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

A CT600 is the form HMRC uses for a Company Tax Return. It sets out a company's Corporation Tax position for a given accounting period, including the figures taken from the accounts, the adjustments made to arrive at taxable profit, and the resulting Corporation Tax liability or repayment position. The CT600 is normally delivered to HMRC online, with the company's accounts and tax computation submitted alongside it in the required format. Because the numbers on the return need to tie back to the accounts and to the workings behind them, preparing a CT600 involves more than simply copying figures across from a profit and loss account.

Broadly, a company that is within the scope of Corporation Tax and has received a notice to file from HMRC is required to deliver a Company Tax Return for the relevant accounting period. This generally covers limited companies, and in some circumstances other bodies such as certain clubs, societies and unincorporated associations. Importantly, a company with no Corporation Tax to pay may still have a filing obligation, so a nil position does not automatically mean there is nothing to send. Whether a CT600 is required, and for which period, depends on the company's own circumstances and on HMRC's notice, so it is always worth checking rather than assuming.

Yes — they are two separate filings with two different recipients. The statutory accounts are prepared for the company's members and filed with Companies House, and they follow the accounting framework applicable to the company. The CT600 is a tax return submitted to HMRC and reports the company's Corporation Tax position. A Confirmation Statement is a further, separate Companies House filing, and a VAT Return is separate again. Even where the accounts and the tax return are built from the same bookkeeping records, filing one does not satisfy the other, and the figures shown in each can differ because tax rules and accounting rules do not always treat the same transaction in the same way.

They are related but not the same document. The CT600 is the return itself — the form that reports the company's Corporation Tax position for the period. The Corporation Tax computation is the set of workings that supports the return: it starts with the accounting profit from the accounts and shows the adjustments needed to arrive at taxable profit. Practically, the computation is the evidence behind the numbers typed into the CT600, so if a figure on the return is questioned, the computation is what explains it. That is why we treat the computation as an essential part of any CT600 Tax Return Filing job rather than an optional extra.

Micro-entity status relates to the size criteria a company meets for preparing and filing its statutory accounts — it is an accounting classification, not a tax exemption, and there is no separate official micro-entity CT600 form. If HMRC has issued a notice to file, a micro-entity company will generally need to submit a Company Tax Return just like any other company, and the CT600 Tax Return Filing process is essentially the same. What can differ is the accounting framework used for the statutory accounts, which affects the starting point for the tax computation. Using a simplified accounting framework does not by itself determine the Corporation Tax liability, and it does not mean the company will have no tax to pay — that depends on the company's taxable position. Remember too that submitting the return and paying any Corporation Tax due are separate obligations.

At a minimum, we need the company's accounting period dates, its registration details and its Unique Taxpayer Reference, plus the figures from the accounting records for that period — income, expenses, profit and the relevant balance sheet items. Beyond that, useful detail includes a breakdown of expenses that may need adjusting for tax, details of asset purchases and disposals, any losses brought forward, non-trading income such as bank interest, tax already paid or credits, and any HMRC correspondence about the period. Because the exact information depends on what the company has been doing, the quickest route is usually a short conversation about your circumstances before we request anything specific.

Taxable profit begins with the accounting profit shown in the accounts, but the two figures are rarely identical. The Corporation Tax computation adds back items that are not allowable for tax purposes — depreciation and some business entertaining costs are common examples — and instead claims capital allowances where the company is entitled to them. It also takes account of items such as losses brought forward, non-trading income and any reliefs available to the company. The result is the taxable profit on which the Corporation Tax liability is based. Because these adjustments depend entirely on the individual company's transactions, the calculation has to be worked through properly rather than applied as a standard formula.

No — these are two separate obligations. Filing the CT600 is about reporting the company's Corporation Tax position to HMRC, while paying Corporation Tax is about settling whatever liability the return shows (if any). HMRC sets the filing date and the payment date separately, and they can fall at different times, so submitting the return does not automatically settle the tax and paying the tax does not remove the need to file. It is also worth keeping your Corporation Tax records and supporting documents in good order, since they may need to be produced if HMRC queries the return, and good records make the next year's CT600 Tax Return Filing far simpler.