CT600 Tax Return Filing in Pontypool – Prepare and File Your Company Tax Return with HMRC

A CT600 is the form HMRC uses to receive a Company Tax Return, also referred to as a Corporation Tax Return. It reports the company's income, gains, deductions, allowances and reliefs for an accounting period, along with the resulting Corporation Tax position. The return is normally delivered to HMRC electronically, and the figures used in it are drawn from the company's accounting records and from a Corporation Tax computation that supports the numbers being reported. Filing a CT600 is a company-level obligation rather than something an individual submits in a personal capacity.

Yes, they are two separate filings with two separate purposes. Statutory accounts are prepared under your company's chosen accounting framework and are filed with Companies House, where they become part of the public record. A CT600 is a tax return filed with HMRC to report the company's Corporation Tax position. Although both are built on the same bookkeeping, the accounts show your financial position and performance, while the CT600 reports how those figures translate into taxable profit. Preparing one does not automatically satisfy the requirement to prepare or file the other.

They are related but not the same document. The Corporation Tax computation is the working that starts with your accounting profit and arrives at your taxable profit — adding back expenses that are not allowable, deducting items that are treated differently for tax, claiming capital allowances, and bringing in losses or reliefs where they apply. The CT600 is the formal return to HMRC that reports the outcome of that computation, often with the computation itself attached or provided alongside. In practice, both are usually prepared together, because the return cannot be completed accurately without the calculation behind it.

A company does not escape Corporation Tax filing simply because it qualifies as a micro-entity for accounts purposes. Micro-entity status affects how statutory accounts can be prepared and filed with Companies House; it does not change the company's position with HMRC. Where HMRC has issued a notice to deliver a return, the company is generally expected to submit a Company Tax Return for the period concerned. That said, it does not automatically follow that the company owes any Corporation Tax — whether tax is payable depends on taxable profits, available reliefs and losses, and the company's own circumstances. It is also worth remembering that submitting the CT600 and paying any Corporation Tax due are separate matters.

You will usually need your accounting records for the period, including sales and purchase information, bank statements, expense records and any asset purchases. From these we produce or review the accounts and the profit and loss figures that form the starting point for the tax calculation. It also helps to have details of anything that could affect the taxable position, such as capital expenditure, director's loan movements, losses brought forward, reliefs previously claimed, and any Corporation Tax already paid. Finally, we need your company's HMRC identifiers and the exact accounting period being reported. If you are unsure what applies to your company, we can talk it through and give you a simple checklist.

Taxable profit starts with the profit shown in your accounts and is then adjusted for tax purposes. Typical adjustments include adding back expenditure that is not allowable as a deduction, removing income that is treated differently for tax, and replacing accounting depreciation with capital allowances on qualifying assets. Losses brought forward, reliefs and any other applicable deductions may also be reflected. The result is the taxable profit on which Corporation Tax is calculated at the rate that applies to your company. Because these adjustments depend on the specific transactions in your accounts, the computation is prepared case by case rather than being a standard formula.

No — they are separate obligations. Filing the CT600 is about reporting your Corporation Tax position to HMRC accurately and on time. Paying Corporation Tax is about settling whatever liability the computation shows. A company can have a return to file even where no tax is payable, and a liability can arise independently of the return being submitted. Because the two are handled separately, it is worth keeping an eye on both: submitting the return does not itself discharge the tax due, and HMRC can apply interest or penalties in relation to either obligation where the relevant requirements are not met.

If a Company Tax Return is delivered late, HMRC can charge penalties, and interest or further charges may apply where tax is also paid late. The amount involved generally depends on how late the return is and on the company's particular circumstances, so we would not try to give a single figure that applies to every case. The most practical approach is to file as soon as the information is available, and to tell HMRC if there is a genuine reason for delay. If you have fallen behind, we can help you pull the figures together, prepare the outstanding CT600 and the supporting Corporation Tax computation, and get the return submitted.