СT600 submission software - please recommend

For many years I used the forms on the HMRC website to submit the Corporation Tax return. They were more or less easy to use.

This year I am no longer eligible to use HMRC’s free CT600 submission service and need to revert to commercial providers.

I clicked a few random links at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporation-tax-commercial-software-suppliers/corporation-tax-commercial-software-suppliers, but they either have user interface straight out of 1990s or full of marketing spin.

Can anyone recommend something similar to HMRC forms, and as simple to use?

Yes, I know there are accountants out there, but I’ve been fine filing on my own all these years and would like to continue doing so. Thank you!

Hi @Vlad

As this forum is for QuickFile support, you may be better off posting to an accounting specific forum for a better response.

For many years I used the forms on the HMRC website to submit the Corporation Tax return. They were more or less easy to use.

This year I am no longer eligible to use HMRC’s free CT600 submission service and need to revert to commercial providers.

I clicked a few random links at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corporation-tax-commercial-software-suppliers/corporation-tax-commercial-software-suppliers, but they looked far from the HMRC version in terms of ease of use which is a bit surprising provided there’s so much competition in this area.

Can anyone recommend a service that would provide user experience comparable to one of HMRC?

Yes, I know there are accountants out there, but I’ve been fine filing on my own all these years and would like to continue doing so. Thank you!

@Vlad - I’ve merged your post into the original topic to prevent duplication.

Please see my response above.

I know TaxFiler is popular among a number of accountants I have spoken with. These products are however designed for accountants rather than end-users, so they may demand some time to fully understand.

The Tax system is undergoing some change at the moment with the roll out of Making Tax Digital (MTD). In the coming years we will be developing direct filing solutions with HMRC for a range of taxes covered by this programme.

Thanks Glenn, TaxFiler looks ok. There’s a big “but” though - you need to sign up for the “Accountants” version of the service to be able to submit Corporation Tax return, and for that you need an HMRC Agent Code, and for that you need to register for Anti-Money Laundering supervision first. Too much headache for filling a form. So thanks for the recommendation, but still looking…

I must confess having to giving up and now have an accountant file them. When I looked in to it the software to file your own costs as much each year as having an accountant do it. Plus you have to spend the time learning to use the software installing it etc etc
Would be good feature to add into Quickfile as a paid extra maybe?

Hi Vlad,
It sounds like you only file your own Ltd company accounts.
So why do you not qualify to use the HMRC’s free joint companies house and hmrc accounts?
You may have misunderstood the initial questions on the HMRC’s CT600 online software

Turnover over £632K! Nice problem to have, but HMRC don’t let me submit online anymore.

In that case you could file abridged accounts at companies House and use ftax for the CT600 tax return which costs £75
PS
You could use the cheaper Andica CT600 for £45 but I’ve not used that one so cannot vouch for it

They also stop you doing your own accounts submission if you have any income from property in the company. so you don’t need to be turning over much to need 3rd party software or an accountant.

George_H how do you find Ftax?

https://www.ftax.co.uk
I use the agent versions as I find them very user friendly in the format of the actual tax returns, you can import previous years return which saves lots of time by avoiding retyping clients details

Would anybody consider filing on paper as a viable option? Seems less headache than dealing with intermediaries, and costs virtually nothing. 21st century - getting back to the basics! Any downsides?

The HMRC say:
You can only use the paper form (CT600) if either:
you’re unable to file online because you have a reasonable excuse
you want to file in Welsh
You must also fill in and post form WT1 to explain why you’ve used the paper form.

A reasonable excuse is something that stopped you meeting a tax obligation that you took reasonable care to meet, for example:

your partner or another close relative died shortly before the tax return or payment deadline
you had an unexpected stay in hospital that prevented you from dealing with your tax affairs
you had a serious or life-threatening illness
your computer or software failed just before or while you were preparing your online return
service issues with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) online services
a fire, flood or theft prevented you from completing your tax return
postal delays that you couldn’t have predicted
delays related to a disability you have

Wouldn’t “HMRC not providing a method of online submission” count as a reasonable excuse?

I believe I can submit the accounts in iXBRL format to Companies House without intermediaries, it’s just HMRC that doesn’t accept it (or I have not yet found a way to submit it electronically).

No it would not. The HMRC website lists dozens of approved software packages that submit electronically to them, two of which I mentioned previously.

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