SIMPLEFILINGS GUIDES
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Dormant companies 7 guides
Dormancy, accounts and yearly requirements.
Dormant companies 7 guides
Dormancy, accounts and yearly requirements.
- What is a dormant company? Companies House and HMRC rulesWhat a dormant company is, how the Companies House and HMRC tests differ, what it must still file each year, and how it differs from struck off.
- How to file dormant company accounts: step by stepHow to file dormant company accounts with Companies House: check the company qualifies, prepare the balance sheet and notes, and file before the deadline.
- When are dormant company accounts due?Dormant accounts are due 9 months after the year end, or 21 months after incorporation for first accounts. See worked dates, penalties and how to avoid them.
- Can a dormant company have bank charges or a bank account?Can a dormant company have bank charges or earn interest? What Companies House ignores, what counts, and which accounts to file if the company paid fees.
- How to make a limited company dormant: a step-by-step checklistStopping trading but keeping your company? A step-by-step checklist to make it dormant: HMRC, VAT, PAYE, the bank account and Companies House.
- Does a dormant company need to file a Company Tax Return (CT600)?Does a dormant company file a CT600? When HMRC needs a Company Tax Return, how to tell HMRC it is dormant, and how to file now its free service has closed.
- Micro-entity accounts vs dormant accounts: which can you file?Micro-entity accounts vs dormant accounts: the size limits from 6 April 2025, what dormant means, why one bank charge matters and what each set contains.
Annual filings and deadlines 9 guides
Accounts, statements, dates and late filing.
Annual filings and deadlines 9 guides
Accounts, statements, dates and late filing.
- Confirmation statement deadline: dates, fees and late filingWhen is a confirmation statement due? The review period, the 14-day window, the £50 fee, filing early, and what to do if yours is overdue or late.
- How to file a confirmation statement: a step-by-step guideHow to file a confirmation statement step by step: what to check on each screen, what to fix first, and the new identity, email and lawful purpose rules.
- When are first accounts due for a new limited company?First accounts for a new limited company are due 21 months after incorporation. See how the first year end is set, with a worked example and tax dates.
- How to file micro-entity accounts with Companies HouseHow to file micro-entity accounts: the 2026 size limits, what the accounts contain, filing routes after the HMRC service closed, deadlines and the 2028 changes.
- Can I change my company year end? AA01 rules explainedCan you change your company year end? The AA01 rules on shortening and extending, the 18-month and 5-year limits, overdue accounts and the 2028 change.
- Companies House software-only accounts filing from April 2028: what changesFrom 1 April 2028 Companies House accounts must be filed with commercial software. What changes, abridged accounts ending, and what small companies should do.
- Companies House late filing penalty: amounts and appealsGot a Companies House late filing penalty? See the amounts, when they double, how to get more time, which appeal reasons work and what happens if unpaid.
- Companies House fees 2026: what each filing costsCompanies House fees for 2026: confirmation statement £50, incorporation £100, name change £20, strike-off £13 and restoration £341. No fee to file accounts.
- Companies House changes 2024 to 2028: a timeline for small companiesEvery dated Companies House change from March 2024 to April 2028 in one timeline: what changed, what it means for a small company and what to do next.
Related filing services
- File a confirmation statement
- Request a company authentication code
- File dormant accounts
- Change registered email address
- Update a control statement
- Change business activities
- Change director details
- Provide a PSC's identity verification details
- Change accounts year end
- Register or restart Corporation Tax
- Change registered office address
- Close a company
- Change company name
- Register a company charge
Company details and access 7 guides
Addresses, company details and authentication codes.
Company details and access 7 guides
Addresses, company details and authentication codes.
- Lost your Companies House authentication code? What to doLost your Companies House authentication code? Where to look first, how to request a new one, how long it takes, and what to do if you can’t get post.
- Registered office address: rules, the 14-day overlap and who to tellRegistered office address rules: what a new address must meet, the 14-day overlap once AD01 is registered, who else to tell and what goes on stationery.
- Can I use my home address as my registered office?Can your home be your company's registered office? See the appropriate address rules since March 2024, the privacy trade-off and how to keep it private.
- How to remove your home address from Companies HouseHow to remove your home address from the Companies House register: who qualifies, changing the address first, form SR01, the £34 fee per document and limits.
- How to change a limited company name: routes, fees and next stepsChange a limited company name: pass a special resolution, file NM01 or NM04, check the name is free, pay the fee from £20, then update HMRC and your bank.
- What is a SIC code? How to choose and change yoursWhat is a SIC code? The five-digit code for what your company does: finding yours on the condensed list, codes for common cases and how to change it.
- How to register a company charge: MR01 and the 21-day deadlineHow to register a company charge with MR01: count the 21 days, check the signed instrument, prepare its public copy and understand late filing and MR04/MR05.
Related filing services
- Request a company authentication code
- Change registered office address
- File a confirmation statement
- Change director details
- Change a business address at HMRC
- Set or change records inspection address
- Change a person's control details
- Change company name
- File approved articles or a resolution
- Change business activities
- Register a company charge
- Mark a charge as paid
- Release property from a charge
Directors, owners and identity 11 guides
People, ownership, shares and identity checks.
Directors, owners and identity 11 guides
People, ownership, shares and identity checks.
- Companies House identity verification and your personal codeCompanies House identity verification explained: who must verify, how to get your personal code through GOV.UK One Login or an ACSP, and when to provide it.
- What is a person with significant control (PSC)?What is a person with significant control? The five PSC conditions in plain English, worked examples, the 14-day rules and PSC identity verification.
- What are a company director's responsibilities? A filing checklistWhat are a company director's responsibilities? A checklist of Companies House and HMRC filings, deadlines and what happens to directors if they are missed.
- Who can be a company director in the UK?Who can be a company director in the UK: the minimum age of 16, disqualification and bankruptcy, directors abroad, identity verification and what to have ready.
- How to appoint a company director and file AP01Appoint a director to a UK limited company: company approval, consent, identity verification, personal codes, AP01 details and the 14-day filing deadline.
- How to resign as a company directorHow to resign as a company director: check the articles, give written notice, get form TM01 filed within 14 days, and what a sole director must do first.
- Does a private limited company need a company secretary?Does a private limited company need a company secretary? No, unless its articles say so. What a secretary does, who can be one and how to appoint or remove one.
- Statutory registers: what a limited company must keep in 2026Which statutory registers a limited company must still keep in 2026, the four that ended on 18 November 2025, the register of members, SAIL and record keeping.
- What is share capital in a limited company? A plain guideWhat is share capital in a limited company? Nominal value versus price paid, share classes, statement of capital, paid up shares and Companies House.
- How to issue new shares in a limited company (SH01)How to issue new shares in a limited company: directors' authority, pre-emption rights, the allotment decision, SH01 within one month and updating your records.
- Stock transfer form (J30): how to complete it and when stamp duty appliesHow to complete a stock transfer form (J30), when Stamp Duty is due on shares over £1,000, gifts, the 30-day deadline and updating the register of members.
Related filing services
- File a confirmation statement
- Add a director
- Provide a PSC's identity verification details
- Request a company authentication code
- Add a person with significant control
- Change a person's control details
- Remove a person with significant control
- Update a control statement
- Add or change a company owner
- Change director details
- Remove a director
- Set or change records inspection address
- Add a company secretary
- Change secretary details
- Remove a company secretary
- Move company records to SAIL
- Move company records to registered office
- Issue new shares
- Prepare a share transfer
- Change a share class or its rights
- Split or combine shares
Tax and HMRC 15 guides
Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE and tax references.
Tax and HMRC 15 guides
Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE and tax references.
- How to find your company UTR numberFind your company UTR: the 10-digit HMRC tax reference on letters, notices to file and payment reminders, and how to get a lost copy posted to your company.
- How to register your company for Corporation TaxHow to register a company for Corporation Tax: the 3-month rule, what counts as starting business, what you need, and what to do if it is dormant or restarting.
- Company tax return deadline: when the CT600 is due and late penaltiesThe company tax return deadline is 12 months after your accounting period ends. Learn how it differs from Companies House and HMRC's late filing penalties.
- HMRC's company tax return service has closed: how to file nowHMRC's online Company Tax Return service closed on 31 March 2026. How to file a CT600 now: commercial software, doing it yourself, accounts and amendments.
- When is Corporation Tax due? Payment deadlines explainedWhen is Corporation Tax due? Work out your payment date, see a worked example, the instalment rules for larger companies, how to pay and late interest.
- Why do I have two Corporation Tax returns? Accounting periods explainedWhy do I have two Corporation Tax returns? A tax accounting period cannot exceed 12 months, so first accounts over 12 months need two CT600s and two payments.
- Corporation Tax rates 2026/27: 19%, 25% and marginal relief explainedCorporation Tax rates for 2026/27: 19% on profits up to £50,000, 25% over £250,000 and marginal relief between. See the effective rate at each profit level.
- HMRC notice to file a Company Tax Return: what it means and what to doGot an HMRC notice to file a company tax return? Why you must file even with a loss, no tax or a dormant company, the deadline and late penalties.
- VAT registration threshold 2026: the £90,000 tests explainedThe VAT registration threshold for 2026 is £90,000. See the 12-month and 30-day tests, what counts as taxable turnover and when your VAT registration starts.
- How to register a limited company for VATHow to register a limited company for VAT: what HMRC asks for, applying online or through an agent, your effective date, your VAT number and what to do next.
- Making Tax Digital for VAT: a guide for limited companiesMaking Tax Digital for VAT for a limited company: which records must be digital, digital links, finding compatible software, return deadlines and penalties.
- Do company directors need to do a Self Assessment tax return?Do company directors need to do a Self Assessment tax return? Being a director is not a trigger by itself. See when dividends or other income mean you file.
- Registering your limited company as an employer (PAYE)When a limited company must register as an employer for PAYE, including director-only companies, how early you can apply, the PAYE reference and first payroll.
- How to close a PAYE scheme when you stop employing peopleHow to close a PAYE scheme: the final FPS or EPS marked scheme ceased, P45s, paying what is owed, and when to report a period of no pay to HMRC instead.
- How to deregister for VAT: cancelling your VAT registrationHow to deregister for VAT: when you must cancel, when turnover below £88,000 lets you, the 30-day rule, VAT7, your final return and VAT on stock.
Related filing services
Closing a company 4 guides
Closing, strike-off and restoration.
Closing a company 4 guides
Closing, strike-off and restoration.
- How to close a limited company: strike off or liquidationHow to close a limited company in the UK: strike off (DS01) or liquidation, what to finish first, the £13 online fee and what happens to leftover money.
- First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off: what it means and what to doA First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off means Companies House plans to dissolve your company. See why, the 2-month timeline and what to file now.
- How to object to a company being struck offHow to object to a company being struck off: who can object, valid reasons, deadlines, evidence to upload and the online-only rule from 1 December 2026.
- How to restore a dissolved company: RT01 or court orderHow to restore a dissolved company: who can use form RT01, the 6-year limit, the £341 fee, the bona vacantia waiver letter and when a court order is needed.
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