The free online service for filing accounts and company tax returns will be permanently closed from April 2026. Small businesses that rely on this service to submit accounts to Companies House and tax returns to HMRC will need to switch to commercial software.
From 1 April 2026, companies will only be able to file annual accounts with Companies House using third-party software, web services, or paper forms.
The software must support CT600 filing, corporation tax computations, and company accounts. Business owners should download and save at least three years of past filings, as access to previous submissions will no longer be available after April 2026.
To save previous filings:
- Go to ‘Track your submissions’ and select the relevant period.
- Choose the ‘HMRC’ or ‘Companies House’ submission link.
- Select ‘Save your return in HTML’ on the filing summary page.
- Download the file to your computer.
Businesses will now need to purchase suitable software to meet filing requirements. Since online corporation tax filing was introduced in 2011, more commercial options have become available, though they come with a monthly fee. However, these tools offer benefits such as improved validation, tax support, and filing reminders, making compliance easier.
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