A practical year-end checklist for small limited companies

Year end need not be a scramble. A short, deliberate checklist a few weeks before your accounting reference date makes accounts preparation faster, reduces queries, and often lowers the risk of missed corporation tax or Companies House deadlines.

This guide is aimed at directors of small private limited companies — the kind of businesses we support from our Chislehurst office and across Bromley and neighbouring areas. Use it as a working list with your bookkeeper or accountant, not as a substitute for tailored advice.

Know your three key deadlines

For a typical small private limited company, three clocks run after each accounting period ends:

• Companies House accounts — normally due 9 months after the year end.
• Corporation Tax payment — usually due 9 months and 1 day after the end of the Corporation Tax accounting period.
• Company Tax Return (CT600) — normally due 12 months after the end of the accounting period.

Example: for a 31 March 2026 year end, Companies House accounts are typically due by 31 December 2026, Corporation Tax is usually payable by 1 January 2027, and the CT600 is due by 31 March 2027. Payment comes before filing — a common source of confusion. Confirm your exact dates in your HMRC business tax account and Companies House filing history; first periods after incorporation can differ.

Records to gather before year end

• Bank and credit card statements for the full accounting period (and reconciliations if you already keep them)
• Sales invoices, credit notes and a clear debtors list
• Purchase invoices, supplier statements and creditors
• Payroll summaries, payslips, and P60/P45 information where relevant
• Loan statements, hire purchase and lease agreements
• Fixed asset additions and disposals (invoices, serial numbers, disposal proceeds)
• Stock or work-in-progress listings at the year-end date
• Directors’ loan account movements and any personal expenses paid by the company
• VAT returns and workings if you are VAT-registered
• Grant, bounce-back or other finance correspondence still affecting the balance sheet

If you use compatible cloud accounting software, much of this should already live in the system. The goal at year end is completeness and cut-off — not reinventing the books. Spot-check that invoices dated just before and after the year end sit in the right period.

Decisions worth reviewing before the year closes

• Stock and WIP valuation — agree the method and count date with your accountant.
• Directors’ loan account — overdrawn balances can create tax charges; plan repayments or dividends carefully.
• Salary versus dividends — review remuneration for the period that is ending, not only the next one.
• Capital expenditure — timing of plant and equipment purchases can affect reliefs; discuss before you buy.
• Bad debts and provisions — identify invoices that are genuinely irrecoverable.
• Related-party transactions — document anything that needs disclosure in the accounts.
• Going-concern and cash — if the next twelve months look tight, raise it early so accounts wording and tax planning stay aligned.

A simple four-week countdown

1. Four weeks out — chase missing invoices, reconcile banks, list open questions for your accountant.
2. Two weeks out — draft stock/WIP figures, update fixed asset register, review directors’ loan.
3. Year-end week — freeze cut-off (invoices dated correctly), save bank PDFs, note any unusual transactions.
4. After year end — send the pack promptly so Corporation Tax can be estimated well before the payment date.

Directors who only “think about the accounts” when HMRC’s payment deadline is weeks away usually pay more — in fees, stress and sometimes interest. Build the countdown into your calendar the same way you would a VAT quarter.

VAT, payroll and other moving parts

Year end for the company is not the only calendar that matters. If you are VAT-registered, keep VAT periods reconciled so the accounts and VAT returns tell the same story. If you run payroll, make sure FPS submissions, employer liabilities and any benefits are reflected before you sign off. CIS, if relevant to your trade, should be brought up to date as well. Treating these streams as separate “someone else’s problem” is how year-end queries multiply.

Filing and software notes

Company Tax Returns must be filed electronically. HMRC has been closing older free online filing routes for unrepresented companies, so most businesses now use commercial software or an agent. If you currently file yourself, check which channel you will use for your next return — do not leave that decision until the week before the deadline.

Late Companies House accounts and late CT600 filings attract separate penalties. Paying Corporation Tax late attracts interest. A tidy year-end pack is the cheapest insurance against all three. For a deeper walk-through of payment versus filing dates, see our insight on Corporation Tax deadlines for small limited companies.

How we help at Muftals

Our limited company accounts service covers statutory accounts, Corporation Tax computations and CT600 filing, with bookkeeping and payroll support where needed. We work with small companies across Chislehurst, Bromley, Orpington, Swanley and Sidcup, plus remote clients across the UK.

If year end is approaching and your records feel messy, get in touch early — a short planning call now is almost always cheaper than a rushed filing later. Confirm non-standard accounting periods with HMRC or your adviser so your personal calendar matches the statutory one.