Who this service is for

This service suits limited companies in and around Birmingham that want their Corporation Tax handled properly and want to understand the tax side of the decisions they make. That includes owner-managed companies weighing up how the director and shareholders take money out, businesses buying equipment or vehicles and unsure how the cost is relieved, companies that have made a loss and want to use it well, and groups or associated companies where profits and thresholds need to be looked at together rather than in isolation.

How we can help

We act as a steady point of reference for the tax questions that come up as you run the business. Rather than only appearing at the year end, we aim to be available when a decision is being made (a purchase, a distribution, a change in structure) so the tax consequences are understood in advance rather than discovered afterwards. Where a relief or allowance might genuinely apply to your circumstances, we identify it and explain the conditions plainly.

Throughout, tax planning for us means using lawful allowances and reliefs. It does not mean artificial arrangements, and we will never promise a guaranteed saving or a particular result from HMRC.

What’s included

  • Preparation of Corporation Tax computations and the CT600 company tax return
  • Reconciling the tax return with your annual accounts so the two are consistent
  • Reviewing expenditure to distinguish allowable from disallowable costs
  • Claiming capital allowances on qualifying assets, including the reliefs available for plant and equipment
  • Advising on trading loss relief: current-year, carry-back and carry-forward options where they apply
  • Considering the tax position of directors and shareholders alongside the company’s own tax
  • Looking at group and associated-company considerations where relevant, including how thresholds are affected
  • Planning for tax payment dates and instalment obligations so the cash requirement is known in advance
  • Handling routine HMRC correspondence about your Corporation Tax
  • Highlighting reliefs that may be relevant to your activity, with the conditions explained clearly

How it works

  1. We start with a conversation about the company, its activity and any decisions on the horizon.
  2. We agree the scope in writing so you know exactly what is covered and what is not.
  3. We gather your accounting records and prepare the accounts and tax computation together.
  4. We review the figures with you, explain the tax position and flag anything worth discussing.
  5. We file the return, confirm the amount and dates to pay, and keep you posted on any HMRC response.

What we’ll need from you

To do this well we need your bookkeeping records or accounting software access, details of significant asset purchases and disposals, information about how money has been drawn by directors and shareholders, and a note of any loans, grants or unusual transactions during the year. If your company is part of a group or has associated companies, we will need the structure so thresholds are applied correctly. The earlier we have these, the more room there is to consider your options.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Treating the accounting profit as the taxable profit and being caught out by the adjustments
  • Assuming every business cost is deductible, when some, such as client entertaining, generally are not
  • Overlooking capital allowances on qualifying purchases and paying more tax than necessary
  • Deciding how to extract profit without checking the combined company and personal position
  • Leaving losses unused because nobody reviewed the relief options in time
  • Missing the payment date, which is earlier than the filing date for most smaller companies

Serving Birmingham and the Midlands

We look after company tax for businesses across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, working mostly through cloud accounting so your records and ours stay in step throughout the year. Meetings can be arranged when a decision warrants a proper conversation rather than an email.

Frequently asked questions

Is tax planning the same as a tax avoidance scheme?

No. What we do is use the allowances and reliefs that Parliament put into law: claiming capital allowances, relieving losses correctly, timing decisions sensibly. We do not use artificial or contrived arrangements, and we cannot promise a particular saving, because your figures and the rules together decide the outcome.

Do my annual accounts and my Corporation Tax return not just say the same thing?

They are connected but different. The accounts show the company's profit under accounting rules; the tax return adjusts that profit for tax purposes, for example adding back disallowable costs and substituting capital allowances for depreciation. We prepare both so the figures reconcile and the return reflects the accounts properly.

When does my company actually have to pay its Corporation Tax?

For most smaller companies, payment is due nine months and one day after the end of the accounting period, while the return itself is due twelve months after period end. Larger companies may have to pay in instalments. We flag your dates early so the cash requirement is not a shock.

We had a loss this year. Is that just wasted?

Not necessarily. A trading loss can often be set against other profits, carried back against an earlier period, or carried forward, subject to the rules that apply to your situation. We look at the options and explain which is available to you before anything is claimed.