You might be used to hearing from your accountant when a deadline is approaching. By then, your accounts are largely historic, your options are limited, and there may be little time left to make useful decisions.

That is the problem with leaving tax planning until your year end accounts are being prepared.

A month 9 check-in gives you a better opportunity. At around month 9 of your accounting period, you review your latest management accounts, forecast your likely year-end profit and identify practical actions you can still take before the year closes.

This is the basis of effective tax planning UK business owners can use: understand where you are early enough to act, rather than waiting until the numbers are final.

Here is a practical framework you can follow.

Why month 9 is the right time to review your numbers

A month 9 review gives you roughly three months to make informed decisions. The exact timing depends on your company’s accounting period, but the principle is the same.

You still have time to:

• Check whether your profit forecast is accurate.
• Find genuine business expenses that have not yet been recorded.
• Plan necessary equipment or technology purchases.
• Review pension contributions and remuneration.
• Consider available losses and tax reliefs.
• Protect your cash flow before the Corporation Tax payment is due.

By contrast, waiting until month 12 or after year end often means you are looking backwards. You may know what happened, but you cannot always change the outcome.

Good tax planning is about timing, not last-minute panic.

Step 1: Establish your likely year-end profit

Start with a current set of management accounts. These should show more than your bank balance. You need a useful view of:

• Sales and other income so far.
• Direct costs and overheads.
• Gross and net profit.
• Amounts owed to you and by you.
• Cash currently available.
• Any unusual or one-off transactions.

Then forecast the remaining three months of your accounting period.

Ask yourself:

• Is revenue likely to increase, slow down or remain steady?
• Are any major contracts due to start or finish?
• Will you hire staff or use subcontractors?
• Are supplier prices changing?
• Are there costs you know will arise before year end?
• Are you planning to invest in equipment, software or premises?

Your forecast does not need to predict the future perfectly. It needs to be realistic enough to support a decision.

For example, if your company has made £75,000 profit after nine months and you expect another £30,000 before year end, your estimated annual profit may be around £105,000 before any further adjustments.

That figure gives you a starting point for the next stage.

Step 2: Understand which Corporation Tax position may apply

Under current rules, the main Corporation Tax rate is 25%. Companies with profits of £50,000 or less may pay the small profits rate of 19%. Companies with profits between £50,000 and £250,000 may qualify for marginal relief.

These thresholds can be affected by factors such as the length of your accounting period and the number of associated companies in your group. You should therefore treat them as planning indicators rather than a complete calculation.

You can check the current rates and thresholds on the official GOV.UK Corporation Tax rates guide.

At month 9, the question is not simply, “How can I spend money to reduce tax?”

Instead, ask:

• What is my likely taxable profit?
• Am I close to a tax threshold?
• Are there genuine business costs I need to bring forward?
• Would investment support the business, or would it simply use cash unnecessarily?
• What will the tax-saving action do to my personal tax and company cash flow?

Tax relief should support a sensible business decision. Spending £1 simply to save part of it in tax is rarely a good reason to spend.

Step 3: Check for missing or overlooked expenses

A month 9 expense review can uncover costs that have not yet made it into your accounting records.

Depending on your business, check whether you have properly recorded:

• Software subscriptions.
• Professional fees.
• Marketing and advertising.
• Business insurance.
• Travel and business mileage.
• Office costs.
• Home-working costs.
• Training and professional development.
• Staff and subcontractor costs.
• Business phone and broadband costs.

Expenses must generally be incurred wholly and exclusively for the business to qualify for tax relief. If a cost has both a business and personal element, you may only be able to claim the business portion.

You should keep invoices, receipts and a clear explanation of the business purpose. Our guide to claimable business expenses covers some of the common areas where business owners miss out or make mistakes.

At month 9, practical actions include:

1. Run an expense report for the year so far.
2. Chase missing receipts and invoices.
3. Review expenses paid personally by you or your team.
4. Check that recurring costs have been posted correctly.
5. Separate genuine business costs from personal spending.

This is not about creating expenses. It is about making sure your accounts reflect the costs your business has genuinely incurred.

Step 4: Review planned investment and capital allowances

Are you already planning to buy equipment, computers, machinery or other assets?

If the investment is commercially necessary, it may be worth considering whether it should happen before your accounting year end. Qualifying purchases may benefit from capital allowances, which can provide tax relief on certain capital expenditure.

The timing of the purchase, the type of asset and the date it is brought into use can all matter. Do not assume that placing an order automatically creates a tax deduction.

Before committing to a purchase, review:

• What the business needs over the next 6 to 12 months.
• Whether the asset qualifies for relief.
• Whether the purchase will improve capacity or efficiency.
• Whether the company can afford it without putting pressure on cash flow.
• Whether the purchase should happen before or after year end.

A proactive accountant will help you compare the tax position with the wider business decision. The right outcome may be to invest now, wait until the next accounting period or choose a different solution.

Step 5: Consider salary, bonuses, dividends and pensions

Founder remuneration can be an important part of year-end tax planning, but it needs to be reviewed as a whole.

A salary or bonus may be deductible for Corporation Tax purposes when the relevant conditions are met. Dividends are paid from post-tax profits and are not a Corporation Tax deduction.

Employer pension contributions may also be tax-efficient for a company when they are appropriate, properly documented and paid to a registered pension scheme.

Your decision should take account of:

• Company profit.
• Available cash.
• Your personal tax position.
• National Insurance.
• Pension annual allowances.
• The timing and documentation of any bonus.
• The needs of the business over the coming year.

Do not decide on a remuneration change based on Corporation Tax alone. A useful month 9 review models the company and personal impact together.

If you are considering a bonus or pension contribution before year end, discuss it early. Some decisions need to be approved, recorded and paid within specific time frames.

Step 6: Check losses, reliefs and research activity

Growing businesses do not always make a profit every year. If your company has made a loss, you may have options for using it, such as carrying it forward or, in some circumstances, carrying it back against earlier profits.

You may also need to review whether your business qualifies for specific reliefs. This could include relief connected with research and development, investment or particular industries.

The rules can be detailed. Gather evidence as you go rather than trying to recreate it after year end.

Ask:

• What problem was the business trying to solve?
• What work was carried out?
• Which employees or contractors were involved?
• What costs relate to that work?
• What documents support the claim?

A careful review helps you avoid missing valid reliefs while reducing the risk of claiming something your business does not qualify for.

Step 7: Protect your tax cash flow

Reducing your tax bill does not remove the need to pay it. You still need a realistic cash plan.

For many companies, Corporation Tax is due nine months and one day after the end of the accounting period. The Company Tax Return is generally due 12 months after the end of the accounting period.

You can find further information about Corporation Tax responsibilities on GOV.UK.

At month 9, update your cash-flow forecast to include:

• Your estimated Corporation Tax liability.
• VAT and PAYE payments.
• Planned pension contributions.
• Bonuses or additional payroll costs.
• Capital investment.
• Loan repayments.
• Expected customer receipts.

A tax-saving decision that leaves the company short of working capital may not be the right decision.

What about the Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026?

The Autumn Budget is scheduled for 28 October 2026. It is sensible to keep an eye on any announcements that could affect tax rates, allowances or investment decisions.

However, you should not delay every current decision while waiting for possible changes. Start with the rules that apply to your current accounting period and focus on commercially sensible actions supported by accurate records.

After Budget day, review whether anything changes your plan for:

• The remainder of your current accounting period.
• Your next year’s investment programme.
• Recruitment and remuneration.
• Pension contributions.
• Research and development activity.

The key is to keep your plan flexible without relying on speculation.

Your month 9 check-in checklist

Before speaking with your accountant, gather:

• Your latest management accounts.
• A realistic sales forecast.
• Details of planned spending.
• A list of missing receipts or invoices.
• Payroll and director remuneration information.
• Pension contribution details.
• Information about losses or research activity.
• Your current cash-flow forecast.
• Details of any associated companies.

Then ask for clear answers:

1. What is our likely taxable profit?
2. Which Corporation Tax rate or relief position may apply?
3. What genuine actions can we still take before year end?
4. What evidence and approvals are needed?
5. How will each option affect cash flow?
6. What should we review after the Autumn Budget?

This is what working with a proactive accountant should feel like. You receive an explanation while there is still time to make decisions, not just a set of year-end accounts after the opportunity has passed.

Plan before the numbers become final

Your tax position is influenced by your business activity, structure, accounts and personal circumstances. There is no single tax-saving action that suits every founder-led business.

But the process is straightforward:

• Forecast.
• Review.
• Model your options.
• Take commercially sensible action.
• Keep the right records.
• Revisit the plan when the rules change.

At Claudia Sheena Accountancy Services, our month 9 check-in is designed to give you that earlier view. We review your numbers, explain what they mean and help you decide what to do next.

If you would like to understand your position before year end, you can contact us to book a month 9 check-in. There is no pressure to commit to an action. The first step is simply to understand your options while you still have time to act.