Limited Company Year-End Accounts Explained: Filing Deadlines, Statutory Accounts and CT600

Britvex UK · Accountancy Services · Evergreen guide

By Britvex Advisory Editorial Team · Content reviewed 22 October 2026 · Permanent guide

At a glance: which accounts and tax returns does a UK limited company need?

A limited company’s statutory annual accounts, its Corporation Tax payment, and its HMRC Company Tax Return (CT600) are related but are not the same filing. They can have different deadlines, submission formats and supporting calculations. An accountant may prepare these together from one reconciled set of records, but submitting one does not automatically complete all the others.

Directors must ensure that their company keeps adequate accounting records and delivers required accounts to Companies House, even where it is small or dormant. HMRC may separately require a CT600 and tax computation. The first financial period often creates additional complications because the Companies House accounting period and the Corporation Tax accounting period do not always match.

These are general rules, not a universal calendar. First accounts, shorter or longer periods, large-company instalment arrangements, amended year-ends and other circumstances can alter the dates. Companies House accounts and HMRC accounting periods should be calculated from the company’s actual records.

1. What are statutory annual accounts?

Statutory accounts provide a structured financial report of a company’s position and performance for its financial year. They are prepared under the applicable accounting framework and company-law requirements. Depending on company size and exemptions, the prepared accounts normally include a balance sheet, profit and loss account, relevant explanatory notes, and any required directors’ report or auditor’s report.

The balance sheet shows assets, liabilities and equity at a point in time. The profit and loss account shows income and expenditure over the financial year. The notes explain accounting policies and material balances. Figures must agree with the company’s underlying transactions and reconciliations; a year-end report is not simply the last bank statement or an export from accounting software.

Some small and micro-entity companies may file a reduced set of information publicly while still preparing appropriate accounts for their members and tax reporting. This is not a general exemption from keeping full and accurate records. Britvex’s annual accounts service connects year-end preparation to ongoing bookkeeping and company tax support.

2. Why financial year-end and Corporation Tax periods differ

The Companies House financial year is tied to the company’s accounting reference date. HMRC Corporation Tax accounting periods generally cannot exceed 12 months and can start or end at different times, particularly in the first year of trading or when the company changes its financial year. A company with a 15-month first set of statutory accounts may therefore need more than one Corporation Tax accounting period and potentially more than one return.

A dormant newly incorporated company is another special case: incorporation, business activity and HMRC registration are separate dates. If a company becomes active part-way through an accounts period, notify HMRC appropriately and determine when the tax accounting period begins. Do not blindly import the Companies House year-end as the CT600 period without reviewing the actual facts.

3. The three core deadlines — worked calendar example

Assume a trading UK private company has an established 12-month financial year and Corporation Tax accounting period ending 31 December 2026, with no special instalment-payment regime. The normal dates would be:

This illustrates the important sequence: Corporation Tax can be payable before the CT600 return deadline. Companies House penalties can apply to late statutory accounts even if the tax return was filed. A company might also have VAT, PAYE, CIS or confirmation-statement deadlines during the year; those must be tracked separately.

4. First-year accounts: don’t assume the normal nine months

The first Companies House accounts deadline for a private company is commonly described as 21 months after incorporation, but the precise rule depends on the first accounting period and whether the first accounts cover more than 12 months. Companies House guidance explains the special first-period timing and related rules for changes to accounting reference dates. A newly registered company’s first tax period may differ from that Companies House period.

For instance, a company incorporated in mid-month may initially have an accounting reference date at the end of the same month in the following year. The filing deadline should be calculated from the actual registered dates rather than guessed from the company’s birthday. Check the company’s Companies House profile and accountant’s calendar. A confirmation statement is not the same as the first set of accounts.

5. What counts as a small company or micro-entity?

For accounting periods beginning on or after 6 April 2025, current UK company-size thresholds generally require a company to meet at least two out of three tests, subject to group rules and exclusions:

A company does not have to fall below every figure: the two-of-three rule applies, and there are additional complexities for groups, certain regulated entities, and status changes across reporting periods. The limits for older accounting periods may differ. An entity can be small for one purpose but still need specific disclosures or an audit depending on other rules.

Filing-rule changes ahead: Companies House guidance states that from 1 April 2028 micro-entities will be required to deliver a profit and loss account, with an option to opt out of publication on the public register. Any future implementation details should be checked before filing. Dates belong in this maintained guide, not the permanent URL.

6. How to prepare accounts — a 10-step close process

A reliable annual close begins with a reconciled trial balance, not with form-filling. A practical sequence is:

1. Freeze and review the period’s sales, purchases and bank transactions; reconcile each bank account to statements.
2. Match customer and supplier balances to invoices and investigate old debts or duplicate credits.
3. Reconcile payroll liabilities, pension deductions, PAYE and National Insurance against HMRC and bank records.
4. Check VAT control accounts, filed VAT returns, reverse-charge transactions and outstanding VAT balances.
5. Review fixed assets, capital expenditure, disposals and depreciation policies; separate tax capital allowances from accounting depreciation.
6. Reconcile director’s loan accounts, company cards, salary, dividend approvals and expense reimbursements.
7. Assess stock, work in progress, prepayments, accruals, impairment and recoverability of receivables as applicable.
8. Review intercompany transactions, loans, related-party balances and any reporting obligations.
9. Prepare the accounts under the applicable standard; review post-balance-sheet events and disclosure notes.
10. Obtain director review and approval, prepare Corporation Tax computations, and agree a documented filing and payment plan.

For many small companies the first material problem emerges at steps 1–4, especially when accounting software contains unresolved transactions or directors mix personal and business expenditure. Britvex’s cloud accounting and management accounts services can make the year-end close more predictable.

7. How statutory profit differs from taxable profit

Accounting profit is not automatically the Corporation Tax figure. A tax computation starts with accounts profit and makes adjustments under the applicable tax rules. Common areas include disallowable expenditure, capital allowances, depreciation adjustments, finance-cost treatment, losses, reliefs and the timing of income. Some expenses are allowable only when supported by evidence and sufficiently connected to the business; other payments to directors may have a different character.

Simplified adjustment example

Assume accounting profit before tax is £80,000 and the company has £4,000 of items that are disallowable for Corporation Tax, plus £6,000 of capital allowances replacing accounting depreciation already reflected in the correct starting figure. An illustrative calculation might be £80,000 + £4,000 − £6,000 = £78,000 adjusted taxable profit before any other reliefs. The actual computation depends on the accounting policies, nature of expenditure, associated companies, reliefs and the tax rules for the period.

Never apply a single Corporation Tax percentage mechanically to the year-end profit. The UK’s 19% small-profits rate, 25% main rate and marginal relief interact with profits, limits, accounting-period length and associated companies; recent Britvex guidance explains these calculations separately. See the Corporation Tax service for a tailored review.

8. Filing at Companies House versus HMRC

Companies House receives the statutory accounts or the permitted filing version. HMRC receives the Company Tax Return and supporting tax computation and accounts as required. HMRC’s general route requires commercial software for CT600 filing unless one of the narrow permitted exceptions applies. An accountant can act as the company’s agent for the relevant submissions, but the company and its directors remain responsible for providing accurate records and authorising filings.

Do not assume that entering figures into Companies House web services automatically files the CT600, nor that Corporation Tax payment proves a return was submitted. Retain acknowledgements and evidence of acceptance for each filing. If the software or filing route changes, preserve the underlying approved accounts and tax computation, not just the PDF output.

9. Common annual-accounts penalties and other consequences

Companies House imposes automatic late-filing penalties on private companies that submit accounts after the deadline:

These penalties are generally doubled if accounts are late in two successive financial years. Companies House can also pursue other compliance action, and directors should not treat a payment as a substitute for filing.

HMRC has a separate CT600 late-filing penalty regime: generally £200 if one day late and another £200 after three months; additional tax-related penalties can apply at six and twelve months, and repeated late filing raises some fixed penalties. Late Corporation Tax payment can involve interest and other consequences. Multiple systems can therefore create independent risks from the same weak closing process.

10. Can a dormant company avoid filing?

Dormancy does not abolish Companies House obligations. A company with no significant accounting transactions may qualify to submit dormant accounts, subject to the legal tests; HMRC’s treatment of a company as dormant for Corporation Tax is related but not automatically identical. A company can have a registered office, shareholders and a confirmation-statement obligation without having actively traded. However, transactions, bank interest or changes in operations may affect status.

If your company stops or starts trading, ensure that HMRC, Companies House and the accounting records reflect the relevant dates. Never file nil accounts simply because revenue was zero if the company had material expenses, assets, liabilities or other significant transactions.

11. Information to give your accountant before the year-end

Collecting documents early is usually cheaper than asking an accountant to reconstruct a year of bank and director transactions at the last moment. A useful client handover includes:

• Bank statements for all company accounts, loans, credit cards and payment processors.
• Sales invoices, customer statements, refunds, credit notes and e-commerce/platform reports.
• Supplier invoices, receipts, asset purchases, mileage and expense claims.
• Payroll reports, P60/P11D where relevant, pension reports and director remuneration/dividend evidence.
• VAT returns, HMRC account statements, CIS records and construction reverse-charge documentation where applicable.
• Stock or work-in-progress calculations; loan agreements and interest statements.
• Current share capital, director and PSC details, intra-group balances, grants and any significant legal claims.
• An explanation of unusual or non-recurring transactions and events after the reporting date.

A shared online workspace reduces duplicate document requests. Britvex clients can use the Client Portal for login, document exchange and support.

12. How to reduce surprises at year-end

The most effective year-end preparation is done during the year: reconcile bank and card feeds monthly, allocate transactions to correct accounts, review the director’s loan account, compare VAT returns with sales, and investigate unusual balances promptly. A company that prepares management accounts quarterly can identify cash shortfalls, margin deterioration and tax provisions before the legal accounts are due.

Sample year-end readiness scorecard

An accountant should review the substance of material transactions; automation can help organise data but cannot substitute for director explanations or judgement.

13. What changes for overseas-owned UK companies?

UK-incorporated companies owned by overseas founders still need UK company records, statutory accounts and relevant filings. Additional points may include the location of management and control, foreign-currency transactions, related-party loans, transfer pricing where applicable, cross-border dividends, UK bank arrangements and possible tax obligations in other jurisdictions.

An overseas shareholder does not remove the director’s responsibility for a UK company’s accounts. If a company is trading outside the UK, the country of operations and relevant treaty treatment need to be reviewed; the mere presence of a registered UK address is not an answer to all tax-residence questions. Britvex’s overseas founder services can coordinate the UK compliance element within an agreed scope.

14. How Britvex can support annual accounts and tax filings

Britvex provides accounting-record reviews, year-end preparation, Corporation Tax computation and filing support, Company House compliance coordination, bookkeeping and cash-flow reporting. The firm is a Companies House approved Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) and HMRC AML supervised, with legal and privacy identifiers listed in its regulatory details. ACSP approval is not a guarantee of HMRC tax-filing software authorisation or of any particular client’s outcome; separate tax agent and filing arrangements apply.

Explore Annual Accounts, Corporation Tax, Bookkeeping, or Company Compliance, and speak to Britvex at info@britvex.co.uk or +44 20 3758 7500. Existing clients should use the Client Portal for documents and support.

Published for UK readers by Britvex Advisory Ltd · Company 16133503 · ACSP approved · HMRC AML supervised · ICO registered. General information only; individual circumstances require tailored advice.