{"id":1430,"date":"2024-10-01T11:07:33","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T11:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/\/knowledge\/business-tax\/how-to-file-a-company-tax-return\/"},"modified":"2025-05-22T13:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T13:05:09","slug":"company-tax-return","status":"publish","type":"knowledge","link":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/business-tax\/company-tax-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Company tax return guide for small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before you can pay corporation tax, you usually need to work on your company tax return. <\/p>\n\n

While the deadlines for paying your corporation tax and filing a company tax return are different, in practice they\u2019re often done at the same time. This is because you usually need to complete a company tax return (also known as form CT600) to know whether there\u2019s a corporation tax bill to pay.<\/p>\n\n

While it\u2019s possible to complete the return yourself, lots of companies choose to enlist the services of an accountant to help them out.<\/p>\n\n

Here\u2019s what small business owners should know about filing a company tax return and paying corporation tax \u2013 but use this as a guide only, and make sure you seek professional advice if you\u2019re unsure of anything.<\/p>\n\n

In this article, we’ll cover the following: <\/p>\n\n

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  1. What is a company tax return?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. When to file your company tax return<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Limited company tax return example<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. What is a CT600?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Late company tax return penalties<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. How to pay your HMRC corporation tax bill<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. What are the penalties for paying your corporation tax late?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
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    What is a company tax return?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A company tax return is used to report your spending, profits, and corporation tax due to HMRC. It involves completing a CT600 form and submitting a financial report with calculations that show how much you owe in tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our guide to corporation tax<\/a> has more on when to pay and how to register.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    When to file your company tax return<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    You need to file one of these if your company gets a \u2018notice to deliver a company tax return\u2019 from HMRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep in mind that even if your company has made a loss, or if you have no corporation tax to pay, you still need to file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The deadline for filing is 12 months after the end of the accounting period the return covers<\/strong>. Your accounting period is normally the same as the financial year covered by your company\u2019s annual accounts \u2013 but it might be different in some circumstances, for example your first year of trading. In that situation, you’d need to send two corporate tax returns to cover your first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re not sure when the end of your accounting period was, you can sign in to your HMRC business tax account<\/a> to check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Limited company tax return example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    For example, if you start your business on 15 January 2024, Companies House will set your financial year to end on 31 January 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This means you\u2019ll need to file two tax returns in your first year. One to cover the first 17 days and one to cover the following 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After your first year of trading, your accounting period will run from 1 February to 31 January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A company tax return should show:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n