Tax and pensions
How and when should I register for taxes and employee pensions, and what filings do I need to make?
Once you start trading in the UK whether via a limited company, partnership or sole trader, you will need to register with HMRC and file taxes on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. These are activities you can do yourself, or can employ the services of an accountant on your behalf.
Tax registration
Register for business-related taxes
from HMRC
WHAT? The HMRC online registration process with guidance information. This enables you to report all taxes to HMRC
WHEN? You have any kind of business
WHY? Required by UK Law
OTHER RESOURCES?
>> HMRC-specific links for self-assessment registration and Pay as You Earn (PAYE) employee registration:
Register for VAT
Guidance on when you need to register for VAT and how to do it
from GOV.UK
WHAT? A link to the online registration process with guidance information
WHEN? Your business turnover has reached £85,000. You can also register voluntarily before this point if you think it would benefit your business.
WHY? UK Law requires business with a turnover in excess £85,000 to register for VAT in line with current legislation
Tax submission software
Worth a read if your tax becomes sufficiently large or complex to justify using specialist software
from HMRC
WHAT? A list of cloud-based software services to produce tax compliant documents for filing
WHEN? Enables businesses to file company accounts, VAT returns, corporation tax returns and self-assessment returns
WHY? Specialist software may be more efficient when you reach a tipping point
Pensions
Learn about your legal obligation to provide an auto-enrolment pension scheme for employees
from Nest
WHAT? There are various providers who can set up a compliant auto-enrolment pension for employees. Nest is the government-backed provider, but there are also many commercial options.
WHEN? You have employees
WHY? As well as registering for PAYE, a company must provide a workplace pension if it has employees
