Cheapest way to file a dormant company's return (2026)

In short: The cheapest way to file for a dormant company is to tell HMRC it's dormant, so no Company Tax Return (CT600) is due without HMRC's notice (GOV.UK: Tell HMRC your company is dormant for Corporation Tax), then file dormant accounts, which carry no Companies House fee. The confirmation statement costs £50 online. Nil CT600 prices started at £5 on 27 September 2026. If HMRC has asked for a return, Taxley files a dormant company's nil CT600 and its accounts for £9.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £19.00 from 1 Jan 2027).

Take the 30-second check to see whether Taxley fits your company, or compare plans on the pricing page.

What does a dormant company have to file in 2026?

A dormant company must send Companies House annual accounts every year and a confirmation statement at least once every 12 months, even when it does nothing (GOV.UK: Director information hub: filing with HMRC and Companies House). A Company Tax Return goes to HMRC only if HMRC sends a notice to deliver one. The accounts carry no Companies House fee; the confirmation statement costs £50 online (GOV.UK: Companies House fees).

Dormant for Corporation Tax is HMRC's test, and it turns on trading and income. GOV.UK says a company is usually dormant for Corporation Tax if it has stopped trading and has no other income, for example from investments, or if it is a new limited company that has not started trading (GOV.UK: Dormant for Corporation Tax). GOV.UK's list also includes a flat management company, and an unincorporated association or club owing less than £100 in Corporation Tax. A company that earns bank interest is therefore not dormant for Corporation Tax, even with no trade, and files a normal return showing the interest. With no trade and no income, a dormant company has no taxable profit and no Corporation Tax to pay.

Dormant for Companies House is a separate test, based on the company's transactions rather than its trade. Companies House calls a company dormant if it has had no "significant" transactions in the financial year; Companies House filing fees, penalties for filing accounts late and money paid for shares when the company was formed don't count (GOV.UK: Dormant for Companies House). A company that passes the test can file dormant accounts: a balance sheet, last year's figures for comparison, certain notes, and a statement above the director's signature that the company was dormant throughout the period. A private company's accounts are due 9 months after its accounting reference date (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts). Our dormant company tax return guide explains the nil CT600 itself, and CT600, accounts or confirmation statement? sets out which filing goes where.

Can a dormant company avoid filing a Company Tax Return?

Yes: once you tell HMRC the company is dormant, it won't file another Company Tax Return unless HMRC asks for one or the company begins trading again (GOV.UK: Tell HMRC your company is dormant for Corporation Tax). Telling HMRC is the biggest saving, because a nil CT600 now goes through commercial software. A notice to deliver that has already arrived must still be answered with a return.

A notice to deliver a Company Tax Return is what makes a nil return compulsory. GOV.UK says a company that gets one must file a Company Tax Return, even if it has no Corporation Tax to pay (GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns: Overview), and a dormant company that receives one files online to show HMRC it was dormant for that period. The return is due 12 months after the end of the accounting period it covers. A late return draws a £200 penalty after 1 day and another £200 after 3 months, whether or not any tax is due (GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns: Penalties for late filing). A tax agent or adviser can also use HMRC's online service to tell HMRC that a client's company is dormant. Whatever HMRC decides, the Companies House side carries on: a dormant company still files its accounts and confirmation statement every year, so telling HMRC removes the CT600 but not the Companies House filings.

Is there still a free way to file dormant accounts and a nil CT600?

Partly. Companies House charges no fee for dormant accounts, and its online service has a dormant accounts template for companies that have never traded (Companies House: Filing dormant company accounts with Companies House). No free route remains for a nil CT600: HMRC's own online filing service closed on 31 March 2026, so returns now go through commercial software (GOV.UK: Closure of HMRC's file-your-accounts-and-tax-return service).

Companies House's online service still accepts dormant company accounts in 2026, but only for companies that have never traded; the same service also takes micro-entity, abridged and small full accounts (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts). Since 13 October 2025 you need GOV.UK One Login to sign in to WebFiling, and filing needs the company's authentication code (GOV.UK: Filing your Companies House information online). A company that traded in an earlier year can't use the dormant template and files its accounts another way, such as through software. From 1 April 2028, every company must file accounts with Companies House using commercial software, so the free template can't be used from that date. Our guide to software-only accounts filing from 2028 covers that change.

HMRC's "File your accounts and Company Tax Return" service closed on 31 March 2026, and GOV.UK says that from 1 April 2026 companies should use commercial software to file Company Tax Returns (GOV.UK: Closure of HMRC's file-your-accounts-and-tax-return service). HMRC accepts a paper return only if you have a reasonable excuse or are filing in Welsh. A nil return therefore costs whatever your software or agent charges, even though there is no Corporation Tax to pay. In the price check of 27 September 2026, the lowest published price for a dormant company's return was £5, and one product also filed dormant accounts at Companies House at no charge for customers who file with HMRC elsewhere. Our guide to choosing CT600 software now HMRC's service has closed lists the questions to ask before you pay.

How much does each way of filing a dormant company's return cost in 2026?

Filing a dormant company's accounts and nil CT600 costs from nothing, for Companies House accounts alone, to £300 for the dearest of the 3 accountants' fixed fees we checked. Among 13 filing products checked on 27 September 2026, published prices for a dormant company's return ran from £5 to £96. Companies House charges no fee for the accounts themselves (Companies House: Companies House WebFiling Help and Support).

Each range is an all-in price for one company as the product's own page showed it, with VAT at 20% added only where the page says its price excludes VAT (GOV.UK: VAT rates). The formation-agent and accountant rows come from the published prices of just 3 formation agents and 3 accountancy firms, checked on 28 September 2026, so treat them as examples rather than typical fees; the bookkeeping and desktop rows are one product each. Products are described by type, not named. Taxley's fee for a dormant company is £9.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £19.00 from 1 Jan 2027), including filing the dormant accounts at Companies House. Against the dormant prices that 12 other products published on 27 September 2026, Taxley's current price is the 3rd-lowest of the 13, which puts Taxley among the lowest-priced. Of the 8 products confirmed to include Companies House accounts filing, it is the 2nd-lowest. Plan details are on the pricing page, and costs for trading companies are in how much it costs to file a CT600.

Why might the lowest price not be the cheapest for your company?

A low headline price can leave a filing, a renewal or VAT to pay elsewhere. Some low-priced products file with HMRC only, some are yearly subscriptions, several don't say whether VAT is included, and several handle micro-entity accounts only. A missed deadline costs more than any of those gaps: HMRC's first late-filing penalty is £200 (GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns: Penalties for late filing).

Scope is the first thing to check. Of the 13 products in the 27 September 2026 price check, 4 did not include Companies House filing for a dormant company and 1 more didn't confirm it, so the accounts would still need filing separately, and Companies House's free template takes dormant accounts only from companies that have never traded (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts). Three of the 13 charged a yearly subscription rather than a fee per filing, and one said it renews each year unless cancelled. Eight of the 13 didn't say whether their price included VAT, which could add a fifth if VAT is charged on top. Several of the lowest-priced products handle micro-entity accounts only, and one serves dormant and non-trading companies only, so a company that starts trading, or grows past the micro-entity limits, may need to change product. Our guide to the best CT600 filing software explains how to compare products by type.

Deadlines cost more than any price gap between products. A private company's accounts are due at Companies House 9 months after its accounting reference date, and filing them up to 1 month late costs £150, rising to £1,500 after 6 months (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts). A nil CT600 filed late draws the same £200 penalty as any other return, and the penalties rise to £1,000 each if a return is late 3 times in a row (GOV.UK: Company Tax Returns: Penalties for late filing). A dormant company therefore saves most by filing both sides on time, whichever product it uses. Enter the period end in the Corporation Tax deadline calculator to see each date, and read do I need an accountant? if you're unsure the company is really dormant.

What does Taxley charge to file a dormant company's return?

Taxley charges one fee, £9.50 (promotion price until 31 Dec 2026; £19.00 from 1 Jan 2027), for a dormant company's nil CT600 with its dormant accounts, filed with both HMRC and Companies House. You pay only when you file. Taxley doesn't file confirmation statements.

When you start a return and choose Dormant under "What does the company do?", Taxley skips the profit and loss step and prepares a nil computation. You can file the CT600 on its own or attach dormant accounts; the fee is the same either way, and only the version with accounts has anything to send to Companies House. For a company's first Taxley return, Taxley can fill last year's balance-sheet figures from the accounts the company filed at Companies House, and dormant accounts need those comparative figures (GOV.UK: Preparing and filing Companies House accounts). The CT600 goes to HMRC with the company's own Government Gateway user ID and password, enrolled for Corporation Tax. The accounts go to Companies House with the company's authentication code, which can take up to 10 working days to arrive by post (GOV.UK: Company authentication codes for online filing), so request it early if you don't have it.

Two limits matter for a dormant company. Taxley doesn't file the confirmation statement, which you file yourself on Companies House WebFiling for £50 (GOV.UK: Companies House fees). Taxley also doesn't tell HMRC that the company has become dormant; you do that through HMRC's online service. Dormant company tax return software: file a nil CT600 online shows each step, and the dormant company tax return guide explains the rules. Take the 30-second check to see whether Taxley fits your company, or compare every plan on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to file dormant company accounts and a tax return?

Tell HMRC the company is dormant, so no return is due without a notice, and file the dormant accounts, which carry no Companies House fee. If HMRC sends a notice, file a nil CT600 through software: published prices started at £5 on 27 September 2026. The confirmation statement costs £50 online.

Is filing dormant accounts at Companies House free?

Yes. Companies House charges no fee for dormant accounts, and its free online template for companies that have never traded can be used until 31 March 2028. Software, a formation agent or an accountant may charge for preparing and filing them, and the confirmation statement costs £50 online.

How much does a dormant company's confirmation statement cost?

£50 when filed online or through software, or £110 on paper, and a company must file one at least once every 12 months. Being dormant doesn't change the fee. Taxley doesn't file confirmation statements, so you file it yourself on Companies House WebFiling.

How much do accountants charge for a dormant company?

Published fixed fees from 3 UK accountancy firms, checked on 28 September 2026, ran from £100 to £300, with VAT added where a firm said it was extra. Three firms is a small sample, so get quotes, and check whether the fee covers the nil CT600 as well as the Companies House accounts.

Is a company that earns bank interest dormant for Corporation Tax?

No. GOV.UK's test for a company that has stopped trading is that it also has no other income, for example from investments. Bank interest is income, so the company files a normal Company Tax Return that includes it, even without a trade.

General information, not personalised tax advice. Prices checked on 27 and 28 September 2026 from each provider's own published page; you're responsible for confirming the company was dormant and for the accuracy of what you file.