What are the filing deadlines for a limited company?
Statutory accounts must be filed at Companies House within 9 months of your year end. The corporation tax return must be filed with HMRC within 12 months, and the tax itself paid within 9 months and 1 day. We track all of this for you.
Do I need an accountant for my limited company?
You’re not legally required to use one, but in practice the savings from proper tax planning far outweigh the fee — and the compliance risk of getting it wrong is significant. Most directors find it essential.
Can you take over from my current accountant?
Yes — we handle this all the time. We send a professional clearance letter, get the handover files, and take it from there. Smooth and straightforward.
Do you handle the director’s self assessment as well?
Yes, and we recommend doing it together — the company accounts and personal return are connected and should be planned together for the best tax outcome.
What happens if my director's loan account is overdrawn at year end?
If you haven't repaid it within nine months of your company's year end, the company pays a 33.75% tax charge (section 455) on the outstanding balance, on top of any benefit-in-kind tax on you personally if the loan is large enough. The 33.75% is repayable to the company once the loan is cleared, but it ties up cash in the meantime, so we flag overdrawn director's loans well before your year end.
When is my confirmation statement due and what happens if I miss it?
Your confirmation statement is due at least once every 12 months, and you have 14 days after the end of that review period to file it with Companies House. There's no direct fine for filing late, but an unfiled confirmation statement is one of the main reasons Companies House strikes a company off the register — so we track the date and file it for clients as part of our company secretarial work.
Can I pay myself through dividends instead of a salary?
Yes, as a director and shareholder you can take some or all of your income as dividends instead of salary, as long as the company has enough retained post-tax profit to cover them. Most owner-directors use a combination of a small salary and dividends, because it's usually more tax-efficient than taking everything as salary — we work out the right split for your specific numbers each year.
