How to keep track of licences, certificates and renewals in the UK

GuideUKChecked 30 October 202623 primary sources8 min readUS version

The short answer

In the UK, keep one list of every date that can lapse: Companies House filings, VAT returns, PAYE by the 22nd, Self Assessment on 31 January, employers' liability insurance (at least £5 million, As of Oct 2026) and trade registrations such as Gas Safe, waste carrier and the data protection fee. Give each an owner and two reminders.

Which company and tax deadlines catch small firms out?

The ones on a fixed cycle with an automatic penalty. Most run from your own dates, so write down your accounting reference date and VAT periods first.

Deadline (As of Oct 2026)WhenIf you miss it
Confirmation statementWithin 14 days after each review period, normally 12 monthsNo automatic fine, but an offence: the company and its officers can be fined up to £5,000, Companies House may issue a financial penalty, and the company can be struck off
Accounts, private companyNormally 9 months after the accounting reference date£150 to £1,500 by lateness, doubled if late in 2 successive years
Corporation TaxPay 9 months and 1 day after the period ends; return normally 12 months afterInterest on late tax, and penalties on a late return
VATUsually quarterly, 1 month and 7 days after the periodA point per late return, £200 at 4 points (quarterly); penalties if paid 16 or more days late
PAYE and National InsuranceBy the 22nd after each tax month, paying electronically1% to 4% of the late amount after the first late payment in a tax year
Self AssessmentRegister by 5 October after the tax year; pay and file by 31 January; second payment on account 31 JulyFor the 2025 to 2026 return, £100 at once, then £10 a day after 3 months, up to £900

A new company's first accounts and a large company's instalments follow other dates. Missed company filings can end in strike-off: the company's bank account is then frozen and its money passes to the Crown.

Which insurance must not lapse?

Employers' liability, once you employ anyone. In Great Britain cover must be at least £5 million, and each day without it is an offence with a fine of up to £2,500 (As of Oct 2026).

The rules are the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 (ss.1, 2 and 5) and its 1998 Regulations (reg 3). A company whose only employee owns at least 50% of its issued shares is exempt, as are specified close-family employees of an unincorporated business. Northern Ireland has its own 1972 Order.

Public liability is not required by law, though clients and trade schemes can insist on it. The quieter risk is a gap in cover: at each renewal you must present the risk fairly, including all the work you do, and undeclared work can reduce your cover (Insurance Act 2015 ss.3 and 8).

Which trade registrations expire?

That depends on your trade, so the list has to be your own. Common ones (As of Oct 2026):

  • Gas Safe: any business doing gas work for gain must be on the register (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, reg 3(3), Great Britain). The business renews every year and each engineer's ACS assessment every 5 years. See plumbing and heating.
  • Waste carrier: carrying a client's waste, or any construction or demolition waste, needs upper-tier registration, renewed every 3 years in England; lower tier does not renew. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators. See cleaning.
  • Data protection fee: a business holding personal data electronically normally pays it each year unless exempt: £52 for tier 1 (turnover up to £632,000 or no more than 10 staff), £78 for tier 2, £3,763 for tier 3, £5 less by direct debit. It is paid to the ICO, since 30 September 2026 the Information Commission's Office.
  • Premises licence (alcohol, England and Wales): the annual fee falls due on each anniversary of grant, and unpaid it means suspension (Licensing Act 2003, s.55A). See hospitality.
  • Landlord checks: each gas appliance and flue checked at intervals of no more than 12 months (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, reg 36), and in England the electrical installation at least every 5 years (SI 2020/312). See AI for letting agents.
  • Schemes and cards: trade scheme memberships, MCS and F-gas certificates, and each person's site cards and training certificates.

The Academy lessons on which jobs a plumbing engineer may legally take and the rules on every cleaning site go further.

What happens if a renewal lapses?

Usually a penalty that grows the longer it runs. Sometimes worse:

  • An offence: no confirmation statement, gas work while unregistered (Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s.33) or staff without employers' liability cover.
  • No cover: a lapsed policy, or undeclared work, can leave a claim uninsured.
  • No trading: a suspended premises licence, or a company struck off.

How do I set up a simple system to track them?

One list, one owner, two reminders per item and a monthly check. A shared spreadsheet and calendar will do.

  1. List everything that expires: company and tax dates, insurance, registrations, each person's cards, vehicle dates and contract notice dates.
  2. For each, record what it is, who it belongs to, the due date, the notice you need (courses, inspections, paperwork), the cost and where the certificate is kept.
  3. Set two reminders: one to start, one final warning.
  4. Name one owner and review the list on the first working day of each month.
  5. Check each date on the official record (Companies House, HMRC, the register), and update the list the day a renewal goes through.

Do the same for customers: annual services and landlord checks fall due too, and a reminder can become booked work.

Is it different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

Companies House and HMRC dates are UK-wide; many licences and safety rules are not. Northern Ireland has its own employers' liability Order and gas safety regulations, Scotland has its own Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, and the landlord electrical rule above is England's.

Greymill

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In the UK, find your company and its accounts and confirmation statement dates come straight from the Companies House register, checked again before every reminder. Tax & Bookkeeping answers what tax is due and when, from your live figures if you connect Xero or QuickBooks.

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Questions owners ask

What is the penalty for filing company accounts late in the UK?

For a private company, £150 up to 1 month late, £375 up to 3 months, £750 up to 6 months and £1,500 after that, doubled if filed late in 2 successive financial years (Companies Act 2006 s.453). As of Oct 2026.

Is employers' liability insurance a legal requirement?

For most employers in Great Britain, yes: at least £5 million of cover, with a fine of up to £2,500 for each day without it (Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 s.5). As of Oct 2026.

How often does Gas Safe registration renew?

The business registration renews every year and each engineer's ACS assessment every 5 years (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, reg 3(3)).

Does a waste carrier registration expire?

In England an upper-tier registration, needed to carry a client's waste or any construction or demolition waste, renews every 3 years. A lower-tier registration does not.

Who should check my renewals list?

Your accountant for company and tax dates, your insurance broker for cover, and each register or licensing authority for its own registration.

Sources

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