Featured guides
Companies House Late Filing Penalties 2026 (£150–£1,500): Deadlines Guide
The automatic penalty runs £150 to £1,500 — and doubles if accounts are late two years running. Every 2026 Companies House deadline, the full penalty schedule, and a free deadline checker for accountants.
Self Assessment Deadlines & Penalties 2026 — Accountant's Guide
Every Self Assessment date — register by 5 October, file online by 31 January — plus the penalty ladder: £100 fine, then £10/day after 3 months, and 5% or £300 surcharges at 6 and 12 months. Free deadline alerts.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA): The Complete 2026 Guide
When MTD for Income Tax applies, the qualifying income thresholds, quarterly update deadlines, the final declaration, standard vs calendar quarters, and the penalty regime.
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VAT Return Deadlines for UK Accountants: Stagger Groups, Payment Dates, and Penalties
How VAT stagger groups work, when quarterly returns and payments are due, the Annual Accounting Scheme calendar, and the new points-based penalty regime.
VAT Stagger Groups: How to Check and Fix a Mismatch Before the Deadline
HMRC allocates every VAT-registered business a stagger group. How to check which one a client is on, why a mismatch matters, and how to change it online.
Self Assessment Payment on Account: How to Reduce It Before 31 July
Your clients' second Self Assessment payment on account is due 31 July. When to reduce it, how to do it (SA303 or online), and the interest risk of cutting too far.
Director's Loan Account and s455: When the Charge Bites
When the s455 tax charge actually applies to an overdrawn director's loan account, how to reclaim it, and the bed-and-breakfasting rules to watch for.
Charity Commission Annual Return Deadlines Explained
How Charity Commission annual return deadlines work, why they differ from Companies House, and what UK accountants must file for charitable companies.
From Spreadsheets to a Monitoring Tool: 200 Clients
How to migrate a 200-client accounting book from a deadlines spreadsheet to a monitoring tool without losing dates, context or client trust.
ECCTA IDV: the 12-Month Window Closes 18 November 2026 — Which Clients Are Still Unverified?
Mandatory identity verification started 18 November 2025. As the one-year mark approaches, a practitioner checklist for identifying and clearing unverified directors and PSCs before their CS01 deadline arrives.
Companies House IDV Transition: the Autumn 2026 Window Is Now
Mandatory identity verification at Companies House started 18 November 2025. The transition deadline for existing directors is the next CS01 — for autumn-dated companies, that is now. ACSP route, fees, and what has not been decided.
P11D and Class 1A NIC: the 6 and 22 July Deadlines
A clear guide to the P11D filing deadline on 6 July and Class 1A NIC payment dates on 19 and 22 July, plus penalties for missing them.
MTD for ITSA: Your Q1 Pre-Submission Checklist Before 7 August
The first mandated MTD for Income Tax quarterly update is due 7 August 2026. A client-by-client checklist to file a clean Q1 — even though year one carries no penalty.
MTD ITSA Penalties Explained: the Soft Landing, Points System, and What Changes in 2027/28
The MTD ITSA soft landing pauses quarterly-update penalty points in 2026/27 only. From 2027/28: one point per missed update, £200 at four points. Final-declaration and payment penalties apply from day one.
PenaltyProof vs Inform Direct
Inform Direct is company secretarial software — share registers, CH form filing, PSC management. PenaltyProof is a deadline alert service. An honest case for when they complement each other.
Deadline Alert Services vs Practice Management Suites
Senta, Karbon, Pixie, and BrightManager vs a dedicated alert service. When a suite is the right answer, when it is overhead, and what the honest-loss cases are for a standalone alert tool.
MTD for ITSA: Standard vs Calendar Quarters — Which Election to Make
MTD for Income Tax lets you file quarterly updates on standard or calendar periods. The deadlines are identical — here's the difference and which to elect.
PenaltyProof vs PracticeFlow
PracticeFlow is workflow management software with deadline tracking; PenaltyProof is a dedicated alert service. An honest comparison on price, HMRC coverage, and when each fits a practice.
PenaltyProof vs ComplyTrack
ComplyTrack covers Companies House filings for SMEs and directors; PenaltyProof covers HMRC and CH obligations for accountant portfolios. A price-for-coverage comparison.
MTD for ITSA: Segmenting Your Client Book by Qualifying Income
How to triage a client book into the four MTD ITSA segments — mandated now, mandated 2027, mandated 2028, out of scope — with the record-keeping and software conversations to have now.
PenaltyProof vs Companies House eReminders
Companies House's free eReminders service covers two filing types. PenaltyProof covers nine obligation types across the same client list. An honest comparison of what each does and when to use both.
UK Accountant's 2026 Deadline Calendar
Every key 2026 deadline for UK accountants in one calendar: Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE, P11D, Self-Assessment and Companies House filings.
PenaltyProof and GDPR: Data Handling for CH, HMRC, and Compliance Alerts
Exactly what data PenaltyProof reads and stores — CH API, HMRC obligation dates, and client contact emails — and the UK GDPR legal basis for each.
CIS Monthly Returns & Deadlines: The Complete Guide for Contractors' Accountants
How the Construction Industry Scheme works — who files, the 19th monthly return deadline, verification and deduction rates, nil returns, and the late filing penalty schedule.
Strike-Off and Restoration: DS01 vs Compulsory
The difference between voluntary DS01 strike-off and compulsory dissolution, plus how to restore a struck-off company through administrative or court routes.
Confirmation Statement Overdue: What Happens Next
A missed confirmation statement can trigger strike-off, not just a fine. This guide covers the penalty timeline, the strike-off process, and how to check clients in bulk.
Filing Dormant Company Accounts (AA02): A Walkthrough
How to file form AA02 dormant company accounts at Companies House, the boxes that catch people out, and the common reasons filings get rejected.
How to Check Companies House Filing Deadlines in Bulk
Manual checks fail at scale. This guide explains why spreadsheets and the CH website fall short, and how a monitoring tool handles bulk deadline tracking for accountants.
MTD for ITSA: 2026 Rollout Plan for Accountants
A practical rollout plan for UK accountants preparing clients for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment from April 2026, with thresholds and software.
Filing Deadline Alert Tools for UK Accountants (2026 Comparison)
Comparing the free CH reminder service, practice management software, and dedicated monitoring tools — with obligation coverage across CH, HMRC, CIS, pension, and compliance.
PSC Register Mistakes That Trigger CH Queries
The most common PSC register errors UK accountants make, why Companies House rejects filings, and how to fix nature-of-control statements correctly.
Companies House ID Verification Under the ECCT Act
How UK accountants can plan for Companies House identity verification, including direct IDV, ACSP identity checks, authorised-agent filing, and role-specific timing.
What Is a Confirmation Statement and When Is It Due?
Every UK limited company must file a confirmation statement annually. Here is what it is, when it is due, and what happens if you miss the deadline.
How Companies House Late Filing Penalties Work (and How to Avoid Them)
UK Companies House late filing penalties start at £150 and double for second offences. Learn the exact schedule and how to avoid them.
Stop tracking deadlines manually
PenaltyProof monitors all of these deadlines automatically for every client on your list.