Reference
A glossary of UK company and tax terms, in plain English
The 32 abbreviations and terms an overseas founder meets in their first year in the UK — what each one means and why it matters to you. No jargon used to explain jargon.
A
ACSP (Authorised Corporate Service Provider)
A firm registered with Companies House to verify the identity of directors and people with significant control on its clients’ behalf. Only supervised firms — accountants, solicitors, company formation agents under AML supervision — can register. We are ACSP AP007847. More
ARD (Accounting reference date)
The company’s financial year end. It defaults to the last day of the month of the first anniversary of incorporation and is usually changed to match the overseas parent’s year end. More
Associated company
Any company under the same control as yours, anywhere in the world. The corporation tax limits (£50,000 and £250,000) are divided by the number of associates plus one, which is why most subsidiaries of established groups pay 25%. More
Auto-enrolment
The legal duty to put eligible employees into a workplace pension and contribute at least 3% of qualifying earnings. It applies from the first employee — there is no small-employer exemption. More
B
Bona vacantia
“Ownerless goods.” Money or assets left in a company when it is dissolved pass to the Crown. The reason to distribute reserves before a strike-off. More
C
Class 1A NI
Employer National Insurance at 15% on taxable benefits such as private medical cover, paid annually by 22 July alongside the P11D. More
Confirmation statement
The annual Companies House filing confirming the register is correct — directors, shareholders, PSCs, address, SIC codes. £34. Not a tax return and not accounts. More
Corporation tax
Tax on a UK company’s profits: 25% above £250,000, 19% below £50,000, with marginal relief between — all divided by the number of associated companies plus one. Paid nine months and one day after the year end. More
CT600
The company tax return, filed with accounts and a tax computation within twelve months of the period end. Goes to HMRC only; it is not public. More
D
Distributable reserves
Accumulated realised profits, less losses. A dividend can only be paid out of these; paying without them is an unlawful distribution repayable by the shareholder. More
Dormant
No significant accounting transaction in the financial year for Companies House purposes — not even a bank charge. HMRC uses a different test: not trading and not receiving income. More
E
ECCTA (Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023)
The law behind Companies House identity verification, the “appropriate address” rule for registered offices, and mandatory profit-and-loss filing for small companies from 2027. More
Employment Allowance
A reduction of up to £10,500 in a year’s employer National Insurance. Claimable once across a group of connected companies, not once per company. More
EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification number)
The reference needed to move goods across the GB border. A GB EORI is issued by HMRC and linked to the VAT number. More
F
Fixed establishment
A VAT concept: enough permanent human and technical resources in the UK to make or receive supplies. Without one, a company is “non-established” and must register for VAT from its first UK sale. More
FRS 102
The UK accounting standard. Section 1A is the reduced-disclosure version most small subsidiaries use. More
M
Marginal relief
The mechanism that smooths corporation tax between the 19% and 25% rates, using a fraction of 3/200. More
MTD (Making Tax Digital)
HMRC’s requirement that VAT records are kept digitally and returns filed through compatible software. Spreadsheets emailed to an accountant do not qualify. More
N
NETP (Non-established taxable person)
A business with no UK fixed establishment. It has no VAT registration threshold and must register before its first taxable UK sale. More
P
Permanent establishment (PE)
A tax concept: a fixed place of business in the UK, or an agent who habitually concludes contracts here. It creates UK corporation tax for the overseas company whether or not anything has been registered. More
Postponed VAT accounting (PVA)
Declaring import VAT on the VAT return instead of paying it at the border and reclaiming later. Removes the cash-flow cost of importing. More
PSC (Person with significant control)
Anyone holding more than 25% of a company’s shares or votes, or otherwise controlling it. For a subsidiary this is usually the parent, recorded as a “relevant legal entity”. More
R
Registered office
The company’s official address for Companies House and HMRC post. Since 2024 it must be an “appropriate address” where delivery can be acknowledged — a PO box no longer qualifies. More
Reverse charge
A VAT mechanism under which the customer, not the supplier, accounts for the VAT. It is why many B2B services to UK business customers need no UK VAT registration. More
RTI (Real Time Information)
The requirement to report pay, tax and National Insurance to HMRC on or before every payday, rather than annually. More
S
Section 479A
The provision letting an overseas parent exempt its UK subsidiary from audit by guaranteeing all of the subsidiary’s liabilities and filing its own consolidated accounts in the UK. More
Statutory residence test (SRT)
The day-count and ties test that decides whether an individual — such as a visiting director — is UK tax resident. More
Strike-off
Dissolving a solvent company through Companies House on form DS01. Distributions above £25,000 in total are taxed as income rather than capital, which is when a members’ voluntary liquidation is used instead. More
T
Transfer pricing
The requirement that transactions between connected companies are priced at arm’s length. Small and medium groups are exempt from formal documentation but not from the principle. More
U
UK establishment
Companies House’s term for a registered branch of an overseas company. Registered on form OS IN01 within one month of opening a UK place of business; £124. More
UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference)
The ten-digit reference HMRC issues to a company for corporation tax, posted to the registered office shortly after incorporation. More
W
Withholding tax
Tax deducted at source on payments abroad. The UK charges none on dividends; interest and royalties carry 20% unless a treaty rate is claimed in advance. More