What to Do After Registering a Company in the UK: A Deadline-Ordered Checklist
Registering your company is the easy part. Knowing what to do next is where most people get stuck. Here’s a simple timeline of what needs doing, starting this week, then over the next few months, and into your first year. We’ve helped thousands of founders through this stage, and the same questions come up every time.
This Week: Save Your Documents and Open a Bank Account
In your first week, save your three core documents, open a business bank account, and put a real domain-based email and a holding website live.
Save your Certificate of Incorporation, your Companies House authentication code, and your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). Your certificate usually arrives by email. The authentication code comes by post a few days later, and HMRC will send your UTR to your registered office within a couple of weeks. Without these three, you’ll struggle to file anything online or open a bank account smoothly. It’s one of the first places people get stuck.
Open a business bank account in the company name. A limited company is legally distinct from its directors, so income cannot run through your personal account. High-street banks take 1 to 3 weeks; Tide and Starling open accounts in 24 to 48 hours.
It’s worth setting up a proper domain email and at least a basic website early on. It makes a bigger difference than most people expect. Banks will check your website during account setup, and suppliers often do a quick search before extending credit, so both do get looked at. A proper email and even a simple holding page make you look established. A Gmail address can still work, but it doesn’t create the same impression. On whether you need one, see Do I Need a Website for My Small Business UK?. For honest annual costs, see How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in the UK?.
First Three Months: Tell HMRC You Are Trading
Register for Corporation Tax with HMRC within three months of starting to trade. Companies House registration does not do this for you.
You can do this through your business tax account on gov.uk using your UTR. In practise, ‘starting to trade’ usually means the moment you start to make money, such as sending your first invoice, taking a deposit, or signing a contract.
Missing this step isn’t the same as filing late, you can be penalised separately, which catches a lot of new directors out. This falls under HMRC’s penalty rules for failing to notify them on time. The penalty is based on the unpaid tax. HMRC then adjusts it depending on the reason, whether it was a genuine mistake or something more deliberate. If no tax is due, no financial penalty arises, though compliance action may still follow. A reasonable excuse, disclosed promptly, can reduce or remove it.
The three-month clock starts when you begin trading, not when the company was registered, which catches a lot of new directors out. The two are not linked. See Do I Need to Tell HMRC I Have Set Up a Limited Company UK? for the detail.
Before Your First Payday: Register for PAYE
Register for PAYE before the first time you pay anyone, including a director’s salary above the Lower Earnings Limit.
For PAYE, you’ll need to register as an employer online at gov.uk/register-employer. HMRC takes up to 15 working days to issue your Employer PAYE Reference and Accounts Office Reference. You can’t register more than two months before your first payday, which can be awkward if you leave it too late. If the references don’t arrive in time (which does happen), you can file your submission as soon as they come through.
Know the 2026/27 thresholds before setting a salary. Employer National Insurance starts at £96 a week (the secondary threshold). Employee NI and standard PAYE income tax apply from £242 a week. The Lower Earnings Limit is £6,708 a year (£129 a week). Employment Allowance is £10,500 with no eligibility cap.
A common approach is to take a small salary around the NI threshold and the rest as dividends, it’s simple and tends to be tax-efficient in most cases. See When Do I Need to Register for PAYE as a UK Limited Company?
When You Cross £90,000 in Turnover: Register for VAT
Register for VAT once your taxable turnover crosses £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period, or you expect to cross £90,000 in the next 30 days alone.
This isn’t based on the calendar year, which is where people slip up. It’s a rolling 12-month total that can catch you mid-year. The window can run any 12 months: January to December, February to January, and so on. Once you go over, the clock starts ticking. You’ve got 30 days from the end of that month to register, which can come around quickly if you’re not actively tracking your numbers.
VAT registration is handled through the same HMRC portal at gov.uk. Your VAT number arrives by post. Until then, charge a VAT-inclusive price but do not show VAT on the invoice; reissue VAT invoices once the number is live.
Below £90,000, registration is voluntary. Deregistration threshold is £88,000.
Year One Deadlines Diary: Three Annual Filings to Track
In your first year, there are three deadlines that matter most: the confirmation statement, the annual accounts to Companies House, and Corporation Tax. Missing any of them can get expensive.
Confirmation statement. Due within 14 days of your incorporation anniversary. From 1 February 2026 the Companies House online fee is £50 (paper £110). It confirms the public record for directors, shareholders, registered office and people with significant control. See What is a Confirmation Statement at Companies House UK?
Annual accounts to Companies House. Your first set is due 21 months after incorporation, covering incorporation to your accounting reference date (usually 12 to 13 months). After year one, accounts are due 9 months after each period ends. Late penalties run from £150 (up to 1 month) to £1,500 (more than 6 months), and double if late two years running.
Corporation Tax: two separate deadlines. Pay any Corporation Tax due 9 months and 1 day after your accounting period ends. File your CT600 (Company Tax Return) 12 months after the period ends. From 1 April 2026 the fixed CT600 late-filing penalties have increased: £200 one day late, £400 more than three months late, plus a 10% surcharge at six months on HMRC’s estimated tax, and another 10% at twelve. Three consecutive late filings step the fixed penalty to £1,000 or £2,000 even with no tax due. This is separate from the earlier ‘failure to notify’ penalty, so the two can apply independently.
One step prevents most missed deadlines. Companies House sends reminders to your registered email; HMRC sends them to your registered office. One of the most common reasons deadlines get missed is simple: HMRC letters go to an accountant’s address and never get passed on in time. Check yours is somewhere you see the post. Changing it is free, and worth doing if you’re not confident you’ll see every letter. Once the website is live and a contact form is collecting data, How to Make Your Small Business Website GDPR Compliant covers your privacy notice.
Want the Whole Post-Formation Setup Handled for You?
If you don’t want to juggle setting up a website, email, and compliance all at once, this is usually the point where people decide to get some help, and that’s exactly what Duport’s full setup is designed for.
For those also registering a limited company, the full bundle is £244 upfront. That covers company formation, your website, email, and seven compliance tools together. Renewal is £94 a year. The tools quietly track your filing dates so you do not miss a confirmation statement or accounts deadline.
If your formation is sorted and you only need the website built, Duport’s website build starts from £360. If you mention this article when you get in touch, we’ll honour the £244 bundle rate or £144 website rate. Done-for-you, live in 72 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register for VAT straight away after forming a limited company?
No. Register only once taxable turnover crosses £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period, or you expect to cross it in the next 30 days. Most small service businesses stay below the threshold in their first year, so they don’t register straight away.
Do I need an accountant for my first year as a limited company?
You don’t have to, but many people bring one in early because it helps avoid simple (and often costly) mistakes.
Can I keep my company dormant if I am not ready to trade yet?
Yes. Tell HMRC the company is dormant, then file dormant accounts and a confirmation statement each year. No Corporation Tax is due until trading.
What is the £50 confirmation statement fee for?
The annual statutory fee Companies House charges to confirm your public record details, separate from any accountant or registered office service fee. It rose from £34 on 1 February 2026.
