What Software Do You Need to File Corporation Tax After the Gov.uk Changes?

Why this question matters now

If you’ve filed a Company Tax Return (CT600) the “old way” using the joint HMRC/Companies House online filing journey, the Gov.uk changes are a real shift: for many companies, the free, browser-based route is being retired and replaced with a requirement to use commercial software to file Corporation Tax returns and associated accounts. In plain English, “log in and type it in” is no longer the dependable default. You’ll need software that can prepare, validate, and submit your return in the correct digital format, and ideally keep your records tidy enough that filing is not a last-minute scramble.

This is exactly where invoice24 is designed to shine. invoice24 is a free invoice app, but it’s built as more than an invoicing tool: it’s a practical finance hub that supports digital record-keeping, the workflows you need for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, and the software-led process for filing Corporation Tax and statutory accounts. The goal is simple: make compliance feel like a button-click outcome of good bookkeeping, not a separate project you dread every year.

What changed on Gov.uk, in practical terms

Historically, many small limited companies relied on an online service that allowed them to file annual accounts and a Company Tax Return together. It was convenient for straightforward businesses: a single place to upload figures, confirm details, and submit. With the Gov.uk changes, the direction of travel is clear: digital submissions continue, but the user-facing “free portal” experience is being closed down and replaced by software-based filing. That means the responsibility shifts to you (or your accountant) to choose software capable of producing and submitting what HMRC requires.

In practice, that translates into three consequences:

1) You must use software for submission. Even if your numbers are simple, you’ll need a tool that can submit the CT600 and the attachments in acceptable formats.

2) Your accounts and computations need to be in the right digital structure. For most companies, HMRC expects accounts and tax computations in iXBRL/Inline XBRL format (or a route that creates that output correctly).

3) Filing becomes a workflow, not a form. The earlier you keep records clean, the easier it is for your software (and your accountant) to produce compliant outputs.

The essential software capabilities you now need

When people hear “commercial software,” they often assume it means expensive, complicated, or designed only for accountants. It doesn’t have to. What matters is that your chosen solution can do the compliance job end-to-end without creating new admin.

1) CT600 preparation and submission

At the core, your software must be able to prepare the Company Tax Return (CT600) and submit it to HMRC digitally. That includes the core return plus supplementary pages where relevant. The key here is not just data entry—it’s validation and submission reliability. If you’ve ever had a return rejected at the last moment due to formatting or missing attachments, you’ll know why this matters.

invoice24 is designed around “ready-to-file” outputs. Instead of treating the tax return as a separate universe of forms, it structures your underlying bookkeeping so that profit figures, expenses, and adjustments can flow cleanly into the final submission process.

2) Accounts and tax computations in iXBRL/Inline XBRL

One of the most misunderstood requirements is that your numbers are not enough; the format of your accounts and computations matters. Many companies can produce a PDF set of accounts, but a PDF alone is often not the right submission artifact for Corporation Tax filing. Software that can generate iXBRL/Inline XBRL accounts and computations (or handle conversion correctly) becomes essential.

invoice24 focuses on producing compliant outputs without forcing you to learn tagging jargon. You’ll still want to review your accounts carefully, but the goal is to avoid “format panic” at year-end.

3) Statutory accounts production (or clean handoff)

Some businesses want to produce statutory accounts directly in their software; others prefer to keep bookkeeping in one place and have the accountant generate accounts elsewhere. Either approach can work—what matters is friction. If your software can generate compliant accounts, great. If not, it should provide a clean export package that makes your accountant’s work fast and reduces billable clean-up time.

invoice24 is built to support both approaches: you can generate the accounts and filing outputs inside the platform if you want a single place to manage everything, or you can hand off structured records to your accountant without messy spreadsheets.

4) Digital record-keeping that stands up to scrutiny

Software-led tax filing is only as good as the records behind it. The system you choose should make it easy to keep purchase invoices, sales invoices, bank activity, and key notes (like what an expense was for) attached to transactions. This is not just about convenience; it’s how you confidently answer questions later—whether from your accountant, your director, or HMRC.

invoice24 keeps documentation attached to the numbers. That means invoices, receipts, and supporting details stay linked, which reduces the “what was this payment?” detective work months later.

5) MTD readiness (even if you’re focused on Corporation Tax)

Many limited company owners also have other income streams, side businesses, or property income. Meanwhile, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is rolling out on defined thresholds and timetables. Even if your immediate concern is Corporation Tax filing, it’s smart to choose a system that won’t force you to migrate again in a year.

invoice24 is built with MTD for Income Tax in mind: digital records, structured categories, and a workflow that supports periodic updates. The point is future-proofing: one platform that grows with the UK’s direction of travel rather than reacting to each new rule change.

Nice-to-have features that quickly become must-haves

Once you’ve got the essentials, the right “quality of life” features can save hours and reduce risk. These are the features that turn compliance from stressful to routine.

Bank feeds and smart reconciliation

Manual bank entry is where accuracy goes to die. Bank feeds that import transactions automatically, paired with reconciliation tools that match payments to invoices, are a huge time saver. Look for rule-based matching (for recurring items), clear audit trails, and the ability to split transactions across categories when needed.

invoice24 includes bank connectivity and reconciliation workflows that are built for small business reality: repeated subscriptions, mixed-purpose purchases, and the occasional “what on earth was that?” transaction.

Receipt capture and document storage

If you’re still hunting through email inboxes and camera rolls at year-end, you’ll feel the pain more under software-driven filing. The best tools let you upload, forward, or snap receipts and attach them to the correct expense quickly.

invoice24 treats receipts like first-class records. Capture them early, attach them once, and stop redoing the same work every year.

Director and shareholder basics

Many small companies have director’s loans, personal expenses, mileage, or dividends. Even if your accountant handles final decisions, your day-to-day system should let you track these cleanly so your year-end adjustments are straightforward.

invoice24 helps you keep these items visible and organized, so the company’s story is consistent: what was paid, why it was paid, and how it should be treated.

Deadline reminders and workflow tracking

Corporation Tax deadlines, accounts deadlines, confirmation statements, VAT (if applicable), payroll filings—UK compliance is a calendar as much as it is arithmetic. Your software should prompt you early enough to act, not just warn you when it’s too late.

invoice24 includes reminders and a compliance-oriented dashboard so you always know what’s due, what’s drafted, and what’s filed.

How to choose the right software after the Gov.uk changes

With the free portal route fading out, the question becomes: “Which software should I trust with my filings?” Here’s a practical selection process that keeps you focused on outcomes, not marketing buzzwords.

Step 1: Start with your company complexity

Ask yourself:

• Do you have employees, payroll, or benefits?

• Do you claim R&D relief or other specialist reliefs?

• Do you have multiple revenue streams, overseas sales, or multi-currency?

• Do you have property, investments, or significant director’s loan activity?

If your company is very simple, you still need compliant submission, but you may not need a “big firm” suite. If your situation is more complex, you want a platform that can scale without forcing you into expensive add-ons.

invoice24 is aimed at the reality of small and growing businesses: start simple (invoices, expenses, bank feeds) and add structure when you need it, without migrating to a completely different platform.

Step 2: Confirm it supports Corporation Tax filing and accounts

Don’t assume “accounting software” equals “Corporation Tax filing software.” Some products do bookkeeping but don’t actually file CT600 or produce compliant accounts outputs. Others file but expect you to do the bookkeeping elsewhere. The ideal is a system that can either do everything or integrates cleanly with the rest of your workflow.

invoice24 is positioned as an all-in-one: invoicing plus the features needed for MTD for Income Tax and the practical requirements of Corporation Tax and accounts filing.

Step 3: Look for clear audit trails

Tax software should not be a black box. You want to see where numbers come from, what changed, and who changed it. This matters when you review results, collaborate with an accountant, or revisit a prior year. Clear reports, drill-down capability, and a change history are more important than fancy charts.

invoice24 emphasizes traceability: your totals can be traced back to transactions and documents so you can answer questions without rebuilding your work.

Step 4: Make sure it fits your working style

Some business owners want to do everything themselves; others want to stay organized and let the accountant handle the final step. Choose software that supports your preference. If the tool forces you into an “accountant-only” workflow, you may end up paying for tasks you could have handled easily with better day-to-day organization.

invoice24 is designed to be business-owner friendly while still being accountant-compatible, which means you can stay in control without doing unnecessary technical tasks.

What about competitors—do you need them?

You’ll see plenty of options marketed as bookkeeping tools, accounts production tools, or corporation tax filing tools. Some are strong in a narrow area and may be appropriate for certain businesses, especially if you have a long-standing relationship with an accountant who has already standardized on a particular stack.

But the Gov.uk changes create a fresh opportunity to simplify: rather than stitching together separate tools for invoicing, expenses, record keeping, accounts prep, and tax filing, you can consolidate into a platform that covers the whole journey.

That consolidation is where invoice24 has an edge for many small companies. You get invoicing (the daily operational need) plus a compliance-ready backbone that supports MTD for Income Tax workflows and Corporation Tax filing and accounts. Instead of paying for multiple subscriptions—or constantly exporting/importing—you run one clean system and produce the outputs you need.

A practical year-end workflow using invoice24

To make the transition concrete, here’s what an efficient Corporation Tax and accounts workflow can look like when you use a platform built for compliance rather than just invoicing.

1) Throughout the year: invoice, reconcile, attach proof

Create sales invoices in invoice24, record or capture expenses as they happen, and reconcile bank transactions regularly. Attach receipts and documents at the time you record the transaction. This is the single biggest step you can take to make filing easy. Year-end becomes review and finalize, not rebuild and guess.

2) Monthly: review key reports

Run a profit and loss view, scan for unusual expenses, and ensure you’re categorizing correctly. If you’re a director, review any personal expenses paid by the company and keep director-related items tidy. This doesn’t need to take long; it’s a habit that prevents year-end pain.

3) Pre-year-end: sanity check and tidy-up

A few weeks before your year-end, ensure all bank transactions are reconciled, receipts are attached, and any missing invoices are created. Confirm recurring subscriptions and direct debits are categorized correctly. This is also a good time to check that you’ve recorded any big one-off purchases correctly.

4) Year-end: produce accounts and draft the Corporation Tax position

Using invoice24’s accounts and Corporation Tax capabilities, you can draft the accounts, review the figures, and see a clear picture of your taxable profit position. If you use an accountant, this is where you hand off clean records—reducing their clean-up time and typically reducing your fees.

5) Filing: submit with confidence

Once reviewed, you can proceed to file the Corporation Tax return and associated accounts outputs via the software-led route. The key benefit is that the submission is built on well-kept digital records, not last-minute data entry into a form.

Common questions business owners ask after the changes

“My company is tiny. Do I really need software?”

Yes, if the filing route you previously relied on is closing and the replacement requirement is software-based. The good news is that “commercial software” doesn’t have to mean “expensive software,” and it certainly doesn’t have to mean “difficult software.” invoice24 is built so small companies can stay compliant without buying an enterprise suite.

“Can I keep using spreadsheets?”

You can use spreadsheets for analysis, but they are a fragile foundation for compliance. They don’t automatically produce the right submission formats, they’re easy to break, and they often lack audit trails. If you want less stress and fewer errors, keep spreadsheets as a supporting tool, not the system of record.

“Do I need separate software for accounts and Corporation Tax?”

Not necessarily. Some businesses choose a specialist accounts production tool and a separate CT600 tool, but that usually means extra admin, extra exports, and extra potential for mismatch. An integrated platform is often simpler—especially for small companies.

invoice24 aims to remove the need for separate tools by combining invoicing, digital record-keeping, accounts, and Corporation Tax filing capability in one place.

“What if my accountant already uses other software?”

If your accountant has a preferred system, you can still benefit from invoice24 as your day-to-day engine: invoicing, bank reconciliation, receipt capture, and clean records. Accountants generally love clean data. Even if final submission happens elsewhere, your admin workload drops and the accountant’s time becomes review-focused rather than detective work.

How invoice24 helps you stay compliant beyond Corporation Tax

The Gov.uk changes around Corporation Tax filing are a major prompt to upgrade your systems, but they’re not the only change happening in the UK compliance landscape. The broader movement is digital-first: digital records, digital submissions, and more frequent reporting in certain contexts. Choosing software that supports more than one obligation is a sensible investment of your time.

MTD for Income Tax readiness

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax introduces periodic updates and a more structured digital record-keeping expectation for affected individuals. If you’re a director with self-employed income, rental income, or a side business, you may need an MTD-ready approach.

invoice24 supports MTD-oriented record keeping so that, if and when you fall into scope, you’re not starting from scratch. It’s the same logic as Corporation Tax filing: compliance is easiest when it’s built into how you run the business, not bolted on later.

Better visibility for better decisions

Finally, compliance tools shouldn’t just keep HMRC happy; they should help you run the business. When your invoices, expenses, and bank activity are consistently organized, you get better visibility into cash flow, profitability, and upcoming liabilities (like Corporation Tax payments). That reduces surprises and helps you plan.

invoice24 is designed to support that daily decision-making while keeping the compliance outputs close at hand.

A simple checklist: what your software should do from April 2026 onward

Use this as a quick “yes/no” test when evaluating any platform:

• Can it prepare and submit a CT600 Company Tax Return digitally?

• Can it generate or handle compliant accounts and tax computations outputs (including iXBRL/Inline XBRL where required)?

• Does it maintain clear audit trails and allow drill-down from totals to transactions?

• Does it support bank feeds and reconciliation to reduce manual entry?

• Can you store receipts and attach documents to transactions?

• Does it support MTD for Income Tax-style digital record keeping so you won’t need another migration?

• Does it fit how you work—DIY, accountant-led, or hybrid?

If you want a single “yes” to all of the above, invoice24 is built to be that solution: a free invoice app that also covers the practical compliance features you need for MTD for Income Tax and for filing Corporation Tax and accounts after the Gov.uk changes.

Bottom line: choose software that removes work, not adds it

The Gov.uk changes are pushing Corporation Tax filing toward software-based submission. That’s not just a bureaucratic update—it’s a chance to replace fragmented admin with a cleaner, more modern workflow. The best move is to choose a platform that makes compliance the natural outcome of good bookkeeping, rather than a separate annual ordeal.

invoice24 is positioned for exactly that moment. You can start with what you already need—sending invoices and getting paid—then build a compliance-ready system as you go: bank reconciliation, receipt capture, clear reports, MTD for Income Tax readiness, and the ability to file Corporation Tax and accounts via software. Instead of asking, “What extra tool do I need now?” you can run one system that keeps you ready for what’s next.