With 101 things to do already, figuring out when to file taxes and submit necessary business documentation isn't always plain sailing for small business owners.
As April marked the new tax year, we thought we'd make a handy resource of some of the most important accounting dates across the tax year and the actions required for each.
We've also included some of the new dates and exceptions that apply under the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's important to note that your company's year-end is unique to your business and can be found on your Companies House record. This will impact your unique deadlines, so it's good practice to have these dates in mind for all of your tax submissions.
How you submit your tax returns will also impact your deadlines – electronic submissions typically have a later deadline than paper postal ones, so all of the below dates are advisory.
January
1/01 Company Tax return deadline
This is your first Company Tax return deadline if your company's year-end is the 31st March.
You'll need to file your company tax return to the HMRC – even if you make a loss or have no Corporation Tax to pay.
When you do this, you'll have to submit your profit or loss for Corporation Tax (this is different from the profit or loss shown in your annual accounts) and work out your Corporation Tax bill.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form instead.
Find out more on the HMRC website.
31/01 Self Assessment tax return
This is the deadline for filling out and returning your Self Assessment tax return so the HMRC can collect your income tax. Those that are employed by others have their income tax deducted by their employer on their PAYE.
But if you're a self-employed business owner or have an income outside of your main job, you'll need to submit this yourself. You can do this online or via the post.
31/01 First payment on account due
Payment on account applies to business owners whose income tax and class four National Insurance totals more than £1,000 for a tax year, but don't pay their tax at source on more than 80% of their income.
Find out more about payment on accounts.
February
7/02 Quarterly VAT return deadline for the previous year
The deadline for your quarterly VAT return online is typically one calendar month and seven days after the end of an accounting period. You should always check your deadline on your HMRC account as businesses that use the annual VAT scheme will have different deadlines.
March
01/03 Company Tax returns for businesses with a year-end on 31st March
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
April
01/04 Company Tax returns for businesses with a year-end of 30th April
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
06/04 New tax year
This is when the Chancellor announces any new tax changes for the year ahead. The tax changes are applicable on a personal and business level. Typically the new tax year will introduce changes to the national minimum wage, Corporation Tax and workplace pensions so you may need to keep afloat and update staff contracts and your payroll.
Find out about the 2021 tax changes here.
06/04 Changes to the IR35 regulation come into effect for the private sector
If you're a business that relies on contractors or freelance employees, the changes to this regulation are hugely important.
The change introduced to the IR35 regulation means that the contractor is no longer responsible for determining an assignment's status with a personal service company (PSC). It now lies with the client.
Find out all the details about how to comply with the new IR35 payroll policies on the HMRC website.
07/04 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 28th February
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
19/04 Payroll year-end non-electronic submission deadline
If you're an employer, you'll need to report on your previous tax year before 19th April and give each of your employees a P60 before the end of May.
You should start preparing your payroll reporting after the tax year-end – 6th April onwards.
Find out more about everything you need to report on for your annual PAYE here.
22/04 Payroll year-end electronic submission deadline
If you submit your PAYE electronically, this is the deadline for your year-end reporting.
May
01/05 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending 31st May 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/05 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st March
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
31/05 Deadline for 2020-21 P60 for all employees
If you are an employer, you must send all of your employees their P60 form. This tells them the total amount of tax they have paid on their salary in the tax year. Your accounting software can produce this for you.
See the government website for more advice.
June
01/06 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending 30th June 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/06 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 30th June 2020
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
30/06 COVID-19 100% business rate holiday Ends
From 30th June onwards, the new business rates holiday will be 66% up to a total value of £2 million for the rest of the 2021-2022 tax year.
Find out more about business rate relief.
July
0/07 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending 31st July 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
01/07 Employers must contribute 10% to the furlough scheme
From 1st July employers with staff on furlough must start making a 10% contribution to their salary. The government will continue to pay the other 70%.
07/07 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st May
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
31/07 Second self-assessment payment on account for the 2020-21 tax year due
This is the deadline for your second payment on account after the first deadline at the end of January.
August
0/07 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending 31st August 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
01/08 Employers must contribute 20% to the furlough scheme
From the 1st August all employees with staff on furlough must increase their contribution from 10% to 20%. The government will pay the other 60%.
07/08 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st June
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
September
01/09 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending 31st September 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/09 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st July
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
30/09 Hospitality, leisure and personal care VAT reduction ends
The reduced VAT rate for the hospitality, leisure and personal care sector will end and will increase from 5% to 12.5%.
October
01/10 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending 31st October 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
05/10 Deadline for Self Assessment registration with the HMRC
If you're self-employed or a sole trader, you'll need to register for a Self Assessment with the HMRC before the 5th October 2021. Find out further information on how to do this here.
07/10 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st August
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
November
01/11 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending November 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/11 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 30th September
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
December
01/12 Corporation Tax return deadline for the period ending December 2020
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/12 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st October
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
30/12 Deadline for online submission of Self Assessment tax returns
You must submit your Self Assessment tax returns for the tax year ending 5th April 2021 before the end of December 2021. There are penalties for late submissions. Find out more about Self Assessment deadlines on the HRMC website.
31/12 Deadline for filing Company Tax for businesses with a 31st December year-end
This is your first company tax return deadline if your company's year-end is the 31st December
You'll need to file your company tax return to the HMRC – even if you make a loss or have no Corporation Tax to pay.
When you do this, you'll have to submit your profit or loss for Corporation Tax (this is different from the profit or loss shown in your annual accounts) and work out your Corporation Tax bill.
January 2022
01/01 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending January 2021
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/01 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 30th November 2021
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
31/01 Balancing payment for your self-assessment tax bill
If you owe any Self Assessment tax, you will need to pay off your tax bill's balance for the previous tax year by the end of January 2022.
February 2022
01/01 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending February 2021
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/02 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st December 2021
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
March 2022
01/01 Company Tax return deadline for the period ending March 2021
This is the deadline for your Corporation Tax return for the 12 months after the accounting period it covers. You must still submit it, even if you have no Corporation Tax to pay.
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, this does not apply to you – you must submit a Self Assessment form.
07/03 VAT returns deadline for the quarterly period ending 31st January
This is the quarterly deadline for your VAT if you file electronically.
31/03 Temporary VAT relief for the hospitality, retail and personal care industries ends
At the beginning of April, the reduced VAT of 12.5% will end, and the standard pre-coronavirus rate of 20%.
Find out more VAT on the HRMC website.
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