Key Tax Dates and Deadlines for Small Businesses

This is not a complete or comprehensive list of all accountancy dates.  It is a summary of the key tax dates and deadlines for small businesses.  For specific advice, please contact us. For further information or reading please visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/.

Current and Upcoming Key Dates

Month	Date
January	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 March year end
	31st	Deadline for Self Assessment Tax Returns
	31st	Balancing payment for previous tax year ending on 5 April
	31st	First payment on account for current tax year ending on 5 April
	31st	Tax due on gains made
	31st	Online filing deadline for Self Assessment Tax Returns
February	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 30 April year end
March	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 May year end
April	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 30 June year end
	19th	Final Full Payment Submission (FPS) or Employer Payment Submission (EPS) Deadline
May	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 July year end
	19th	Deadline for Early Year Update (EYU)
	31st	Deadline for distributing P60s to employees
June	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 August year end
July	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 30 September year end
	6th	P11d deadline for submission to HMRC and distribution to employees
	19th	payment on benefits and expenses reported on forms P11d (non electronic means)
	22nd	payment on benefits and expenses reported on forms P11d (electronic means)
	31st	Second payment on account for tax year finished on previous 5 April
August	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 October year end
September	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 30 November year end
October	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 December year end
	19th	payment of tax to which a PAYE settlement relates (non electronic means)
	22nd	payment of tax to which a PAYE settlement relates (electronic means)
	31st	Normal filing deadline for “paper” tax returns
November	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 31 January year end
December	1st	Payment of tax for companies with a 28 or 29 February year end
Every month
Dates depending on accounting reference date
	14th of the month	possibly payable if paying by quarterly instalment payments
	14th of the month	payment relating to previous month or quarter (non electronic payment means)
	17th of the month	payment relating to previous month or quarter (electronic payment means)
	last day of the month	12 month filing deadline for CT600 – Corporation Tax Returns

Other Variable Dates

PAYE and Class 1 NIC Deadlines

The monthly payment of PAYE and Class 1 NICs by approved electronic methods is the 22nd of each month.

VAT Deadlines

There are no fixed times of the year to pay VAT, each business is different. Payment dates depend on the type of business you are in, the VAT scheme you are in and the choices you have made. You may pay VAT monthly, quarterly or annually.

Corporation Tax Deadlines

The deadline for a private limited company to file a Corporation Tax Return (CT600) is twelve months after its financial year ends.

If a private limited company’s profits are at an annual rate of up to £1.5 million then the deadline for payment of the amount of Corporation Tax due is nine months and a day after the company’s accounting period end date.

If a private limited company’s profits are at an annual rate exceeding £1.5 million then the company must pay Corporation Tax in quarterly instalments in the year, unless:

• the company’s annualised net tax liability is less than £10,000; or
• the company’s annualised profits for the current year do not exceed £10 million and either of the following applies:
  • this is the company’s first accounting period; or
  • for the previous accounting period, either the company’s annualised rate of profits did not exceed £1.5 million or its annualised net tax liability did not exceed £10,000.

Where quarterly instalments are necessary for a financial year, two instalments will be due before the year end and two after. The Corporation Tax liability will need to be estimated in advance of the 1^st instalment and a quarter of this amount paid on each payment date. The Corporation Tax estimate must be updated as the company progresses through the financial year and future instalments updated with top-up payments due for earlier quarters. The final quarterly payment will be the company’s actual Corporation Tax liability for the financial year less the total of any payments made.

For a financial year, the four quarterly instalments are due:

• 1^st instalment – six months and thirteen days after the first day of the financial year;
• 2^nd instalment – three months after the date of the first instalment;
• 3rd instalment – three months after the date of the second instalment i.e. 14 days after the last day of the accounting period
• 4^th instalment – 3 months and 14 days after the date of the last day of the financial year. 

Please contact us for specific guidance on payment dates where a company’s accounting period is not a financial year. The above thresholds reduce where a company is part of a group or has associated companies. Please contact us to discuss how this will affect your company.

Disclaimer:  This guide and the information within it have been produced as a helpful reference point.  The information and comments provide illustrations only and your specific circumstances are best discussed face to face. No action should be taken without seeking the appropriate professional or legal advice.  The authors accept no responsibility whatsoever for any loss occasioned by anyone acting on information contained within this App. Please contact us for further information.