There are a number of online tools available to help find information about a property in England or Wales, even if you do not own it. The service is available on GOV.UK and allows users to search for property by postcode, map, title number or INSPIRE ID.

Once a property has been located, users can download copies of the property summary, title plan and title register for a property in the service. To get details of any ‘restrictive covenants’ or ‘easements’ users will need to purchase the title register.

The property summary is free of charge. There is a £3 charge for the title plan and title register when purchased online. If the title cannot be downloaded online, then a copy will be sent by post at a charge of £7 per document.

A separate flood risk report for properties in England can be obtained from the Environment Agency.

There are different registers that need to be used if the property is in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

A Corporation Tax Group Payment Arrangement (GPA) is a special arrangement that allows groups of companies to make joint payments of Corporation Tax. This type of arrangement can reduce the administration and costs associated with making a large number of individual payments. A GPA can also let members of the group mitigate any potential differential interest charge by allowing the group to allocate payments in a way that is most beneficial.

Only certain groups can qualify for GPA and a legal agreement needs to be made. Companies that can enter a GPA are a parent company and its 51% subsidiaries. The 51% subsidiaries of those subsidiaries, and so on, can also be included in the group. This definition is not necessarily the same as other definitions used for groups by HMRC and other government departments and agencies.

A GPA does not alter the fact that each company is liable for its own Corporation Tax, although a GPA also makes the nominated company liable to discharge the Corporation Tax liabilities of all the companies participating in that GPA.

An application for using a GPA should only be made once all the necessary conditions have been or will be met. The application should be sent to HMRC at least one month before the first payment is due for the accounting period to be covered by the GPA. That is 6 months and 13 days after the start of the Corporation Tax accounting period.

If you have a September deadline for filing your accounts, leaving it until the last minute risks being hit with a fine.

All limited companies, whether they trade or not, must deliver annual accounts to Companies House each year. Directors are advised to file early, rather than leaving it until the 11th hour, when unforeseen circumstances could prevent you from being on time with the risk of financial penalties.

Directors have lots of responsibilities, including keeping company records up-to-date and making sure they’re filed on time. You need to understand your role as a director, the importance of remaining compliant and how late filing could affect your company.

Missing your filing deadline could affect your credit score or access to finance. It can affect how others view your company and whether they want to do business with you. There are also financial penalties and legal consequences – you could get a criminal record, a fine or disqualification.

Even if an accountant files your company’s accounts on your behalf, it’s still your responsibility, as director, to make sure they’re filed on time.

File online

If you file using online services you will be sent an email to confirm your accounts have been received. A further email will be sent when your accounts have been registered.

To file online, you may need your company authentication code. If you need to request a new code, you should allow up to five days for this to arrive at the company’s registered office.

Software filing

Over 65 per cent of companies use software filing as their preferred method.

There are a variety of software providers that offer a range of accounting packages to prepare and file accounts. Most types of accounts can be filed using software, depending on the functionality of the software package you’re using.

In the future, as part of new legislation brought about by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, you’ll only be able to file your accounts using software. This means you’ll no longer be able to file accounts on paper or using online services.

After the Bill achieves Royal Assent and becomes an Act, you’ll be notified about the timetable for the phased roll-out of the change to software-only filing. If you don’t already file using software, you will have time to make the change before it’s a legal requirement.

Avoid rejections

You should only send paper accounts if your company cannot file online or by software. Accounts filed on paper need to be manually checked. They can be checked only during office opening hours, and they can take over a week to process.

If you need to file your accounts on paper, you should send them well before the deadline. This will give you plenty of time to correct your accounts and resend them if they are rejected.

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