Withdrawal of the current HMRC Online Tax Return - CT product from 23/11/09

DickM · Oct 7, 2009

The following message is currently displayed on HMRC's Ltd Co CT600 (Corp Tax Return), when you have signed on to your normal area /website portal (I have highlighted in red, what I believe is an important "heads up" from HMRC ) :-

" Background

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is updating its existing Corporation Tax (CT) Online service in autumn 2009.

The updated service will provide improved IT infrastructure and validation that will allow users to meet their obligations for compulsory online filing coming in April 2011.

Both HMRC's software and commercial software will be available to support the updated service.

Withdrawal of the current HMRC Online Tax Return - CT product from 23/11/09

The current HMRC Online CT Return, which includes the CT600 return form and Supplementary Pages A, C, and J, will be withdrawn from 23/11/09. Until the 18/11/09 you (or your agent) can continue to use the software to complete and file your Company Tax Return online.

Action you may need to take before the launch of the new HMRC product

If you plan to use the current HMRC Online CT Return to file your (or your client's) Company Tax Return you must complete and submit it before the launch of the new HMRC product and we recommend you do this by 18/11/09.

Any Company Tax Returns that you have started to prepare but have not filed before then will be lost in the change over and any data input you have made will not be saved. This means that you either need to complete and file any return you have started, with appropriate attachments, before 23/11/09 or keep a record of the information in the partially completed return, so you can use it to file your return when you are ready to do so. Please note that you will have to re-key the data into the new product, if you choose to use it.

In addition you will not be able to view any returns previously filed online after the change over. If you haven't already done so we strongly recommend that you save these returns locally to your computer or print them out for your own records by 18/11/09.

Introducing the new HMRC CT online filing product - available from 23/11/09

The new product, which will be downloadable to your own computer, will include the CT600 (short) return form, accounts and computation templates, which you can use to file a return with supplementary pages A, E & J, if needed. The new product supports Accounting Periods ending after 31/03/2008.

You will be able to use the new product if the fields presented allow you to enter everything you need to include to make a complete Company Tax Return.

More information about the specifications of the HMRC new online filing product, including the criteria to use the return form and templates is available on the HMRC website "

Robert Wheeler · Oct 7, 2009

I don't understand much about accounting, but isn't this something that you would think the HMRC would be required to provide legacy support for?

Is this something that could prompt a situation where an audit is requested and the accountant finds that records they thought they had access to online are no longer available?

DickM · Oct 7, 2009

Robert Wheeler said:
I don't understand much about accounting, but isn't this something that you would think the HMRC would be required to provide legacy support for?

Is this something that could prompt a situation where an audit is requested and the accountant finds that records they thought they had access to online are no longer available?

HMRC will still operate record retention, also it's down to the clients and accountants to do the same.
The point of my post was to alert UKBF members to upcoming major changes to HMRC CT600 electronic filing process, when some of us have only recently become semi-efficient with their existing system of "snakes & ladders"

Perhaps this is the beginning of the commonisation process between HMRC & Company House, Cardiff (recently publicised on the latter's website).

David Griffiths · Oct 7, 2009

I don't think that many accountants use the HMRC online services. Some will, because it's free. Many will use third party software and use that to file online.

Having used HMRC products on behalf of clients in the past I'm quite content to pay for something decent. Free is far too expensive in this case!

Jenni384 · Oct 7, 2009

Agree with David.
While I used to use the HMRC personal tax return product (many years ago!) I looked at the CT one a while back, shuddered, and bought something decent

I would guess the HMRC product is mostly used by folk who DIY.

DickM · Oct 7, 2009

Jenni384 said:
Agree with David.
While I used to use the HMRC personal tax return product (many years ago!) I looked at the CT one a while back, shuddered, and bought something decent

I would guess the HMRC product is mostly used by folk who DIY.

Jenni, I totally take on board both yours and David's comments. However, I've never walked away from a challenge in sport or business, and believe I've developed some quick fixes to HMRC's currently quirky on-line CT600 submission, since incorporating my own Ltd Co in 2005:

As it's not exactly user friendly for DIY newbies reporting their first year corp. tax liability - nearly always the first "year" that Co House set their reporting time period for, is a few weeks in excess of one calendar year. To meet HMRC CT current reporting requirements that only up to one calendar year of trading results can be included in their stipulated "tax year", the comparable Co House first reporting period has to be then split into one "tax" calendar year to meet HMRC requirements, and just a week or more to make up the remaining overspill period that constitutes a separate tax reporting period for HMRC purposes. Once these first year accounts have been reviewed and accepted in different formats by both Co House & HMRC, then the next reporting year exactly matches both entities reporting periods ..... bliss?
HMRC require "notes to accounts", but sometimes reject the same notes that Co House accept. The layout of my own design MS Excel P&L plus Balance Sheet, with my "notes to accounts" and Director's signature plus date (all on one sheet of A4 landscape), appears to be 100% acceptable to HMRC when reproduced in Portable Document Format.
The only other PDF attachments I include with my HMRC CT submission are: The relatively recently added Directors Report(mandatory), and calculation details of how the Corp. Tax is calculated(nice to have) that always agrees with HMRC's calc to the penny. Handy, when you want to make an urgent CT payment to avoid fines, but cannot submit the CT600 immediately for some reason or another.

Unfortunately, just when my relatively simple package is growing in popularity with some of my director friends who have adopted it, along come HMRC with some possible changes to their reporting requirements, that may kick it into touch. However, to remain positive, it may only need a few tweaks here and there to bring it back up to speed. All will be revealed when HMRC publish their new CT reporting package next month

BTW, this thread has attracted over 160 "views" to date, so may be quite a few of us UKBF directors/accountants are still using HMRC software rather than investing in a 3rd party's product.

Tom Egerton · Oct 8, 2009

A very relevant post Dick to those of us small practitioners who only file small numbers of limited company accounts. Of more concern than what I think will be a minor change soon is the requirement that from April 2011 all attachments must be in iXBRL format (PDF files being unacceptable).

No doubt all proprietary software will be adapted by then. However those of us who prepare accounts using excel will be affected. Without wishing to start an argument about the mechanisation of accounts production, I find that, for small companies, manually produced accounts using an extended trial balance suit my way of working. I do have to keep up to date with disclosure requirements but once the templates are done I can "save as" any number of times with excel.

It may be the lesser of several evils but my preferred option is to reluctantly use HMRC's own software at the appointed time.

DickM · Oct 9, 2009

Hi Tom, your comments are much appreciated ..... fyi, I mentioned the bigger picture changes mooted for both Co House and HMRC in an earlier thread @ below link:-

http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=126280

'A step to the long awaited union of HMRC & Co House?'

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