{"id":11238,"date":"2023-12-24T12:50:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-24T12:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qualitycompanyformations.co.uk\/blog\/?p=11238"},"modified":"2024-09-15T15:12:56","modified_gmt":"2024-09-15T14:12:56","slug":"leaving-surplus-cash-in-limited-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qualitycompanyformations.co.uk\/blog\/leaving-surplus-cash-in-limited-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Is leaving surplus cash in a limited company a problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"
If your limited company is making a profit, you may find that you have surplus cash in the business at the end of your financial year, or company \u2018year-end\u2019. This is excess money beyond what is required to run the business. While retaining extra cash in your company might seem like a good idea, it can present certain problems further down the line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How you decide to manage this surplus cash is entirely up to you, but there are many good options available, which we outline below. But we’ll start by explaining what surplus cash is and why it can be problematic to keep this money in your limited company.<\/p>\n Surplus cash is the additional money you have in your company that exceeds the amount required to run the business. It doesn\u2019t simply refer to the actual cash you have in your company bank account, since most businesses have a certain amount of money earmarked for future use and payments falling due from clients or other sources.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Whilst there is no simple formula, it\u2019s best to consider retained profits to accurately work out how much is needed for working capital and how much is surplus. To do this, you need to forecast your business income and expenditure for the current financial year.<\/p>\n When doing so, you will need to take into account all business costs and liabilities, including:<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to remember that not all liabilities are paid in the tax year in which they arise. Most companies have cash accumulating in their business bank accounts<\/a> to cover such costs, namely Corporation Tax (due 9 months after<\/i> your company\u2019s year-end) and VAT (usually due every quarter). This is why it is unreliable to consider only cash in the bank.<\/p>\n Ideally, you should try to retain additional funds in your company to cover contingencies. Three months\u2019 worth of outgoings is optimal. Any more than that can be a missed opportunity to make good use of the money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More importantly, retaining too much surplus cash can cause problems further down the line with succession planning or selling your company. You could end up facing significant tax liabilities and issues with certain tax reliefs, such as Business Asset Disposal Relief<\/a> (formerly known as Entrepreneur\u2019s Relief) and Business Relief (formerly known as Business Property Relief).<\/p>\n If your company has distributable profits of more than \u00a325,000 upon winding up, you will be liable for dividend tax on this income. Depending on your total personal earnings for the year, this could push you into the higher-rate or additional-rate tax bands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What is considered \u2018surplus cash\u2019?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Potential problems from retaining too much surplus cash\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n