A new limited company has three compliance tasks in its first year: registering for Corporation Tax within 3 months of trading, filing a confirmation statement within 12 months of incorporation, and monitoring the VAT registration threshold on a rolling basis. Missing any of these leads to penalties, and most new directors miss at least one because incorporation itself feels like the finish line rather than the starting point.
Register For Corporation Tax Within 3 Months Of Trading, Not Incorporation
The 3-month window starts from the date your company begins trading. Trading means the first sale, the first advertising activity, or the first employee. It does not mean the date Companies House approved your incorporation.
This distinction catches out new directors often. A company incorporated in January might not take its first payment until March. The registration clock starts in March, not January. Confusing the two dates is the single most common reason new companies miss this deadline.
HMRC provides the official Corporation Tax registration service directly. Registration requires the company’s Unique Taxpayer Reference, its registration number, and the date trading started.
File A Confirmation Statement Within 12 Months Of Incorporation
Every UK limited company must confirm its registered details with Companies House at least once every 12 months. The filing itself takes minutes. The risk sits in forgetting it exists.
The first deadline lands exactly 12 months after incorporation. By that point, most founders are focused on running the business rather than tracking Companies House paperwork. Persistent failure to file can lead to Companies House striking the company off the register entirely.
Companies House explains the process on its confirmation statement guidance page.
Monitor The VAT Threshold On A Rolling 12-Month Basis, Not By Financial Year
VAT registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period, not a fixed calendar or financial year. A strong quarter can push a company past the threshold well before annual accounts would ever reveal it.
Once the threshold is crossed, registration is due within 30 days of the end of that month. Miss this window, and HMRC can require VAT to be accounted for retroactively, calculated on turnover that was never collected from customers with VAT added.
Full details sit on the gov.uk VAT registration page.
Register For PAYE Before The First Payday, If Paying A Salary
Director-shareholders commonly pay themselves a mix of salary and dividends. Our guide to salary vs dividends for 2026/27 covers how that split works. Whatever the structure, PAYE registration must happen before the first payment, not after. A first payroll submission filed against an unregistered PAYE scheme is already non-compliant.
Set Up Bookkeeping From The First Transaction, Not Month Six
The most expensive first-year mistake is not a missed deadline. It is months of receipts stored loosely, with proper bookkeeping postponed until “things settle down.” Reconstructing a year’s records from memory and scattered paperwork afterward costs far more in accountant time than doing it correctly from day one.
Cloud software such as Xero, QuickBooks, or FreeAgent removes most of this friction when set up at the start. Bank feeds categorise transactions automatically, so records stay current instead of needing rebuilding before year-end.
First-Year Compliance Timeline
| Deadline | Action |
|---|---|
| Within 3 months of trading | Register for Corporation Tax |
| Before first payday | Register for PAYE, if paying a salary |
| Ongoing, rolling 12 months | Monitor the £90,000 VAT threshold |
| 12 months after incorporation | File the first confirmation statement |
| 9 months and 1 day after the accounting period ends | Pay Corporation Tax owed |
| 12 months after the accounting period ends | File the CT600 Company Tax Return |
Why Slough Sees This Pattern Often
Slough’s business mix includes contractors converting from sole trader status, first-time founders on the Trading Estate, and e-commerce sellers scaling quickly. A national formation agent processing incorporations at volume has no practical way to walk each client through what happens next. That gap is where deadlines get missed.
How Direct Assist Accountants Helps
Whether a company was formed through us or elsewhere, we handle Corporation Tax registration, PAYE setup, VAT monitoring, and first-year bookkeeping for Slough-based directors. Our company formation and registered office service includes first-year guidance as standard.
For directors who need MTD compliance alongside these deadlines once income crosses relevant thresholds, our guide to Making Tax Digital for Income Tax covers what changed in April 2026.
To map out exactly which deadlines apply to a specific company, contact Direct Assist Accountants for a free consultation.
This article reflects UK company compliance requirements as of the 2026/27 tax year. Deadlines and thresholds can change. For advice specific to a company’s circumstances, consult a qualified accountant.