Tax Year-End Planning — Supreme Advisory

What this is: a structured checklist for tax-efficient planning in the run-up to your year-end. The UK personal tax year ends 5 April. Your company's accounting year-end may be different — most of these apply to both. Use this with your accountant — these are planning prompts, not formal tax advice.

Pension contributions, ISAs, capital gains harvesting — all have annual deadlines
Director dividend timing affects which tax year the income lands in
Salary vs dividend mix can be optimised
R&D claim windows must not lapse
Capital allowances on equipment purchases

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To Do

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Illustrative Savings*

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Personal Allowances — Use or Lose

By 5 April

UK personal tax allowances reset every 5 April. Most don't roll over. If you don't use them, they're gone.

£20,000 ISA allowance usedCash ISA, Stocks & Shares ISA, or Lifetime ISA. Allowance doesn't roll over.

£60,000 pension annual allowance reviewedUp to £60k or 100% of earnings per tax year. Carry-forward of unused allowance from previous 3 years possible. Tax relief at marginal rate.

£3,000 CGT annual exempt amount considered£3,000 since 2024/25 (it was £6,000 in 2023/24). Realise gains up to this if you have unsheltered assets.

£500 dividend allowance utilisedWas £2,000, now £500. Time dividends to optimise across tax years if relevant.

£1,000 trading allowance consideredFor side hustles. First £1,000 of trading income is tax-free.

£1,000 property allowance consideredFor incidental rental income.

Marriage Allowance — transfer if relevant£1,260 transferable to spouse if one of you doesn't use the full personal allowance.

Gift Aid donations consideredCarry-back to current tax year if claimed on SA return. Boosts income tax saving for higher-rate taxpayers.

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Director-Specific Planning

Salary + dividends optimisation

Optimal salary level reviewed~£12,570 (personal allowance) common. Above secondary NI threshold pays Employers' NI but might be worth it for higher pension contributions.

Dividend strategy decided for the tax yearFrom 6 April 2026: ordinary rate 10.75% (basic-rate band), upper rate 35.75% (higher-rate band), additional rate 39.35%, after the £500 dividend allowance. Time dividends to optimise.

Director's Loan Account position checkedIf you owe the company >£10k = BIK tax. If still owed 9 months after year-end = S455 (35.75% for loans made on or after 6 April 2026, 33.75% for loans made from 6 April 2022 to 5 April 2026). Use DIRECTORS_LOAN_ACCOUNT_TRACKER.

Spouse / family member dividends reviewedIf they own shares — can shift income to use their basic rate band. Settlement legislation considerations apply.

Company pension contribution consideredCompany pension contributions are corporation-tax deductible and not subject to NI. Often the single biggest tax-efficient move for director-shareholders.

Benefits-in-kind reviewedElectric company car (low BIK), trivial benefits (£50 limit), staff entertainment (£150/head/year), mobile phones.

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Company-Level Year-End

Aligned to your accounting year-end

Capital allowances reviewedAIA (Annual Investment Allowance) — 100% relief on qualifying equipment up to £1m. Plan equipment purchases before year-end if approaching.

Super-deduction successor (Full Expensing)100% first-year allowance on most new plant & machinery bought by companies from 1 April 2023 (not cars). Made permanent at Autumn Statement 2023, so no end date. Strategic for capex-heavy businesses.

R&D tax credit claim reviewedClaim within 2 years of the end of the accounting period. Average UK SME claim £30-100k. Don't miss the window. Use RD_TAX_CREDIT_IDENTIFIER.

Bad debt write-offs identifiedDebts you'll genuinely not collect — write off before year-end to reduce taxable profit.

Pre-year-end expenses accrued correctlyBills incurred but not paid by year-end can be accrued. Pay subscriptions / professional fees before year-end to claim in current year.

Stock valuation reviewedObsolete stock can be written down. Movement in stock affects gross profit and taxable income.

VAT position reviewedCash vs accrual scheme review. Annual scheme consideration. Bad debt VAT recovery if eligible.

Trading loss claims consideredLosses can be carried forward, set against current year other income, or carried back. Strategic timing affects refunds.

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Investment Schemes

EIS · SEIS · VCT

EIS investments considered30% income tax relief on up to £1m/year (£2m for Knowledge Intensive). Plus CGT deferral, CGT exemption on disposal after 3 years, loss relief.

SEIS investments considered50% income tax relief on up to £200k/year. Plus CGT exemption, CGT reinvestment relief (50%), loss relief. Most generous UK tax break.

VCT investments considered20% income tax relief on up to £200k/year for VCT shares issued from 6 April 2026 (30% before that date). Tax-free dividends. Held 5 years minimum.

If raising — EIS/SEIS Advance Assurance in flightIf you're the company being invested in. Use EIS_SEIS_ASSURANCE_HELPER.

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Administrative Year-End

Don't forget

Final P11D / P11D(b) preparation startedFor benefits in kind. Deadline 6 July following tax year-end.

Final payroll EPS / FPS filedYear-end payroll submissions by 19 April. P60s to employees by 31 May.

Employer pension obligations confirmedRe-declaration of compliance every 3 years from staging date. Auto-enrolment contributions current.

Self Assessment registration confirmed for new directorsBy 5 October following tax year if new for the year. SA return then due 31 January.

Tax payment forecast for next yearCalculate likely SA balancing payment + payments on account. Reserve cash so it's not a surprise.

Need help with year-end planning? Supreme Advisory Growth + Scale clients get year-end planning as part of monthly advisory. Pay-on-Outcome doesn't cover this. £499 one-off year-end review available for non-clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This is structured planning — not formal tax advice. Always engage a qualified UK tax advisor or accountant for actual tax decisions. Rates, allowances, and rules in this checklist reflect the 2026/27 position as checked on 15 October 2026 (dividend rates, s455, VCT relief, CGT allowance, full expensing: see gov.uk and HMRC manual CTM61505); verify current rates at gov.uk before action.