By Eternity Accountants Editorial Team · Reviewed by Shamayun Chowdhury, Senior Accountant · Published: 20 October 2026 · Last reviewed: October 2026 · Applies to the 2026/27 tax year
The end of the financial year UK rules recognise is not a single date. Government budgets and Corporation Tax run to 31 March. Income Tax and Self Assessment run to 5 April, so 2026/27 covers 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. A limited company’s own year ends on its accounting reference date.
Ask three people when the year ends and you may hear three answers: 31 March, 5 April and “whenever my accounts finish”. All three can be right. The trouble starts when you plan a tax payment or a filing around the wrong one.
This guide explains the end of the financial year UK employees, sole traders, landlords and company directors each work to. It shows which date belongs to you and which deadlines follow it. Every date below is checked against GOV.UK and HMRC guidance for the 2026/27 tax year.
- The government financial year, which also sets Corporation Tax rates, runs from 1 April to 31 March.
- The personal tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April. The 2026/27 tax year ends on 5 April 2027.
- A company’s own financial year end is its accounting reference date, which can fall in any month.
- Sole traders have been taxed on a tax-year basis since 2024/25, and a 31 March year end counts as 5 April.
- Knowing the end of the financial year UK law applies to you tells you which filing and payment deadlines come next.
- When is the end of the financial year UK businesses and taxpayers use?
- Financial year vs tax year vs accounting year
- Which year end applies to you?
- What happens after the financial year ends?
- End of the financial year UK checklist
- Can you change your company’s year end?
- Common year-end mistakes
- Frequently asked questions
- Final verdict
When Is the End of the Financial Year UK Businesses and Taxpayers Use?
The short answer is that the UK runs three calendars side by side. HMRC’s own manual states that a financial year starts on 1 April and ends on the following 31 March. The tax year for individuals is different, and companies choose their own reporting year. The UK financial year dates for each are set out below.
| Year | Runs | 2026/27 end date | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government financial year | 1 April to 31 March | 31 March 2027 | Corporation Tax rates, public budgets |
| Personal tax year | 6 April to 5 April | 5 April 2027 | Employees, sole traders, landlords, PAYE |
| Company accounting year | Any 12 months | Your accounting reference date | Limited companies and LLPs |
So if someone asks about the end of the financial year UK companies report to, the honest reply is “which year do you mean?” The rest of this guide answers that for each type of taxpayer.
Financial Year vs Tax Year vs Accounting Year: What’s the Difference?
The government financial year (1 April to 31 March)
This is the year the Treasury budgets against, and it is the year Corporation Tax rates are set for. HMRC names each one after the calendar year it starts in, so financial year 2026 runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. You will see it called the fiscal year in some guides, but in UK tax law “financial year” is the precise term.
The personal tax year (6 April to 5 April)
Income Tax, National Insurance through payroll, Capital Gains Tax and Self Assessment all follow this year. GOV.UK confirms that the last tax year started on 6 April 2025 and ended on 5 April 2026. For individuals, the “new financial year 2026” many people search for therefore began on 6 April 2026. Personal allowances and bands reset on that date, as shown in our 2026/27 UK tax rates and allowances hub.
Your company’s own year end (accounting reference date)
A limited company does not have to follow either date. Companies House sets its first accounting reference date as the last day of the month in which the anniversary of incorporation falls. A company formed on 6 April 2026 would therefore have its first year end on 30 April 2027.
That company’s financial year end then repeats each April unless the directors change it. Corporation Tax is worked out on this accounting period, not on 5 April. Where the period crosses 31 March, profits are split between two government financial years.
Which Year End Applies to You?
When does the financial year end for you personally? The end of the financial year UK rules apply to you depends on how you earn. Find your situation in the table, then read the matching section below. Many people sit in more than one row, such as a company director who also lets out a flat.
| You are… | Your year end | What it drives |
|---|---|---|
| An employee on PAYE | 5 April | Tax code, P60, personal allowance |
| A sole trader or partner | 5 April (31 March counts the same) | Self Assessment, Class 4 National Insurance |
| A landlord | 5 April | Property income on your tax return |
| A limited company director | Company: its accounting reference date. You: 5 April | Company accounts and Corporation Tax; your own salary and dividends |
| Using Making Tax Digital for Income Tax | 5 April, with quarterly checkpoints | Quarterly updates and the year-end tax return |
If you are an individual, the end of the financial year UK tax rules care about is almost always 5 April. Companies are the main exception, so they get their own section below.
Sole traders and landlords: the tax-year basis since 2024/25
Self-employed people once paid tax on the accounts that ended in a tax year, wherever that date fell. That changed with basis period reform. GOV.UK explains that from 2024/25 profits are taxed on a tax-year basis, and that accounting dates from 31 March to 5 April are treated as 5 April.
You can still keep, say, a 30 June year end. You would then split each set of accounts across two tax years, which often means estimating figures before the later accounts are ready. That extra step is why many sole traders now line their accounts up with the end of the financial year UK tax rules use, either 31 March or 5 April.
Limited companies: when your year crosses 31 March
Corporation Tax rates are fixed for each government financial year. If your accounts run, for example, January to December, part of the year sits in one financial year and part in the next. GOV.UK tells companies to count the days each rate applied and work out the tax for each part.
Ilona’s company, Brightwick Joinery Ltd, has a 31 December 2026 year end and taxable profits of £40,000. The 90 days to 31 March 2026 fall in financial year 2025, giving £9,863 of profit. The other 275 days fall in financial year 2026, giving £30,137.
HMRC’s published rates show the 19% small profits rate up to £50,000 for both years, so the total is £7,600. The split only changes the bill when rates differ between years, but the CT600 still asks for profits for each financial year.
So for Ilona, the end of the financial year UK government budgets use (31 March) matters for rates. Her own 31 December date still sets every filing deadline. Our Corporation Tax return service handles the day split for you.
Making Tax Digital quarters and the tax year
Sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 in 2024/25 should have joined Making Tax Digital for Income Tax from 6 April 2026. GOV.UK lists the next stages as over £30,000 from 6 April 2027 and over £20,000 from 6 April 2028.
Quarterly updates follow the tax year by default, with periods ending 5 July, 5 October, 5 January and 5 April. The last one closes on the end of the financial year UK individuals work to. If your financial year UK records run 1 April to 31 March, GOV.UK lets you choose calendar quarters ending on the last day of the month instead. You must pick this before your first update, and you cannot switch again that year.
What Happens After the Financial Year Ends? 2026/27 Deadline Calendar
A year end is really the start of a countdown. Each date below runs from the end of the financial year UK rules give you, so read the row that matches yours. Personal dates assume the 2026/27 tax year ending 5 April 2027. Company dates are shown as time limits, because they move with your own accounting reference date.
| Deadline | What is due | Who |
|---|---|---|
| On or before the last 2026/27 payday | Final payroll report (FPS) for the year | Employers |
| 7 May 2027 | Fourth MTD quarterly update (period to 5 April or 31 March) | Sole traders and landlords in MTD |
| 31 May 2027 | P60 to every employee | Employers |
| 6 July 2027 | Expenses and benefits report (P11D) | Employers |
| 5 October 2027 | Tell HMRC you need to file a 2026/27 return | New Self Assessment taxpayers |
| 31 October 2027 | Paper 2026/27 tax return | Paper filers |
| 31 January 2028 | Online 2026/27 return and balancing payment | Self Assessment taxpayers |
| 9 months after your year end | Annual accounts to Companies House | Private limited companies |
| 9 months and 1 day after your year end | Corporation Tax payment | Companies (not large ones paying in instalments) |
| 12 months after your year end | Company Tax Return (CT600) | All companies |
Sources: GOV.UK guidance on payroll annual reporting, Self Assessment deadlines, paying Corporation Tax and Company Tax Returns. A company’s first accounts follow a different rule: usually 21 months from incorporation.
Notice the gap. Corporation Tax is due three months before the CT600 itself. It is easy to miss after the end of the financial year UK companies work to, because the payment comes before the paperwork.
End of the Financial Year UK Checklist: What to Do Before 31 March and 5 April
The weeks before the end of the financial year UK taxpayers face are the last chance to use some allowances for that year. Once the date passes, most of them reset and cannot be backdated. Work through this list before your own date arrives.
Before 5 April 2027 (individuals)
- Check your ISA payments. The ISA allowance for 2026/27 is £20,000, and any unused amount does not roll over.
- Review pension contributions against the £60,000 annual allowance. Unused allowance from the previous three tax years may be carried forward.
- If you plan to sell shares or a second property, remember the £3,000 Capital Gains Tax allowance belongs to each tax year.
- Directors: the dividend allowance for 2026/27 is £500, so the timing of a dividend decides which year it is taxed in.
- Sole traders and landlords: bring your records up to date so the fourth MTD update and tax return are ready.
Before 31 March or your company year end
- Reconcile the bank accounts and chase unpaid invoices.
- List stock, equipment bought and any bills paid in advance.
- Agree with your accountant whether planned spending should fall before or after the financial year end UK companies report to.
If you would rather hand the end of the financial year UK paperwork to someone else, our help with your Self Assessment covers records, the return and the payment reminders.
Can You Change Your Company’s Financial Year End?
Yes, by changing the accounting reference date with Companies House. Its Life of a company guidance sets three limits:
- You can shorten a period as often as you like. From 1 April 2028, shortening more than once in five years is planned to need a business reason.
- A period cannot be extended beyond 18 months, and only once in five years, except in specific cases such as administration.
- The change must be made before the filing deadline for the period. Once accounts are overdue, the date is fixed.
Moving your date to match the end of the financial year UK Corporation Tax rates use (31 March) can make the day split disappear. Take advice first. GOV.UK confirms that a Corporation Tax accounting period cannot be longer than 12 months, so accounts covering more than a year need two returns.
In practice, clients we see often assume their company’s tax is due in January, because that is when their own Self Assessment is due. It is not. The company’s bill follows its own year end, nine months and one day later. Diarise the end of the financial year UK companies are tied to separately from your personal 5 April date. — Shamayun Chowdhury, reviewer
Common Year-End Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
| Mistake | What happens | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Treating 5 April as a company’s year end | Corporation Tax paid late, with interest | Check the date on Companies House |
| Leaving ISA or pension top-ups until after 5 April | That year’s allowance is lost | Act in February or March |
| Trying to change a company year end after accounts are overdue | Companies House will not accept it | Decide well before the deadline |
| Replying to “tax refund” texts or emails at year end | Risk of fraud | HMRC never asks for bank details by text or email. Sign in through GOV.UK |
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the end of financial year 2026 in the UK?
For individuals, the 2025/26 tax year ended on 5 April 2026. For Corporation Tax, financial year 2025 ended on 31 March 2026. The next end of the financial year UK individuals face is 5 April 2027.
What is a fiscal year in the UK?
A fiscal year is any 12-month period used for tax or accounts. In the UK it usually means the 6 April to 5 April tax year, though government budgets use 1 April to 31 March.
Is a 31 March year end treated the same as 5 April?
For sole traders and partners, yes. Under the tax-year basis, accounting dates from 31 March to 5 April are treated as ending on 5 April.
When does the new financial year start?
The new tax year for individuals starts on 6 April. The government financial year, used for Corporation Tax rates, starts on 1 April.
What is the end of fiscal year for my company?
It is your company’s accounting reference date. You can see it on the company’s Companies House record.
Final Verdict: End of the Financial Year UK in 2026/27
The end of the financial year UK taxpayers face comes in three forms. Individuals work to 5 April 2027. Corporation Tax rates follow the government year to 31 March 2027. Limited companies report to their own accounting reference date. Know which applies to you, diarise the deadlines that follow, and use your allowances before the date passes.
- Check your 2026/27 rates in our tax rates and allowances hub.
- Company owner? See what year-end accounts cost.
- Compare our fixed fees on the pricing page, or call 0116 4030595 or email info@eternityaccountants.co.uk.
✓ Self Assessment and company accounts
✓ Corporation Tax worked out and filed
Why trust this guide
- Written by the Eternity Accountants Editorial Team and reviewed by a chartered management accountant (ACMA, MAAT) with more than 15 years’ UK practice experience.
- Every date checked against HMRC, GOV.UK and Companies House guidance for 2026/27.
- Covers employees, sole traders, landlords and limited companies, not just one case.
- Last reviewed: October 2026.