1 man band Ltd director - I was not trading in 2025/26 and want to make the company dormant - how to approach the final steps?

[User_Name_2]

Hi Everyone,

I had been a one- man band Ltd company director for years but decided to stop trading and try my luck with something else. Because I took a year off and was not sure how things would work out, I left my PAYE scheme open for the current tax year (2025/26). However, now I know that I most likely won't be working as Ltd anymore, so I have already ceased the PAYE scheme earlier this year and submitted everything to HMRC via the Basic PAYE Tool I have always used .

Now I have got a little problem with my company tax return filing that I always submitted via their webpage. I was not trading in 2025/26, so it will be a simple £0 filing, but unfortunately, I am not allowed to submit the return now, as I am getting an error saying that I need to wait until the 31st of March. The problem is that on the 31st of March, they are going to close the webpage filing, and from what they say, I will have to use some commercial software.

Is there any workaround, such as a paper copy filing , or an option to change the date to before the 31st (I can't see it anywhere), to avoid all the hassle with setting up everything using a commercial software when all I want is to submit that final tax return and close that topic?

If I leave the company dormant, I know I will still have to submit the confirmation statement every year, but do I still have to submit the company tax return too? If so, would the only way to avoid that be to remove the company from their register?

Cheers

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

Hi Everyone,

I had been a one- man band Ltd company director for years but decided to stop trading and try my luck with something else. Because I took a year off and was not sure how things would work out, I left my PAYE scheme open for the current tax year (2025/26). However, now I know that I most likely won't be working as Ltd anymore, so I have already ceased the PAYE scheme earlier this year and submitted everything to HMRC via the Basic PAYE Tool I have always used .

Now I have got a little problem with my company tax return filing that I always submitted via their webpage. I was not trading in 2025/26, so it will be a simple £0 filing, but unfortunately, I am not allowed to submit the return now, as I am getting an error saying that I need to wait until the 31st of March. The problem is that on the 31st of March, they are going to close the webpage filing, and from what they say, I will have to use some commercial software.

Is there any workaround, such as a paper copy filing , or an option to change the date to before the 31st (I can't see it anywhere), to avoid all the hassle with setting up everything using a commercial software when all I want is to submit that final tax return and close that topic?

If I leave the company dormant, I know I will still have to submit the confirmation statement every year, but do I still have to submit the company tax return too? If so, would the only way to avoid that be to remove the company from their register?

Cheers

What date did the company cease trading and has it had any income or gains at all since then?

If the company is dormant you can tell HMRC and wont need to submit Corporation tax returns. You will then just submit annual accounts and a Confirmation statement to Companies House.

Tell HMRC your company is dormant for Corporation Tax

How to manage tell HMRC your company is dormant for Corporation Tax if you have stopped trading or have never traded.

www.gov.uk

 

[User_Name_2]

What date did the company cease trading and has it had any income or gains at all since then?

If the company is dormant you can tell HMRC and wont need to submit Corporation tax returns. You will then just submit annual accounts and a Confirmation statement to Companies House.

I paid my final salary and dividend at the end of March 2025 and then from April it was dormant, no trading, no income, no expenses. I only had my PAYE scheme open, as I wasn't sure if I start a new contract or not, but I finally didn't so I ceased PAYE earlier this year, no payments were made under that scheme either from April. So between 1st April and now, zero income, zero expenses, no trading, no payments under PAYE.

I informed HMRC using your link but I think I have made a tactical mistake, as I used 6th of April date, when I think I should have used 1st instead, as I mixed the dates for personal accounts and corporation accounts... I hope they won't want to get CT600 for between 1st - 6th and then Dorman accounts after. Obviously all will be nil anyway but that would create a problem with using some commercial software I mentioned above.