Free HMRC company tax return filings ended on 31 March 2026
Free HMRC company tax return filings ended on 31 March 2026
Companies House and HMRC are closing the joint online filing service on 31 March 2026 removing the free option completely. This will remove all records held in the online filing service.
From 1 April 2026 companies will have to use software to file company tax returns with HMRC rather than the old free system.
Companies House said: ‘The service is closing because it’s outdated and no longer aligns with modern digital standards, enhanced corporation tax requirements or changes to UK company law under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act’.
It is important to note that as soon as the free filing service closes, company directors needing to make changes to a previous submitted corporation tax return, or re-file a rejected return will have to use commercial software.
Critically, the financial information previously filed will no longer be available in the system as it will not be stored anywhere and will have to be re-entered again.
Previous years filed company tax returns can only be downloaded using the HMRC online service by going to the ‘track your submissions’ page and selecting the period of the return required, then saving the file.
For amendments, it is also acceptable to send a paper return to the Corporation Tax Services office, HMRC BX9 1AX, address or ask an accountant to assist with this.
Changes or corrections to financial accounts previously filed with Companies House, will have to be submitted using software or by sending paper accounts by post. You can file a paper return with HMRC if you have a ‘reasonable excuse’ or want to file in Welsh. Otherwise, you must file online.
Companies House said: ‘This future change supports our goal of enabling a fully digital filing service. It will also help us to meet our organisational priority to prevent economic crime and bring the UK in line with international best practice.’
The closure of the corporation tax return free filing service comes after a major breach of IT security at Companies House, first identified on 13 March, which saw the WebFiling system exposed to potential attacks as logged-in registered users ‘could potentially access and change another company’s details without their consent after performing a set of specific actions.’