Delivery of first Company Tax Return

[DJ314159]

HMRC online system for Corporation Tax will not let me enter the correct accounting dates.

I've been asked by HMRC to deliver a tax return for the period 13 Jan 2015 to 12 Jan 2016, and this is the period for which I would like
to deliver the accounts. However, when I enter a start date of 13 Jan 2015 and an end date of 12 Jan 2016 the system says that there is
an error since the end date cannot be later than 30 Dec 2015. What is going on?

The first accounting period of the company is from 13 Jan 2015 until 31 Mar 2016 (with Companies House), longer than one year. Thus, I believe I need to enter
accounts for the period (for HMRC) 13 Jan 2015 to 12 Jan 2016, and additional accounts for the period 13 Jan 2016 until 31 March 2016.

However, I'm blocked by the system refusing to let me enter the first year's account. Has anyone come up against this before?

I've contacted the HMRC helpline and was directed to an online form (by someone who I felt knew even less than me on the subject) where I
described my problem. I do not have much confidence that I will receive a response from them. The feedback system only allowed me to use one
line to describe the problem! Any thoughts? Thanks.

[amingram]

Hi

You are correct that where your accounts extand beyond 12 months you need to file two corporation tax returns, the first covering the first 2 months and the second the remainer of the period.

I think the trouble you may be having is that as your first set of accounts are drawn up to 31 March 2016, we have not yet got to this date, and therefore HMRC's system wont let you file a return as the accounts aren't finished.

Generally if say your accounts are for 14 months, you time apportion the profits 12/14 to the first return and 2/14 to the second, you don't take actual results for the 1st 12 months.

Also, the filing date for both tax returns is governed by the date your accounts are made up to, so both tax returns would be due to be filed by 31 March 2017.

Regards

Mark

[DJ314159]

Thanks Mark for the reply. That's a good suggestion that the problem could be that the company's accounting period has not yet ended, even though
I'm in a position to enter the first year's figures and I've got a letter requesting I deliver a return for that period. There's less than a month to wait and find out!

As I can enter the exact figures for the first year of trading, that's what I assumed I would have to do. I was unaware that I would have to divide the figures pro rata
for the two sets of accounts. Thanks.