You have registered a new limited company. The certificate of incorporation has arrived, and the work is just starting. Nothing is due this week, so it is easy to put the paperwork aside. But several deadlines were set on the day Companies House registered the company, and others will be fixed by the accounting period you choose. New directors who miss them usually do so because the dates never reached a calendar, not because the filings were hard.

This article sets out the main dates a new private limited company has to meet in its first year or so, and a simple way to keep evidence that each was done.

Companies House: two dates that start at registration

First accounts. GOV.UK says a new company must file its first accounts with Companies House 21 months after the date it registered with Companies House. After that, annual accounts are due 9 months after the end of the company's financial year. The first deadline feels a long way off, so write it down now.

Confirmation statement. Under Companies House guidance, you must review the company's details and file at least one confirmation statement every 12 months. You can file up to 14 days after the review period ends. The guidance currently gives the fee as £50 online. Filing confirms that the information Companies House holds, such as officers, shareholders and people with significant control, is up to date.

HMRC: Corporation Tax works to different dates

Corporation Tax runs on the company's accounting period for tax, not on its Companies House registration date. GOV.UK's guide to setting up a limited company includes adding Corporation Tax services to your business tax account as one of the set-up steps. Once that is done, GOV.UK gives two separate deadlines:

  • Pay Corporation Tax 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period.
  • File the Company Tax Return 12 months after the end of the accounting period.

The payment is due before the return. GOV.UK also notes that you do not get a bill for Corporation Tax, so the company needs its own reminder.

All year: the records behind the filings

Every filing depends on records you keep as you go. GOV.UK says a limited company must keep company records and accounting records. Accounting records include all money received and spent, assets, debts owed to and by the company, and stock. Company records include shareholders and the results of shareholder votes and resolutions. Accounting records must normally be kept for 6 years from the end of the last financial year they relate to, and sometimes for longer.

Keep the proof: a one-page first-year calendar

Set up one table for the company on the day it is registered:

  • Filing: first accounts, confirmation statement, Corporation Tax payment, Company Tax Return, and VAT returns if you register.
  • Due date: worked out from the registration date or the accounting period end.
  • Reminder: a date at least a month earlier.
  • Filed or paid: the date, and who did it.
  • Evidence: where the submission receipt, acknowledgement or payment reference is kept.

Save each Companies House and HMRC confirmation as it arrives, and keep it with the records it relates to. If a date is missed, record what happened and check the official guidance or take advice straight away rather than waiting for a letter.

A structured place to start

The UK Limited Company Formation Guide is a 30-page PDF for readers forming a UK limited company for the first time. It covers formation step by step, required documents, costs, banking, accounting and tax, and director responsibilities. It also includes a first-year roadmap, a compliance calendar, a worked formation example and planning worksheets, so the dates above sit in one place.

Explore the guide and instant PDF download.

Know what changed. Know what to do. Keep the proof.

📘 PDFBlueprints — plain-English UK compliance guides for landlords, sole traders & small employers. Checklists, trackers & templates. Instant PDF. General information, not legal advice. Deadlines and fees checked against GOV.UK and Companies House guidance on 22 October 2026. Rules and fees can change, and some companies have extra duties (for example VAT, payroll or a non-standard accounting period), so verify current requirements and take qualified advice for your situation.