Your company details

Company year-end (month) Year-end day VAT-registered? VAT quarter ending Company incorporated (month) Have employees (incl. yourself on PAYE)?

Your next 12 months

Illustrative deadlines only. The calendar uses standard HMRC and Companies House rules and your stated dates. Always verify exact dates with HMRC, Companies House or your accountant — particularly around bank-holiday-affected weekends, where the deadline may roll back to the previous working day rather than forward.

Deadline rules used

Corporation Tax payment — 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period. For most contractor Ltds this is the single largest tax payment of the year.
Corporation Tax return (CT600) — 12 months after the end of the accounting period. Payment is due first; the return follows.
Company accounts (Companies House) — 9 months after the end of the accounting period (for private limited companies).
Confirmation statement — within 14 days of the anniversary of incorporation (or last confirmation statement, whichever is later).
VAT return + payment — 1 calendar month and 7 days after the end of the VAT quarter.
Payroll (PAYE / NIC) — payment by the 22nd of the following month (electronic) or 19th (postal). Real Time Information submissions on or before each pay date.
Self Assessment — 31 January following the tax year for online returns; payments on account 31 January and 31 July.

Payment is due 9 months and 1 day after the accounting period ends; the CT600 return is due 12 months after. Pay first, file the return within the next 3 months. This catches a lot of new contractor Ltds out — the money is due before the paperwork.

Most HMRC deadlines must be met by the actual deadline date — if your payment lands on the next working day it's late. Plan to pay 2–3 working days early. Companies House confirmation statement is more flexible but still penalty-bearing if missed.

HMRC charges late-payment interest from day one (currently above Bank of England base rate + 2.5%) plus a £100 penalty for late filing of the return. Persistent lateness can escalate to higher penalties and HMRC enforcement action.

Annual filing to Companies House confirming your company's officers, registered office, share capital and people-with-significant-control. £13 online, £40 paper. Due within 14 days of your statement date — not the year-end. Many contractors confuse this with company accounts; they're different filings on different dates.

If you draw dividends, take salary above the personal allowance, or have other taxable income, yes. Most Ltd contractor directors do. The deadline is 31 January following the tax year — separate from your company's CT deadlines.

Use whichever date you actually chose at incorporation (or changed to). All Corporation Tax and Companies House dates flow from your accounting reference date. The calendar adjusts based on your input.

Sole-director Ltds typically run a small monthly salary through PAYE. Even a £nil-tax salary needs Real Time Information submissions and an Employer Payment Summary. If your only liability is £0 to HMRC each month, you can still skip the 22nd-of-the-month payment but the RTI filing is required.

No — it's a deadline reference based on standard HMRC and Companies House rules. For specific tax-payment estimates or filing advice, consult your accountant. See our guide to choosing a contractor accountant.