Accounting & Bookkeeping

Accounting and Bookkeeping for Your UK Company

Accounting and bookkeeping for your UK company, from setting up your books at formation to reconciling your accounts every month.

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Hands reviewing financial charts and reports on a desk
Reconciled monthlyFrom the day your company is formed

Why It Matters

Every UK company keeps records and files accounts, even in its first year

A UK limited company has to keep accounting records, file annual accounts with Companies House and send a Company Tax Return to HMRC. Those duties apply wherever its directors live.

Starting your bookkeeping at formation and reconciling it every month means your figures are already in order when those deadlines arrive, instead of being rebuilt from a year of statements.

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How We Help

Your books, from formation onwards

Bookkeeping that starts when your company does, so nothing has to be pieced together later.

  • Books set up at formation

    Your bookkeeping is in place from the day your company is formed, with its first accounting period.

  • Monthly reconciliation

    Your accounts are reconciled every month, so the money in and out of your company matches what your records say.

  • Records kept properly

    The records a UK company must keep, organised and stored for the 6 years the rules require.

  • Ready for year end

    Clean monthly figures for your annual accounts and Company Tax Return. Ask us about year-end work when you request a quote.

Your company’s filing calendar

The key Companies House and HMRC dates every UK limited company works to.

  1. Day one

    Incorporation

    Your company is registered and its first accounting period begins.

  2. Every 12 months

    Confirmation statement

    Confirm your company’s details with Companies House at least once a year. £50 online.

  3. 21 months

    First accounts

    Your first annual accounts are due at Companies House 21 months after registration. Later accounts: 9 months after each year end.

  4. 9 months + 1 day

    Pay Corporation Tax

    Pay what you owe, or tell HMRC nothing is due, 9 months and 1 day after the accounting period ends.

  5. 12 months

    Company Tax Return

    File with HMRC 12 months after the accounting period for Corporation Tax ends.

Sources: GOV.UK guidance on annual accounts, Company Tax Returns and Companies House fees, checked October 2026. There are penalties for filing late with Companies House and with HMRC.

Tax return paperwork, a calculator and a coffee seen from above
6 yearsHow long records must be kept

Company Records

What your company has to keep

A limited company must keep records for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, and longer in some cases, for example if a tax return was filed late.

  • All money received and spent by the company
  • What the company owns, and what it owes and is owed
  • Stock at the end of the financial year, and the stocktakes behind it
  • The goods the company buys and sells
  • Receipts, invoices and bank statements that support them

Got Questions?

Accounting & Bookkeeping Questions

When are my company’s first accounts due?

Your first accounts are due at Companies House 21 months after your company was registered. After that, accounts are due 9 months after the end of each financial year.

When is Corporation Tax paid and the Company Tax Return filed?

Corporation Tax is due 9 months and 1 day after the end of your accounting period for Corporation Tax, and the Company Tax Return is due 12 months after that period ends. A tax return can’t cover more than 12 months, so your company’s first period may need two returns.

How long do I need to keep my company’s records?

For 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to. Keep them longer if a transaction covers more than one accounting period, if the company buys something expected to last more than six years, if the Company Tax Return was filed late, or if HMRC opens a compliance check.

Can you keep my books if I live outside the UK?

Yes. Bristol Co is built for founders outside the UK. Your books are set up when your company is formed and reconciled every month, so you don’t need to be in the UK to keep them up to date.

Does my company need to file if it hasn’t started trading?

Yes. A UK limited company still files annual accounts and a confirmation statement with Companies House before it starts trading.

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