Approximately 2 weeks after forming your limited company, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will send a double-sided letter titled ‘Corporation Tax: Company Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)’ to your company’s registered office address.
In this article, we cover the need-to-know information about the first letter a company receives from HMRC, including its purpose, the information included within it, and what you need to do.
What is this HMRC letter for?
The purpose of the letter is to provide you with your company’s Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), your Tax Office number, and instructions on registering your business for Corporation Tax.
The Unique Taxpayer Reference is a 10-digit number that will be required for all future correspondence with HMRC, such as filing your tax returns and paying Corporation Tax. The UTR is formatted as follows: 12345 67891
We recommend making a note of your UTR and storing it in a secure place. You should only share your company’s UTR with HMRC and trusted individuals/businesses assisting you. For example, a company formation agent or accountant.
The Tax Office number is a 3-digit number that indicates the particular tax office that will be handling your company’s tax matters. Again, we recommend writing down your Tax Office number for future reference.
The remainder of the letter comprises instructions on registering your business for Corporation Tax. This is the section of the letter that requires you to take action (other than note down a reference/number).
What are the Corporation Tax instructions?
Companies are required to register for Corporation Tax within 3 months of starting any business activity. The HMRC letter looks at the possible scenarios and sets out what you need to do.
Here we’ll summarise the information.
Companies formed directly with GOV.UK using the ‘Set up a limited company and register for Corporation Tax’ service
- If, during the company formation process, you stated that you were going to start trading immediately, HMRC will send you an activation code within 3 weeks. Once you receive the code, you can log in to HMRC’s online services page to manage your company’s Corporation Tax requirements.
- If you stated that you had no intention of starting trading within the next 3 months, you do not need to do anything.
Companies formed any other way (for example, using our company formation service)
- If you have already started trading or will be trading within 3 months, you need to notify HMRC through the Register for Corporation Tax page (alternatively, if you are a non-UK resident you should use the HMRC online services page).
- If your company is not going to be trading within the next 3 months or will be dormant, you must notify HMRC of this through the Tell HMRC your company is dormant for Corporation Tax page.
Authorising an agent or accountant
- If you wish to authorise an agent or accountant to take care of your Corporation Tax obligations, you can do so through the Appoint someone to deal with HMRC on your behalf page.
What should I do if I don’t receive the letter from HMRC?
If your company has been formed for more than 2 weeks and you have not yet received the letter, you can:
- Request that HMRC send you your company’s UTR
- Ask HMRC for your Tax Office number by getting in touch with them
With regards to Corporation Tax, the information included within this article provides the instructions you need (you will also find a screenshot of the letter in full, below).
What should I do if I have lost the letter?
If you formed your company using Quality Company Formations and are using our Registered Office Address service, you will find a scan of your letter in the Client Portal. To access this scan:
- Log in to the Client Portal
- Select ‘My Mail’
- Select ‘Details’ next to the first item of post received
- Select the PDF icon – you will then be directed to the scan
However, if you are not using our Registered Office Service, and you do not have any other written correspondence from HMRC (this will include your UTR and Tax Office number), you can:
- Request that HMRC send you your company’s UTR
- Ask HMRC for your Tax Office number by getting in touch with them
What does the letter look like?
So there you have it
That’s everything you need to know about your company’s first letter from HMRC, and what you need to do when you receive it. We hope you have found this article useful.
Please leave a comment if you have any questions related to this article, or anything else to do with company formations, and we’ll be happy to help. Thanks for reading.
