directors do, because salary is deductible for Corporation Tax and can count towards the State Pension. A sole-director company cannot claim the Employment Allowance.
What happens if I do not verify my identity?
Companies House will not accept the confirmation statement until every director has verified, so the company falls behind on a legal filing. New directors cannot be appointed without verification. Check Companies House guidance for the current enforcement position.
What to prepare
0 of 5 ready
One piece of advice
Put every deadline in one calendar the day the company is formed: accounts, CT600, Corporation Tax, the confirmation statement and VAT. A late filing brings a penalty even when every figure is right.
Test yourself
1. A company is incorporated on 12 June 2025. When are its first accounts due at Companies House?
First accounts are due 21 months after incorporation.
2. Which bodies receive the annual accounts and the CT600?
They are separate filings with separate deadlines.
3. Zero-rated sales: do they count towards the £90,000 VAT threshold?
Zero-rated sales are taxable at 0%. Exempt sales do not count.
4. When must a Full Payment Submission reach HMRC?
Payroll is reported in real time; the 22nd is the payment date.
Law and sources
- GOV.UK: accounts and tax returns for private limited companiesAccounts, Corporation Tax and CT600 deadlines
- GOV.UK: Corporation Tax accounting periodsPeriods of no more than 12 months
- GOV.UK: rates and allowances, Corporation TaxRates and limits for financial year 2026
- GOV.UK: increases to Corporation Tax late filing penaltiesFrom 1 April 2026
- GOV.UK: register for VATThe £90,000 threshold
- GOV.UK: VAT returnsDeadlines and payment
- GOV.UK: VAT Annual Accounting SchemeEligibility and instalments
- GOV.UK: penalties for late submissionVAT penalty points
- GOV.UK: late payment penalties for VATPenalties and interest
- GOV.UK: rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027National Insurance and Employment Allowance
- GOV.UK: pay employers' PAYEPayment dates
- GOV.UK: tax on dividendsAllowance and rates for 2026/27
- GOV.UK: filing your company's confirmation statementDeadline and identity verification
- GOV.UK: Companies House fees from 1 February 2026Confirmation statement fee
- GOV.UK: identity verification from 18 November 2025Directors and people with significant control
- Companies House: changes to accounts filingSoftware-only filing from 1 April 2028
This guide explains the rules in general terms as at 9 October 2026. It is not advice for your situation. Rules and rates change.
