Do companies have to file a 60 day CGT return

No. A company, whether UK resident or not, does not file a 60 day Capital Gains Tax on UK property return for its own disposals, because companies pay Corporation Tax on chargeable gains rather than Capital Gains Tax. The gain goes in the Company Tax Return (CT600) for the accounting period, and the tax is paid on the normal Corporation Tax dates. A non resident company that sells UK property must instead register for Corporation Tax within 3 months, and a company acting as a trustee does report trust disposals through the 60 day regime.

Why don’t companies use the 60 day return?

The 60 day reporting rules are in Schedule 2 to the Finance Act 2019, and paragraph 1(1) says the Schedule applies for the purposes of Capital Gains Tax. Companies are outside Capital Gains Tax altogether. Section 1(2) of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 says Capital Gains Tax is not charged on gains accruing to a company, and Corporation Tax is charged instead. So the duty to file a return within 60 days of completion, which binds individuals, trustees and personal representatives, never reaches a company’s own gains.

This catches out landlords who have both personally owned and company owned property. An individual who sells a residential property at a gain must report and pay within 60 days of completion, as covered on our page on the 60 day property return. Their company selling an identical flat the same week follows a different timetable entirely.

How does a UK resident company report a property gain?

Section 2B(1) of the 1992 Act charges a UK resident company to Corporation Tax on chargeable gains on disposals of assets wherever situated. The gain is computed under the same capital gains rules as for individuals, with differences that mostly favour simplicity:

• There is no annual exempt amount and no separate residential property rate. The net gain is added to the company’s profits and taxed at its Corporation Tax rate. For the financial year beginning 1 April 2026 the small profits rate is 19% for profits under £50,000 and the main rate 25% above £250,000, with marginal relief between.
• Companies still get indexation allowance, but it has been frozen. For disposals on or after 1 January 2018 indexation is calculated only up to December 2017. See indexation allowance on company gains.
• Private residence relief is not available. HMRC’s helpsheet HS283 states that companies are not entitled to the relief.

The gain is entered in the CT600. HMRC’s Company Tax Return guide says box 210 holds gross chargeable gains, box 215 allowable losses including losses brought forward, and box 220 net chargeable gains, and that calculations of each gain and loss should be attached with any claims or elections.

When is the tax due?

The Corporation Tax on the gain is part of the company’s ordinary liability for the accounting period in which the disposal falls. For a company with taxable profits up to £1.5 million, the tax is due 9 months and 1 day after the end of the accounting period. Larger companies pay by quarterly instalments, and a large gain can itself push a company into instalments. The return is due 12 months after the end of the accounting period.

So a company that completes a sale on 1 May 2026 with a 31 March year end will usually pay the tax by 1 January 2028 and file by 31 March 2028. An individual completing the same day would have had to report and pay by 30 June 2026. More detail is on our Corporation Tax deadlines page.

What about non resident companies?

Since 6 April 2019, section 2B(4) of the 1992 Act has charged a non resident company to Corporation Tax on gains on disposals of interests in UK property, and on indirect disposals of assets deriving at least 75% of their value from UK property where the company has a substantial indirect interest. HMRC’s guidance for non residents says non resident companies pay Corporation Tax on these gains and report them on a Corporation Tax return, not through the Capital Gains Tax on UK property service.

A non resident company that is not already in the Corporation Tax system must register. HMRC’s guidance says the company must register within 3 months of becoming liable, which is when it sells, gives away or transfers ownership of the property, and that holding a property does not by itself mean it needs to register. Registration is not needed where, for example, the disposal is a no gain, no loss transfer, the substantial shareholding exemption applies, or the disposal is the grant of a lease for no premium.

A non resident company that already files Corporation Tax returns, for example because it is within Corporation Tax on UK rental profits, reports the gain in that return. Our page on non resident companies with UK rental income covers that side. CG73920 notes there are special rules where a non UK company is only within Corporation Tax because of a property gain and may have a very short accounting period.

Did non resident companies ever file a Capital Gains Tax return?

Yes, before 6 April 2019. From April 2015 the non resident Capital Gains Tax regime charged closely held non resident companies to Capital Gains Tax, not Corporation Tax, on gains from UK residential property, and required tax to be paid at or close to the time of disposal (CG73700 and CG73704). Companies that met a genuine diversity of ownership test were exempt. From 6 April 2019 those gains moved into Corporation Tax. HMRC’s registration guidance notes that before 6 April 2019 such disposals were taxed under Self Assessment.

The practical point is for anyone reviewing older files: a non resident company’s return for a 2016 sale of a UK flat looks nothing like the treatment of a 2026 sale.

When does a company file a 60 day return?

The exception is a company acting in a representative capacity. A professional trustee company or other corporate trustee that sells UK residential property on behalf of a trust is dealing with the trust’s gain, and trustees are within Capital Gains Tax. HMRC’s guidance on reporting Capital Gains Tax on UK property says a corporate trustee must report by post rather than through the online account. The same applies to a non resident trust: trustees of a non UK resident trust must report disposals of UK property by the deadline even if no tax is due.

The gain belongs to the trust, so the trust’s rate of 24% for 2026 to 2027 applies, and the 60 day deadline runs from completion.

How might this look in practice?

Illustration only. A UK property company with a 31 December year end sells a let house on 15 June 2026 for a gain of £120,000 after indexation, and has £200,000 of rental profit for the year. No 60 day return is filed. The £120,000 is entered in box 210 of the CT600 for the year to 31 December 2026, the total profits of £320,000 exceed the £250,000 upper limit so the whole amount is taxed at 25%, and the tax is due by 1 October 2027. If the same house had been owned by the director personally, a 60 day return and payment would have been due by 14 August 2026.

What mistakes come up most often?

• Filing a 60 day return for a company disposal, which creates a Capital Gains Tax record the company does not need and does not replace the CT600 entry.
• Claiming private residence relief or the annual exempt amount against a company gain.
• Calculating indexation to the date of disposal instead of December 2017.
• A non resident company missing the 3 month registration deadline because it assumed a sale with no tax due needed no action.
• A corporate trustee treating a trust sale as a company disposal and missing the 60 day deadline.
• Using capital losses brought forward without considering the corporate capital loss restriction, which since 1 April 2020 has restricted the use of carried forward capital losses (CG73920).

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Related Accountapedia entries

• Amending a 60 day CGT property return
• HMRC enquiries into 60 day CGT returns
• Penalties for late 60 day CGT property returns
• Do you need a 60 day return if no CGT is due
• Who needs to file a Self Assessment tax return

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2019 c. 1, schedule 2
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 1992 c. 12, section 1
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 1992 c. 12, section 2B
• GOV.UK: If you sold a property in the uk on or after 6 april 2020
• GOV.UK: Rates and allowances corporation tax
• GOV.UK: Corporation tax on chargeable gains indexation allowance rates
• GOV.UK: Hs283 private residence relief 2026
• GOV.UK: The company tax return guide
• GOV.UK: Pay corporation tax
• GOV.UK: Company tax returns

Reviewed by Christine Anderson, Broker, Solar Protect. Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Part of Accountapedia, the Solar Protect guide to UK tax and accounting. This page is general information, not personalised advice.