CT600 Tax Return Filing in Horley: Prepare and File Your Company Tax Return with HMRC

A CT600 is the Company Tax Return form used to report a company's Corporation Tax position to HMRC. It brings together the figures for an accounting period — income, allowable deductions and the resulting Corporation Tax position — together with any supplementary pages that apply to the company's circumstances. In practice, the CT600 is the final output of a process: the company's records and accounts are reviewed, a Corporation Tax computation is prepared to work out taxable profit, and the resulting figures are entered on the return and submitted to HMRC electronically.

A company generally needs to file a Company Tax Return if HMRC has issued a notice to deliver one, or if the company is within the charge to Corporation Tax — for example, because it has taxable profits or other income that falls within the charge. Being dormant, making a loss, or having no tax to pay does not automatically remove the filing requirement if HMRC has asked for a return, and there may still be a return to submit or a claim to make. Because the position depends on the company's own circumstances and on what HMRC has issued, it is worth checking rather than assuming.

Yes, and the two are often confused. Statutory accounts are prepared under an accounting framework and filed at Companies House as part of the company's public filing obligations. A CT600 is a tax return filed with HMRC, and it reports the company's Corporation Tax position. The accounts are a starting point for the tax work, but the figures that end up on the CT600 usually differ from the accounting figures because the Corporation Tax computation applies tax adjustments. Filing one does not satisfy the other, and the deadlines and routes for each are separate. One practical consequence is that a company cannot simply assume its Companies House filing covers its tax obligations.

It can, yes. There is no separate micro-entity version of the CT600, and choosing to prepare simpler statutory accounts as a micro-entity does not exempt a company from Corporation Tax filing. If the company has taxable profits, or if HMRC has issued a notice to deliver a Company Tax Return, a CT600 will usually need to be prepared and filed. Equally, not every micro-entity will owe Corporation Tax — whether tax is payable depends on the company's taxable position after the computation has been prepared, and the filing obligation is assessed separately from whether there is a liability. It is also worth remembering that the accounts a micro-entity prepares feed into the tax calculation but do not determine the liability on their own.

No — they are related but distinct. The Corporation Tax computation is the working document that starts with the company's accounting profit and adjusts it to arrive at taxable profit. That is where you see the detail: expenses added back because they are not deductible for tax, capital allowances claimed, and any other tax-specific treatment. The CT600 is the return itself, which reports the outcome of that computation to HMRC in the required format. A well-prepared CT600 should be supported by a computation and by records that explain how the figures were arrived at, which is useful both at the time of filing and later if any questions arise.

The starting point is normally the profit shown in the company's accounts. From there, the Corporation Tax computation makes adjustments. Expenditure that is not allowable for tax purposes is typically added back, while reliefs such as capital allowances are deducted, and other items — for instance income that is taxed differently or disallowable elements within otherwise allowable costs — are treated according to the tax rules that apply. The result is the taxable profit on which Corporation Tax is calculated. Because these adjustments depend on the specific transactions and circumstances of the company, taxable profit can be higher or lower than accounting profit, and it should not be assumed that the two will match.

No. Filing and payment are separate obligations. Submitting the Company Tax Return tells HMRC what the company's Corporation Tax position is for the period; paying the tax is a separate step with its own arrangements and timing. A company can file a return showing a liability and then need to make payment, or it can file a return showing no liability for the period. Keeping the two clearly separated in your own records — what has been filed, and what has been paid — makes it much easier to stay on top of both and to answer any query that comes up later.

Filing after the date HMRC expects can lead to penalties charges and interest, and the amount involved depends on how late the return is and on the company's circumstances. Late filing does not remove the obligation to file — the return is still outstanding and still needs to be submitted, generally as soon as possible, along with any tax that has become due. If you are unsure whether a return is outstanding, or you have inherited a company with unclear filing history, it is sensible to check the position with HMRC or with an accountant before making assumptions, so that any correction or submission is handled in the right order.