What to Do After Registering a Company (UK Checklist)

After registering a company, the first things to do are: make sure every person with significant control has verified their identity, tell HMRC the company is active for Corporation Tax, open a business bank account, set up your records, and decide whether you need VAT and PAYE. Then put four dates in your calendar: the confirmation statement, the annual accounts, the Corporation Tax payment and the Company Tax Return. This checklist covers the first 90 days and the first year, with the deadlines that carry penalties if you miss them.

The First Week

Check your incorporation documents. Companies House emails the certificate of incorporation. Check the company name, number, registered office, directors and shareholders. Keep the certificate, memorandum and articles together; banks ask for them. The company registration number on the certificate goes on your website, letters and invoices.
PSC identity verification. People with significant control who did not verify at incorporation have 14 days from incorporation to do it. See PSC verification explained.
Statutory registers. The company must keep registers of members (shareholders), directors and PSCs, plus minutes of decisions. Many small companies keep these digitally.
Share certificates. Each shareholder should have a certificate showing the shares they hold.

The First Month

Open a business bank account. Keep company money separate from your own; it is the company’s money, not yours. Banks need the company number, the directors’ identity documents and the shareholders’ details. See do I need a business bank account and, if you live abroad, business bank accounts for non-residents.
Corporation Tax. If you did not set it up when you registered the company, add Corporation Tax to the company’s HMRC business tax account. You must tell HMRC within 3 months of starting to do business. HMRC posts the company’s 10-digit UTR to the registered office.
Bookkeeping. Choose how you will keep records of sales and costs from day one. Accounts are much cheaper to prepare from clean records.
Data protection fee. If the company handles personal data electronically, it probably needs to pay the ICO data protection fee.
Insurance. Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement once you employ staff. Other cover, such as professional indemnity, depends on your business and contracts.

Do You Need VAT and PAYE?

VAT becomes compulsory when taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 months, or if you expect to pass it in the next 30 days alone. You can register voluntarily before that. Our VAT registration guide explains the start date, schemes and the questions HMRC asks.

PAYE is needed if the company pays a salary to anyone, including you as a director. Register before the first payday, and no earlier than 2 months before it. See registering as an employer.

CorpAssist can do both for you from one online questionnaire: VAT registration for £69.99 and PAYE employer registration for £59.99.

Your First-Year Deadlines

What	When
PSCs verify their identity	At incorporation or within 14 days of it
Tell HMRC the company is liable for Corporation Tax	Within 3 months of starting to do business
Register for VAT	Within 30 days of the end of the month taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in 12 months (or when you expect to)
Register as an employer (PAYE)	Before the first payday, and no earlier than 2 months before it
First confirmation statement	Within 14 days after the first anniversary of incorporation
First annual accounts to Companies House	21 months after the date of incorporation
Pay Corporation Tax	9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period
Company Tax Return to HMRC	12 months after the end of the accounting period

Late accounts carry automatic Companies House penalties, and a late confirmation statement can lead to the company being struck off. The full calendar is in annual filing requirements. GOV.UK lists the official dates in accounts and tax returns for private limited companies.

Keeping Companies House Up to Date

You must tell Companies House about changes, usually within 14 days. The most common are:

A director joins or leaves. New directors must have verified their identity first. See how to appoint or remove a director.
Changes to a director’s or PSC’s details, such as a new service address
A new person with significant control, or a change in someone’s control
A new registered office. See changing your registered office.
A new company name. See how to change a company name.

Common Mistakes in the First Year

Using the company account for personal spending. Money you take out must be salary, dividends, expenses or a recorded director’s loan.
Missing the 3-month Corporation Tax notification, especially when the company starts trading months after incorporation.
Forgetting the first confirmation statement, which arrives a year after incorporation when nobody is expecting it.
Letters going unread. HMRC and Companies House post to the registered office. If that is an address you rarely visit, make sure the post reaches you.

Let CorpAssist Handle the Filings

After formation, CorpAssist can take the routine filings and registrations off your hands:

Confirmation statement filed for £89.99, including the £50 Companies House fee
Director appointments and resignations filed for £49.99 each
VAT registration prepared and submitted to HMRC for £69.99
PAYE employer registration for £59.99
Every filing checked by a person, and Companies House filings made through our Companies House-registered ACSP partner
Works for directors living outside the UK

Start — £89.99 What is included

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do after registering a limited company?

Make sure every PSC has verified their identity, tell HMRC the company is active for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting to trade, open a business bank account, set up statutory registers and bookkeeping, register for VAT and PAYE if you need to, and put the confirmation statement, accounts and tax deadlines in your calendar.

Do I need to register for Corporation Tax after setting up a company?

Yes. You can set it up when you register the company, or later through the company’s HMRC business tax account. If you do not do it at incorporation, you must tell HMRC within 3 months of starting to do business. HMRC sends the company’s Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) to the registered office.

When is my first confirmation statement due?

The first confirmation statement is due within 14 days after the first anniversary of the date the company was incorporated, and then at least once every 12 months. The Companies House fee is £50 online.

When are my company’s first accounts due?

First accounts must reach Companies House 21 months after the date the company was registered. After that, accounts are due 9 months after the end of each financial year.

Do I need to register for VAT straight away?

Only if your taxable turnover has gone over £90,000 in any 12-month period, or you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days alone. Below that you can register voluntarily, for example to reclaim VAT on costs or because your customers expect a VAT number.

Do I need to pay myself a salary through PAYE?

Only if the company pays a salary to you or anyone else. Many directors take a small salary and dividends. If the company pays any salary, expenses or benefits, it must register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday.

Does my company need to pay the ICO data protection fee?

Most companies that process personal data electronically, such as customer details, must pay the data protection fee to the Information Commissioner’s Office unless an exemption applies. Check the ICO’s self-assessment tool.

Not registered yet? Start with the information you need to register a company, or see our company formation packages.

Deadlines checked against GOV.UK on 30 October 2026. CorpAssist does not provide accounting or tax advice; speak to an accountant about your company’s tax position.