Deadlines for your February year end

The dates you need to be aware of, including tax filing and payment deadlines.

January

1 January 2026 – FRS102 changes start

  • Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) 102 is a single financial reporting standard that applies to the financial statements of UK entities that are not applying IFRS as adopted by the UK. New rules apply to accounting periods starting on or after 1 January 2026.
  • The amendments expected to have significant impact on the financial statements are the revised revenue and lease accounting requirements.
  • Entities are advised to conduct a thorough assessment to understand the full implications of these changes, even beyond accounting. This includes assessing potential impacts on the entity's financial ratios, performance metrics, debt covenants, business operations, systems, data, and internal controls.


7 January - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of November/quarter to end of November (May stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements


7 January - Employment Related Securities late filing penalty

  • A penalty of £300 per share plan is due if return for prior year not filed by 6 January


14 January - CT61

  • Assess, deduct and pay HMRC any tax due on interest and royalties paid to overseas entities in quarter to 31 December.        


22 January (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC


30 January - Non-resident landlord scheme: tax payment deadline

  • Letting agents and tenants must pay tax for the quarter ended 31 December within 30 days         


31 January - EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) return

 

31 January - Plastic Packaging Tax


31 January - Online marketplaces to report income of sellers to HMRC

 

31 January - Thinking ahead - Claims and elections before 28 February

  • Check that any necessary claims and elections related to two-year tax deadlines (see 'Thinking ahead' notes for the months above) have been actioned before the end of this accounting period.

 

31 January - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Instalment payment standard plan where opted in to annual accounting 

 

31 January - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for October to December quarter - March stagger 
  • Instalment payments for April and May staggers 

 

31 January - IR35

  • Individuals who offer personal services (and self-assess that they fall within the definition of IR35) to businesses that meet the test to be considered "small", must finalise their self-assessment return and pay any balance of PAYE / NIC on such engagements (having already reported this income for PAYE/NIC through a payroll they operate by 5 April, albeit potentially on an estimated basis) by 31 January after the end of the tax year (9[MS3] ). Learn more about IR35 and off-payroll labour. Learn more about IR35 and off-payroll labour

 

31 January - Employer Financed Retirement Benefit Schemes (EFRBS)

  • Report any schemes starting by 31 January after the end of the tax year (9)        

 

31 January – Personal tax return filing and tax payment deadline

  • You have until 31 January after the end of the tax year (9) to file your personal tax return and pay any balancing payment

 

31 January – Personal tax first payment on account payment deadline

  • If you are due to make personal tax payments on account for the current tax year (9), the first payment is due on 31 January in the tax year        

 

31 January – Personal tax return filing deadline - amended returns

  • You have until first anniversary of the normal filing deadline to submit an amendment to your personal tax return        


31 January 2028 – making tax digital for income tax

  • Starting from 2026/27 tax year, submit final declaration to HMRC in respect of 2026/27 and pay any balancing payment.

31 January - Cross-Border Electronic Services of Payment (CESOP) data recording

  • Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must report payment transactions for the prior quarter where the payer is located within the EU and the payee is based in a second country (whether in or out of the EU). Read more on CESOP

February 


2 February - P46 car


5 February - Employment intermediary's quarterly report

  • Employment intermediary's quarterly report for 6 October to 5 January
  • An "employment intermediary" is broadly a recruitment or labour supply agency that supplies workers to third party clients.     


7 February - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of December/quarter to end of December (March stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 


7 February 2027 – Making tax digital for income tax

  • Starting from 2026/27 tax year, submit quarterly update three to HMRC in respect of the period 6 April to 5 January.


14 February - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 4th quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "very large" companies, paid in the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in the current accounting period are expected to exceed £20m. (4)    


14 February - National Insurance Form CA72A

  • Deadline for deferral application for the employed        


22 February (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC 


28 February - Corporation Tax return

  • Corporation Tax returns for 28 February year ends        


28 February - Corporate Interest Restriction (CIR) return and nomination

  • Companies within the CIR rules must nominate a group company and file a return within 12 months of the end of the accounting period.  Read more on the CIR rules


28 February - Publish tax strategy

  • UK law requires a Tax Strategy statement to be published by certain large businesses
  • A Tax Strategy must be published online by all UK companies (or members of groups) that meet certain tests (1,2). UK partnerships and LLPs that meet these same tests must also publish a tax strategy. The deadline for publication is 12 months after the end of the accounting year for first time publishers or 15 months after the previous statement was published for the 2nd and subsequent statements.


28 February - VAT large scheme (7)

  • Quarterly VAT return and final instalment payment for November to January - April stagger 
  • Instalment payments for March and May staggers


28 February - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Monthly instalment payment where opted in to annual accounting scheme


28 February - R&D claim

  • Final deadline for submitting R&D claims, two years after the end of the accounting period. Read more on R&D claims

March

1 March 2025 - Merged R&D scheme starts for February year end companies

  • New rules apply under the merged R&D scheme for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024 
  • Companies that previously claimed under the SME scheme will see the rate of relief they can claim reduce and will see new restrictions on claiming costs for R&D work contracted out to overseas providers. Companies that previously claimed under RDEC will also see cost restrictions but may now be able to claim for contracted-out R&D projects. Read more on Research & Development (R&D) tax relief changes

 

2 March - Personal tax payment deadline to avoid 5% surcharge

  • Those who are more than 30 days late making the 31 January personal tax payment face a 5% surcharge on the amount outstanding            

 

7 March - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of January/quarter to end of January (April stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 

 

14 March - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 3rd quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "large" companies, paid after the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in one of the two prior accounting period are between £1.5m and £20m. (5)          

 

22 March (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC

 

30 March - Gender pay gap reporting - public sector

  • Affected employers must report on gender pay and gaps based on pay at 31 March of the previous year.
  • Gender Pay regulations require employers with more than 250 employees, at organisation or entity level, to publicly report a range of gender pay information and six ratios every year. Find out what you need to know about gender pay gap reporting

 

31 March - Thinking ahead - Transfer pricing documentation

 

31 March - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for December to February quarter - May stagger 
  • Instalment payments for April and March staggers 

  

31 March - ATED return amendment

April

1 April - National living wage increases

 

4 April - Gender pay reporting – private sector

  • Affected employers must report on gender pay and gaps based on pay at 5 April the previous year.
  • Gender Pay regulations now require employers with more than 250 employees, at company or entity level, to publicly report a range of gender pay information and six ratios by 4 April every year. Find out what you need to know about gender pay gap reporting 

 

5 April - Payrolling benefits in kind 

 

5 April - End of the personal tax year

  • Your personal income, expenses, allowances and reliefs are applied across a tax year (9), being 6 April to 5 April
  • You may wish to consider realising income, capital gains or losses, incurring expenses, making pension contributions or tax-efficient investments – this is the last date to take such action for the current tax year (9). See our personal tax planning guide which covers the upcoming changes to business relief for IHT, trusts and family investment companies. The IHT changes will take effect from April 2026, so it is important you consider immediately how they changes impact your plans

 

6 April - Start of the personal tax year

 

7 April - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of February/quarter to end of February (May stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 

 

14 April - CT61

  • Assess, deduct and pay HMRC any tax due on interest and royalties paid to overseas entities in quarter to 31 March.   

 

15 April - Thinking Ahead - share schemes 

  • Consider if Employment Related Securities filing is due for the prior tax year (9), if necessary, register on HMRC portal, set up new plans and appoint an ERS agent. Learn about Share Plan Reporting

 

22 April (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC

 

30 April - EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) return

 

30 April - Cross-Border Electronic Services of Payment (CESOP) data recording

  • Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must report payment transactions for the prior quarter where the payer is located within the EU and the payee is based in a second country (whether in or out of the EU). Read more on CESOP

 

30 April – VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for January to March quarter – March stagger 
  • Instalment payments for April and May staggers 

 

30 April - VAT return (annual accounting) and final instalment payment

 

30 April - Plastic Packaging Tax


30 April - Thinking ahead - Property and construction

  • Check whether Residential Property Developer Tax could apply and if land remediation relief can be claimed
  • Residential Property Developer Tax (RPDT) can apply in a wide variety of circumstances and the £25m threshold can be prorated in certain circumstances so careful consideration is needed to assess whether the additional tax charge will apply to your business profits. Read more on RPDT
  • Relief for remediation works on contaminated land must be claimed within two-years of the end of the relevant accounting period. Read more on Land Remediation Relief

 

30 April - Inheritance tax payment due

  • IHT due in respect of life time transfers that took place between the previous 6 April to 30 September. Read more on IHT

 

30 April - Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings return deadline

 

30 April - Non-resident landlord scheme: tax payment deadline 

  • Letting agents and tenants must pay tax for the quarter ended 31 March within 30 

May

3 May - P46 car


5 May - Employment intermediary's quarterly report

  • Employment intermediary's quarterly report for 6 January to 5 April
  • An "employment intermediary" is broadly a recruitment or labour supply agency that supplies workers to third party clients.     


7 May - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of March/quarter to end of March (March stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 


7 May 2027 – Making tax digital for income tax 

  • Starting from 2026/27 tax year, submit quarterly update four to HMRC in respect of the previous 6 April to 5April.



14 May - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 1st quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "very large" companies, paid in the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in the current accounting period are expected to exceed £20m. (4)    


22 May (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC


31 May – VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for February to April quarter – April stagger
  • Instalment payments for March and May staggers 


31 May - P60s and pay-rolled benefits


31 May - STBV business traveller report to HMRC  


31 May - Annual PAYE Scheme - reporting, calculation and payment deadline 


31 May – Diverted profits tax notification deadline

  • Deadline to notify HMRC that the DPT rules apply for the last accounting period – a failure to notify penalty can apply.

June

4 June - Last date to use CHIEF for export customs declarations

  • Customs Declarations Service (CDS) has been phased in and old CHIEF system will be closed.


7 June - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of April/Quarter to end of April (April stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 


14 June - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 4th quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "large" companies, paid after the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in one of the two prior accounting period are between £1.5m and £20m. (5)


22 June (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC


30 June - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for March to May quarter - May stagger
  • Instalment payments for April and March stagger


30 June - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Monthly or quarterly instalment payment where opted in to annual accounting scheme

July

4 July - Employment Related Securities

  • Last possible date for employees to make good unrecovered PAYE on notional payments to avoid s.222 ITEPA charge. For help and advice please contact us

 

5 July - PSA and award contracts

 

5 July - Non-resident landlord scheme: filing deadline

  • Letting agents and tenants must submit an annual return to HMRC and certificate NRL6 to landlord

 

6 July - Director's Loans

  • Election to be made by a close company for all beneficial loans to a director to be treated as a single loan for calculating the prior tax year (9) benefit, under s.187 ITEPA

 

6 July - P11d and P11d(b) (current and former employees)

  • Expenses and benefit returns (P11D, P11D(b)) to HMRC and employees for benefits not reported and taxed via RTI
  • Businesses must also report benefits in excess of £100 provided to former employees the prior tax year (9) to HMRC. Learn about our P11D Software

 

6 July - Termination payments

  • Termination payment details for the prior tax year to HMRC and employees, if the total value exceeds £30,000 and the package includes non-cash benefits. Read more about termination payments.

 

6 July - Award schemes

  • Taxed award scheme return (P35 TAS)

 

6 July - Share scheme returns

  • Online returns for the prior tax year (9):
    • SAYE (sharesave) plans
    • Share incentive plans (SIP)
    • Company share option plans (CSPOs)
    • EMI options
    • Any shares or securities issued by reason of employment and taxable transactions involving employment related securities. 
  • Read more on share plan reporting

 

6 July - Employee benefits

  • Employees to make good non-payrolled benefits provided in the prior tax year (9)       

 

6 July - EFBRS

  • EFRBS return detailing non-cash benefits provided to retired employees in the prior tax year (9).        

 

7 July - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of May/quarter to end of May (May stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 

 

7 July - Employment Related Securities late filing penalty 

  • A penalty of £100 per share plan is due if return for prior tax year (9) not filed by 6 July.   

 

14 July - CT61

  • Assess, deduct and pay HMRC any tax due on interest and royalties paid to overseas entities in quarter to 30 June.        

 

22 July (19th if not paid online) - Class 1A NIC payment on BIKs

  • Class 1 A NIC due from employer on benefits in kind liable to NIC, termination payments and sporting testimonial payments        

 

22 July (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC

 

30 July - Non-resident landlord scheme: tax payment deadline

  • Letting agents and tenants must pay tax for the quarter ended 31 June within 30 days         

 

31 July - EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) return

 

31 July - Cross-Border Electronic Services of Payment (CESOP) data recording

  • Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must report payment transactions for the prior quarter where the payer is located within the EU and the payee is based in a second country (whether in or out of the EU). Read more on CESOP

 

31 July - Plastic Packaging Tax

 

31 July - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for April to June quarter - March stagger 
  • Instalment payments for April and May staggers 

 

31 July - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Instalment payment standard plan where opted in to annual accounting 

 

31 July - Second personal tax payment on account payment deadline

  • If you are due to make personal tax payments on account for the current tax year (9), the second payment is due on 31 July after the end of the tax year
  • If you think your tax liability will be lower than the prior tax year, then you may wish to complete your tax return before 31 July so that the final tax liability can be confirmed and tax is not therefore overpaid on the second payment on account. Read more about personal tax compliance 

 

31 July - Pension Annual Allowance Charge

  • Notify the scheme administrator to pay Annual Allowance Charge for prior tax year (9)

August

3 August - P46 car

 

5 August - Employment intermediary's quarterly report

  • Employment intermediary's quarterly report for 6 April to 5 July
  • An "employment intermediary" is broadly a recruitment or labour supply agency that supplies workers to third party clients.         

 

7 August - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of June/quarter to end of June (March stagger) 
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements.


7 August – Making tax digital for income tax 

  • Starting from 2026/27 tax year, submit quarterly update one to HMRC in respect of the period 6 April to 5 July.



14 August - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 2nd quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "very large" companies, paid in the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in the current accounting period are expected to exceed £20m. (4)    

 

22 August (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC

 

31 August- R&D relief claim notification (2025 onwards) 

 

31 August - Senior Accounting Officer certification for PLCs

  • For PLCs (1) a six-month deadline applies to notify HMRC who the company’s SAO is and they must certify that the appropriate tax accounting arrangements are in place. Read more on SAO rules


31 August – Deadline to pay any diverted profits tax due for prior accounting period

  • Failure to pay within the 6 month time limit will trigger interest and penalties


31 August - Thinking ahead - Director's remuneration check

  • Check that remuneration accrued in the last accounting period is paid within nine-months of the end of the period and review director loans            

 

31 August - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for May to July quarter - April stagger 
  • Instalment payments for March and May staggers 

 

31 August - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Instalment payment standard plan where opted in to annual accounting

 

31 August - Thinking ahead - Review controlled foreign companies (CFCs)

  • Consider adjusting any inappropriate pricing and implement changes before end of accounting period
  • Consider overseas subsidiaries and share interests to identify any CFCs and any action required to bring them within the available exemptions or to prevent profits from passing through the gateway. There are further requirements where country-by country reporting applies (2).

 

31 August - Thinking ahead - is a patent box claim viable

  • Companies can elect into the patent box scheme up to two-years after the end of the relevant accounting period but collecting contemporaneous data is key to a successful claim so preparing in-year in most efficient


31 August 2026 - Pillar Two reporting deadline

  • Full reports are due for companies in scope for the 2024 accounting year


31 August - Pillar Two - top-up tax registration

  • Groups (3) must register within six-months of the end of the first qualifying accounting period after 31 December 2023 (ie 31 August 2026 if first qualify on your accounts to 28 February 2026)
  • Registration with HMRC is required where a group has at least one entity located in the UK and consolidated group annual revenues of 750 million euros or more, in at least two-of the previous four-accounting periods. Registration is required even if the group will not have to pay either the Domestic Top-up Tax or Multinational Top-up Tax. Learn more about Pillar Two


31 August – Thinking ahead - 1 January 2026 FRS102 changes start

  • Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) 102 is a single financial reporting standard that applies to the financial statements of UK entities that are not applying IFRS as adopted by the UK. New rules apply to accounting periods starting on or after 1 January 2026.
  • The amendments expected to have significant impact on the financial statements are the revised revenue and lease accounting requirements.
  • Entities are advised to conduct a thorough assessment to understand the full implications of these changes, even beyond accounting. This includes assessing potential impacts on the entity's financial ratios, performance metrics, debt covenants, business operations, systems, data, and internal controls.

September

7 September - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of July/quarter to end of July (April stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 


14 September - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 1st quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "large" companies, paid in the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in one of the two prior accounting period are between £1.5m and £20m. (5)      


22 September (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC


30 September - Thinking ahead - Group companies review

  • Review group for dormant companies, overseas branches and those that may have become CIHCs
  • Consider existing UK corporate structure and any potential benefits from bringing associated companies into the same group for loss relief and chargeable gains, SDLT and VAT purposes. Close down unwanted group entities to minimise number of associated companies. Reviewing well before year end gives time to tidy up structure before start of next accounting period. 
  • Consider whether to apply branch exemption to exclude a company’s overseas branches from UK taxation for the next accounting period. This is an irrevocable election and must be received by HMRC before the start of the first period that it relates to. 


30 September - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for June to August quarter - May stagger
  • Instalment and payments for March and April stagger


30 September - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Monthly or quarterly instalment payment where opted in to annual accounting scheme.


30 September 2025 - Climate Change Agreements (CCA)

  • If your business is in a CCA and has received annual subsidies exceeding £100,000 (€100,000 if your business is registered in Northern Ireland and trades in certain markets) from Climate Change Levy (CCL) for calendar year 2024, you must report this information to HMRC by 30 September 2025
  • If you are reporting as a VAT group, you should report the representative member’s name only and apply the threshold requirements at the group level
  • You should report your CCL subsidy award using the online form on GOV.UK. You can find more guidance on working out when to report Climate Change Levy subsidies.



October

5 October - Register with HMRC for personal tax self-assessment

  • If you meet the requirements to file a personal tax return, you must register with HMRC by 5 October after the end of the tax year (9)

 

7 October - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of August/quarter to end of August (May stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 

 

7 October - Employment Related Securities late filing penalty 

  • A penalty of £300 per share plan is due if return for prior year not filed by 6 October.

 

14 October - CT61

  • Assess, deduct and pay HMRC any tax due on interest and royalties paid to overseas entities in quarter to 30 September.        

 

22 October (19th if not paid online) - PSA payment (PAYE/NIC) plus Monthly PAYE/NIC

 

30 October - Non-resident landlord scheme: tax payment deadline

  • Letting agents and tenants must pay tax for the quarter ended 31 September within 30 days


31 October - EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) return

 

31 October - Cross-Border Electronic Services of Payment (CESOP) data recording

  • Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must report payment transactions for the prior quarter where the payer is located within the EU and the payee is based in a second country (whether in or out of the EU). Read more on CESOP

 

31 October - Plastic Packaging Tax

 

31 October - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for July to September quarter - March stagger 
  • Instalment payments for April and May staggers

 

31 October - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Instalment payment standard plan where opted in to annual accounting

 

31 October - Thinking ahead - review group losses and DTR

  • Review efficient use of losses and double tax relief for last and prior accounting periods and two-year claim deadlines
  • Claims for group relief of losses or Section 37(3)(a) CTA 2010 loss claims must be made within two-years of the end of the relevant accounting period so an annual review of how best to use losses and make the best use of credits for overseas taxes paid is essential.     

 

31 October – Personal tax return filing deadline for paper returns

  • You have until 31 October after the end of the tax year (9) to file your personal tax return if you want to submit a paper return by post, unless an exclusion applies extending the deadline to 31 January. 
  • The later deadline of 31 January after the end of the tax year applies to tax returns submitted online.
  • In both cases, the payment deadlines are the same i.e. 31 January after the end of the tax year for any balancing payment.

November

Budget 2025

  • Keep up to date with predictions and analysis at our Budget Hub


3 November - P46 car


5 November - Employment intermediary's quarterly report

  • Employment intermediary's quarterly report for 6 July to 5 October
  • An "employment intermediary" is broadly a recruitment or labour supply agency that supplies workers to third party clients.     


7 November - VAT return and payment

  • VAT return and payment for month of September/quarter to end of September (March stagger)
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements. 


7 November – Making tax digital for income tax 

  • Starting from 2026/27 tax year, submit quarterly update two to HMRC in respect of the period 6 April to 5 October.


14 November - Corporation tax instalment payment

  • 3rd quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "very large" companies, paid in the accounting period
  • Where taxable profits in the current accounting period are expected to exceed £20m. (4)    


22 November (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC


30 November - Senior Accounting Officer certification (companies not PLCs)

  • For companies (not PLCs) (1) a nine-month deadline applies to notify HMRC who the company’s SAO is and they must certify that the appropriate tax accounting arrangements are in place. Read more on SAO rules


30 November - VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for August to October quarter - April stagger 
  • Instalment payments for March and May staggers


30 November - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Instalment payment standard plan where opted in to annual accounting

December

1 December - Corporation Tax payment 

  • Corporation Tax payment for 28 February year ends 
  • One annual payment of corporation tax applies where profits of the current and prior accounting period are £1.5m or less.      


7 December - VAT return and payment 

  • VAT return  and payment for month of October/quarter to end of October (April stagger) 
  • Payment taken on 10th under direct debit arrangements.


14 December - Corporation tax instalment payment 

  • 2nd quarterly instalment payment for February year end accounting periods for "large" companies, paid in the accounting period 
  • Where taxable profits in one of the two prior accounting period are between £1.5m and £20m. (5)

 

22 December (19th if not paid online) - Payment of PAYE and NIC 

 

30 December - Personal tax balancing payment by PAYE coding 

  • You can pay your personal tax balancing payment, up to £3,000, through your tax code when you submit your personal tax return online before 31 December         

 

31 December – VAT large scheme (7)

  • VAT return and final instalment payment for September to November quarter - May stagger 
  • Instalment payments for April and March staggers 

 

31 December - VAT instalment payment - annual accounting (8)

  • Monthly or quarterly instalment payment where opted in to annual accounting scheme

 

31 December - Thinking ahead - Review capital allowances and intangibles 

  • Consider timing of expenditure/disposals for current year and review all capital allowance two-year time limits.   
  • Reviewing well before the year end gives time to structure acquisitions or disposals as required to ensure that you make best use of the allowances for the current accounting period.  
  • There may also be opportunities to make of amend capital allowances claims for: 
    • Plant and machinery 
    • Structures and buildings and fixtures in second hand buildings purchased 
    • Short life assets elections 
    • Transfer of assets at tax written down value  
    • Whether disclaiming capital allowances for the period is tax-efficient.  

 

31 December - Thinking ahead - capital gains and losses 

  • Review capital gains and losses for the accounting period: if there are net gains can these be offset by selling assets currently standing at a loss? 
  • As well as checking the current accounting period, companies should check whether a claims for deemed reallocation of capital gains within groups should be made for past accounting periods (must be made with two-years of the end of the relevant accounting period).  
  • It is also important to time acquisitions to ensure that roll over relief for disposals of assets in prior accounting periods can be claimed - claims must be made within four-years of the end of the accounting period of the disposal.

Notes and definitions

Accounting periods

For all the business deadlines we list we have assumed that a company's accounting period runs to the end of the relevant month (ie 31 March for March year-end businesses). If your year end is not at the end of a calendar month, please get in touch.

For simplicity, the deadlines listed relate to companies with a 12-month period of account although it is possible to have longer (up to 18 months) or shorter accounting periods. However, please note that the period covered by your tax return (your ‘accounting period’ for Corporation Tax) cannot be longer than 12 months. Therefore, you may have to file two tax returns to cover longer accounting periods, and each return will have its own payment and filing deadlines. For help on non-standard accounting periods, please get in touch. 


(1) Large company for SAO purposes

All UK incorporated companies with UK turnover of more than £200m and/or balance sheet total of more than £2bn in the last financial year (or members of a group that exceeds these limits).


(2) OECD’s ‘Country-by-Country Reporting’ framework threshold

Companies or groups who are part of a Multi-National Enterprise (MNE) group that has a global annual turnover over 750 million euro.

Where country-by-country reporting applies, qualifying company/group must compile and submit a summary showing and overview of allocation of income, taxes and business activities by tax jurisdiction and a list of all constituent entities in each tax jurisdiction and their main business activity with their transfer pricing documentation within 12 months of the end of the accounting period. 

UK companies within the country-by-country reporting rules must notify HMRC of where the report for that accounting period will be filed if not in the UK. 


(3) Pillar two

Companies or groups who are part of a Multi-National Enterprise (MNE) group that has a global annual turnover over 750 million euro in at least two of the prior four accounting periods. 


(4) Corporation tax quarterly instalments - "very large"

Companies are "very large" and must make instalment payments where taxable profits in the current accounting period are expected to exceed £20m. The £20m threshold must be time apportioned for accounting periods less than 12 months and split between group companies where there are  one or more related 51% group companies. Payment is 25% of estimated total liability for the year.


(5) Corporation tax quarterly instalments - "large"

Companies are "large" and must make instalment payments where taxable profits in one of the two prior accounting period are between £1.5m and £20m. The £1.5m threshold must be split between group companies where there are one or more related 51% group companies. Payment is 25% of estimated total liability for the year.


(6) VAT stagger

Your quarter and VAT year end dates will depend on the stagger group you choose on registration or that is allocated to you by HMRC:

Quarter ending:

  • March, June, September, December
  • April, July, October, January
  • May, August, November, February.


(7) VAT quarterly large scheme

Where annual VAT payments will exceed £2.3m companies must submit a quarterly VAT return one calendar month after the end of their VAT quarter. VAT instalment payments must be made on the last working day of the second and third months of every VAT quarterly period with balancing payments one calendar month after the end of your VAT quarter. 


(8) VAT Annual accounting scheme

The annual accounting scheme (one VAT Return a year) is available for businesses to opt into where their annual turnover is £1.35m or less. VAT instalment payments must be made at the end of months, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of your VAT year - calculated as 10% of the prior years’ net VAT liability.


(9) Tax year 

Starting on 6 April and ending on the following 5 April. 


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