CT600 Tax Return Filing in Honiton: Prepare and Submit Your Company Tax Return to HMRC

A CT600 is the form HMRC uses for a Company Tax Return. It reports a company's Corporation Tax position for an accounting period, including the company's income, allowable deductions, reliefs and the tax adjustments that have been made before taxable profit is arrived at. The return is submitted to HMRC, not to Companies House. Companies generally file a CT600 when HMRC has issued a notice to deliver a return, or where they have Corporation Tax to report, reliefs to claim or losses to carry forward, depending on their circumstances. In practice, the return is supported by a Corporation Tax computation that shows how the taxable profit figure was reached.

Yes, they are two separate filings with two different audiences. Statutory accounts are prepared under an applicable accounting framework, approved in the required way, and filed with Companies House. A CT600 is a tax return submitted to HMRC. A Confirmation Statement is a further, separate Companies House filing, and VAT Returns are separate again. The same bookkeeping often underpins all of them, but the figures can differ: the accounts show accounting profit, while the CT600 reports a taxable position that may include tax adjustments. Filing one does not satisfy the obligation to file the other.

There is no separate micro-entity version of the CT600 — the same form is used. A company that qualifies as a micro-entity may be able to prepare simpler statutory accounts, but if HMRC has issued a notice to deliver a Company Tax Return, the company is expected to file one for the period concerned. Some small companies also file where they have Corporation Tax to report or want to claim available reliefs or record losses. Having a nil or low Corporation Tax position does not automatically remove a filing obligation, and the accounting framework used for the accounts does not by itself decide the Corporation Tax outcome. It is worth checking your own position rather than assuming either way.

No, though they work together. The Corporation Tax computation is the calculation that starts with your accounting profit, applies the relevant tax adjustments, and arrives at the taxable profit and the Corporation Tax figure. The CT600 is the return that reports those results to HMRC. You need the computation to know what to put on the return, and HMRC expects the figures on the CT600 to be supported by a calculation. When we handle CT600 Tax Return Filing, we prepare the computation and the return as a single piece of work so the two are consistent.

Accounting profit is the starting point, but it is not necessarily the same as taxable profit. The computation may add back items of expenditure that are not allowable for tax purposes, and may deduct capital allowances rather than the depreciation charged in the accounts, along with any other reliefs the company can claim. Income treated differently for tax, trading losses and other adjustments can also affect the result. Because which adjustments apply depends on the company's own activities and records, the calculation is prepared on a case-by-case basis, and the resulting taxable profit is what the Corporation Tax figure on the CT600 is based on, subject to the rules in force for the period.

No — filing and payment are two separate obligations. The CT600 reports your company's Corporation Tax position to HMRC. If the return shows Corporation Tax is due, payment has to be made separately using HMRC's payment arrangements, and the date by which payment is due is not necessarily the same as the date by which the return must be filed. A company can file a return showing no Corporation Tax payable, and it is possible to have a filing obligation even where nothing is owed. It is always worth checking the specific dates that apply to your company's accounting period.

Yes. With your authorisation, an accountant or tax agent can prepare the Company Tax Return and submit it to HMRC on the company's behalf through HMRC's online services. The company itself remains responsible for the accuracy of what is filed. When we act for you, we gather your records, prepare the Corporation Tax computation, talk you through the figures and any adjustments, and then submit the CT600 once you are happy with it — which removes a good deal of the administrative pressure from the process.

HMRC can charge penalties and interest where a Company Tax Return is filed after the due date, and the amount can depend on how late the return is and whether the company has filed late before. HMRC publishes the current rules and figures in its own guidance. The practical point is that it is far better to act early. If you think a return may be outstanding or you are unsure of your position, we can help you review what is due and get the filing brought up to date, and we will explain the steps involved before anything is submitted.