Corporation Tax
Services:
◉ Corporation Tax:
Corporation tax is paid on profit made by a corporation in the last 12 months. Any registered limited company is obliged to file for corporation tax return, which is known as CT600 on taxable income. Determining the true and fair amount which is subject to tax is a complex and strenuous task.
◉ Check if you are active or dormant:
An active company is one which is trading and doing business activities while if a registered company isn’t performing trading activities, then this company is called dormant for corporation tax purposes.
◉ What is active for Corporation Tax purposes:
Generally, your company or organization is considered to be active for Corporation Tax purposes when it is:
● Carrying on a business activity such as a trade or professional activity
● Buying and selling goods with a view to making a profit or surplus
● Providing services
● Earning interest
● Managing investments
● Receiving any other income
◉ When to tell HMRC that your company is active:
A corporation must inform HMRC within 3 months of starting the tax accounting period if a limited company is within the charge of Corporation Tax and is now active. This can be done via online reporting, which is quick through the government gateway account. You can also report by writing a letter with all the relevant details to process the request. As a starting point, you need to inform HMRC that you are an active organization to get registered for corporation tax. Alternatively, we at Businesswise Accountants can inform HMRC on your behalf.
◉ What is not active for HMRC for corporation tax:
There are many circumstances which make a company be considered dormant for corporation tax purposes, but generally, a company is considered to be not active if it has not started the trading activities. Although there may be few pre-trading activities, the company isn’t considered as active for corporation tax purposes. If unsure, please contact Businesswise Accountants, and we will help you accomplish that process.
◉ What if you want to change the accounting period:
You can minimize the accounting period as many times as you want and even can shorten the accounting period to prepare accounts to 1 day. But to lengthen the accounting period from 12 months to a maximum of 18 months can only be done once in 5 months. Please also remember that changing the accounting period can be done through post or online portal for Companies House, and that will change the accounting period for corporation tax as well.
◉ Submitting your first tax return:
If you are a new company, then the first set of company accounts is usually more than 12 months. For example, if your company got registered on the 20th, the reference date will be until the end of that month. But remember for corporation tax, there will be more than 1 corporation tax return to be submitted. CT600 form is used to file tax returns, while remember accounting profit and taxable profit can be different because some expenses such as annual depreciation are deducted in the accounting profit and loss statement while they are added back in corporation tax filling. Careful consideration, pinpoint accuracy, and attention to detail are required to file CT600.
◉ What allowances you can claim:
Capital allowances are allowed on all the non-current assets purchased to be used in business; these assets are also called plant and machinery. In some cases, you can deduce some part of the total allowance, while in most cases, you can claim the full cost of that asset under the annual investment allowance. Other expenditures should be claimed under normal expenses, some of which can be repairs, running bills, and purchases.
◉ Claiming Research and Development tax reliefs:
Marginal Relief provides a gradual increase in Corporation Tax rate between the small profits rate and the main rate. This applies where the profits of a company for an accounting period exceed a ‘lower limit’ but do not exceed an ‘upper limit’. Your company or organization may be able to claim Marginal Relief and pay less Corporation Tax if its taxable profits are between:
- £300,000 (the lower limit) and
- £1.5 million (the upper limit)
◉ How the payment can be made:
It is vital to figure out which payment method suits your needs and helps your payment get cleared before the deadline ends. It’s your duty as the director of the company to ensure that payments are made on time. If you are walking on a narrow timeline, then it is best to make payment through online and telephone banking or through CHAPS, while BACS, Direct Debit, and bank payments take at least 3 working days to show in HMRC account. If using any of these methods, you should allow more than 3 days and try to do payment well in advance of the deadline.
◉ Penalties for late filing:
You’ll have to pay penalties if you do not file your Company Tax Return by the deadline.
If your tax return is late 3 times in a row, the £100 penalties are increased to £500 each. While if you have a plausible excuse, then you can still appeal against the Tax determination which comes into force if your tax return is 6 months or more late, but to avoid all that hassle and inconvenience, you should hire a competent and qualified professional like Businesswise Accountants, which can guide you on every step of this journey
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