UK Tax & VAT Services

UK Tax and VAT Support for Your Company

UK tax and VAT support once your company starts trading, including registration thresholds, return deadlines and staying compliant with HMRC.

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Once You Start Trading

Two UK taxes to plan for

Once your company is trading, it pays Corporation Tax on its profits and, if it is registered, charges and reports VAT on its sales. Both come with fixed HMRC deadlines.

  • VAT registration: whether your company must register, and when
  • Return deadlines: VAT returns and the Company Tax Return, filed on time
  • Staying compliant with HMRC: digital VAT records and payments on schedule

VAT Registration

Does your company need to register for VAT?

For companies run from outside the UK, the answer often comes earlier than founders expect. The £90,000 threshold doesn’t apply to a business that is based outside the UK.

A UK address isn’t the same as a UK establishment. HMRC’s guidance says a registered, serviced or virtual office address does not on its own create a UK establishment for VAT.

If your company is run from outside the UK, talk to us before you start selling so you know whether you need to register from your first UK sale.

1

Is your business based outside the UK, and does it supply goods or services in the UK (or expect to in the next 30 days)?

Yes

Register for VAT regardless of turnover. There is an exemption only if all your taxable supplies are zero-rated.

No

Your business is UK-established. Go to question 2.

2

Has your taxable turnover gone over £90,000 in the last 12 months, or will it in the next 30 days?

Yes

Register for VAT. If you went over in the last 12 months, you have 30 days from the end of that month.

No

Registration isn’t compulsory yet. Keep checking your rolling 12-month turnover.

Corporation Tax

What your company pays on its profits

UK Corporation Tax is charged on company profits. The rate depends on how much profit the company makes in its accounting period.

19%Small profits rate, on profits of £50,000 or less
19–25%Marginal relief applies to profits between £50,000 and £250,000
25%Main rate, on profits over £250,000

The £50,000 and £250,000 limits are reduced for short accounting periods and when a company has associated companies. Source: GOV.UK Corporation Tax rates, checked October 2026.

  • 9 months and 1 day

    After your accounting period ends: the deadline to pay Corporation Tax, or to tell HMRC nothing is owed.

  • 12 months

    After your accounting period ends: the deadline to file your Company Tax Return with HMRC.

  • No more than 12 months

    A Company Tax Return can’t cover more than 12 months, so a company’s first period may need two returns.

Once you’re VAT-registered

The routine every VAT-registered company follows with HMRC.

  1. Every 3 months

    VAT period ends

    You usually send HMRC a VAT return every 3 months.

  2. 1 month + 7 days

    Return and payment due

    The online return and the payment are both due 1 calendar month and 7 days after the period ends.

  3. All year

    Making Tax Digital

    All VAT-registered businesses should be signed up for Making Tax Digital for VAT.

Your home country has its own tax rules. Where you live may tax you, or the money you take from your company, under its own rules. UK filing duties apply to your company either way, so check your personal position with a tax adviser in your country.

Got Questions?

UK Tax & VAT Questions

Does my UK company have to register for VAT straight away?

It depends on where your business is established. A business based outside the UK that supplies goods or services in the UK must register for VAT whatever its turnover. A UK-established business only has to register once its taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in the last 12 months, or is expected to in the next 30 days.

Does a UK registered office make my company UK-established for VAT?

Not on its own. HMRC’s guidance says a registered, serviced or virtual office address does not create a UK establishment. If your company is run from outside the UK, talk to us before you start selling so you know whether you need to register from your first UK sale.

How often are VAT returns due?

Usually every 3 months. The online return and the payment are both due 1 calendar month and 7 days after the end of each VAT period.

What is Making Tax Digital for VAT?

It is HMRC’s system for VAT records and returns. All VAT-registered businesses should now be signed up for Making Tax Digital for VAT, which means keeping VAT records digitally and sending returns through software that works with it.

What rate of Corporation Tax will my company pay?

The small profits rate is 19% for profits of £50,000 or less, and the main rate is 25% for profits over £250,000. Between the two, marginal relief applies. The limits are reduced for short accounting periods and when a company has associated companies.

Will I also pay tax in the country where I live?

Possibly. Your country of residence has its own rules on taxing you and the income you take from your company. Your company’s UK filing duties apply either way, so check your personal position with a tax adviser where you live.

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