Company accounts + CT600

Annual accounts turn the company's records into a formal report for its financial year. The balance sheet is a snapshot at the year end. It shows what the company owns, what it owes and the accumulated value attributable to shareholders. Cash, equipment and unpaid customer invoices are examples of assets. Tax, loans and unpaid supplier bills are examples of liabilities.

The profit and loss account explains performance over the period rather than at one date. It starts with income, deducts the costs of earning it and arrives at a profit or loss. Small companies may not place the full profit and loss account on the public Companies House record, but it is still needed to prepare the accounts and tax return correctly.

Our commercial tiers use turnover as a simple indicator of likely workload: £349 for a micro package below £50,000, £449 for £50,000 to £150,000, and £559 for £150,000 to £300,000. These are service pricing bands, not a claim that turnover alone determines the company's legal reporting regime.

Company law size thresholds look at turnover, balance sheet total and average employee numbers, usually with two of the three tests needing to be met. Those statutory thresholds can change and are much higher than our service bands. A legally micro company can still have complicated records, while a company with higher turnover can be tidy. If complexity falls outside the checklist, we quote it separately before starting.

The accounts describe the company's financial performance and position under accounting rules. The CT600 is the Corporation Tax return submitted to HMRC. It reports taxable profits, tax adjustments, reliefs and the Corporation Tax due. The tax result often differs from the accounting profit because tax law treats some expenses, income and asset purchases differently.

HMRC normally receives the CT600 together with the accounts and a tax computation that bridges accounting profit to taxable profit. Companies House receives the appropriate statutory accounts, not the CT600. Buying this package covers both filing streams, which reduces the risk of completing one and overlooking the other.

A private company normally files accounts at Companies House within nine months of its year end. Corporation Tax is usually payable nine months and one day after the end of the accounting period, while the CT600 deadline is normally 12 months after the period ends. Payment can therefore be due before the return filing deadline.

Our turnaround begins when complete, usable records and answers have been received. If the bookkeeping needs correction or reconstruction, that is additional work because accounts cannot be reliable when the underlying records are incomplete. We identify that early and agree any extra cost rather than discovering it on the final bill.