A guide to registering a Non-resident company for Corporation Tax in the UK
Do you operate your company in the United Kingdom but the control and management don’t reside there? Then you must be in quite a quandary about your tax situation! Registering for Corporation Tax in Britain has its share of dos and don’ts and in this blog, we walk you through who, when and how to register a non-resident company for Corporation Tax in the United Kingdom (UK).
Should You Register? Yes, if:
You have disposed of land or property in the UK and any of the
Following apply:
You run a Non-resident company, not registered with UK Companies House
Your collective investment vehicle is deemed as a company (as long as not having been elected for transparent or exempt treatment).
Should You Re-register? Yes, if:
Your company has previously registered for UK Corporation Tax but has since been dormant for Corporation Tax purposes.
You are an agent or have recently appointed an agent, acting on behalf of the company.
Can You be Exempt? Yes, if:
The disposed property or land is an excluded disposal
No chargeable gain or allowable loss arises. Example, a disposal where there is no gain since, sales proceeds equals the acquisition cost.
The substantial shareholding exemptionapplies to a disposal.
The disposal happens to be a grant of a lease, for no premium.
There is no need to register unless there is a disposal of interest in UK land or property. So holding an asset does not bring a non-resident company within the ambit of charge to Corporation Tax.
When Should You Register?
Within 3 months of the date from when your company become chargeable to UK Corporation Tax. Your company becomes chargeable when you sell, give or otherwise transfer ownership of UK property or land. This date cannot be before 6 April 2019 or after the date of registration.
What Documents Will You Need?
Name of your company, its registered address and contact details. This address will be primary contact information stored and used by HMRC for any communication.
If you have had any previous companies, the names have to be furnished.
Date and country of incorporation, or the date of establishment, in case of collective investment vehicle (CIV).
Registration or date of incorporation your company.
Name, address and contact details of directors (or for a CIV, an authorized individual, to act on its behalf).
Date of disposal of interests in land or property in the UK.
Income Tax Self Assessment Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), if it is received
In case of a re-registration, a copy of the Corporation Tax UTR, from any previous correspondence with HMRC is to be furnished
How Can You Register?
If your company has a Government Gateway for Corporation, registering as a non-resident company the process is fairly simple and straightforward. Only the Government Gateway user ID and password used for previous registration is required.
If you have registered recently, it may take 6 to 8 weeks to receive codes. They would be received at the overseas registered office.
If you haven’t registered yet, a registration is required on the official government website.
Your Next Steps
Once Registered, HMRC will set up a record for your company, send you your UTR and other information by post. Using the Online Services of the HMRC, you can then log-in and file your returns.
Although this process seems like it may not take up too much of your time and resources, this is only the beginning. Filing your returns will entail filling up a CT600 form and converting your accounts into the iXBRL format. This is where DataTracks steps in. We can help you through the entire life-cycle of filing your returns so you are compliant and stay on the right side of the law. To discuss more, get in touch with us at enquiry@datatracks.co.uk
