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Startup Finance Checklist
2026/27

53 tasks every UK founder needs to complete — from company formation to investment readiness. Interactive checklist with downloadable Excel spreadsheet.

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What This Checklist Covers

Starting a UK limited company involves dozens of financial, legal and compliance tasks. Miss one and you could face penalties from HMRC, lose tax relief, or create problems during investor due diligence.

This checklist covers everything from company formation and HMRC registrations through to cloud accounting setup, director remuneration, tax planning, compliance deadlines and investment readiness. All rates and thresholds are for the 2026/27 tax year.

Download the full checklist as an Excel spreadsheet

53 tasks · 10 categories · Status tracking · Due dates · Notes column

Download .xlsx ↓

1. Company Formation

Before you start trading
Choose company name and check availability
Before trading
Companies House name checker
Incorporate limited company with Companies House
Before trading
£100 digital fee (2026)
Complete identity verification (ECCTA)
At incorporation
GOV.UK One Login or ACSP
Set up share structure and issue shares
At incorporation
Ordinary shares, £1 nominal value typical
Prepare shareholders' agreement (if co-founders)
At incorporation
Vesting, good/bad leaver, decision rights
Obtain Certificate of Incorporation
Within 24 hours
Keep safely — needed for bank account

2. HMRC Registrations

Get registered with HMRC
Register for Corporation Tax (CT41G)
Within 3 months
Mandatory for all limited companies
Register for PAYE
Before first salary
Required if paying director salary
Register for VAT (if applicable)
When turnover >£90k
Or voluntarily to reclaim input VAT
Check SEIS/EIS eligibility
Before raising investment
Advance assurance from HMRC

3. Banking & Payments

Separate your finances
Open business bank account
Week 1
Tide, Starling, Wise Business or high street
Set up payment gateway (if applicable)
Before first sale
Stripe, GoCardless, PayPal Business
Separate personal and business finances
Day 1
Never mix — keep clean from the start

4. Cloud Accounting Setup

Get Xero configured
Set up Xero with optimised chart of accounts
Week 1
AccTek configures this for you
Connect automated bank feeds
Week 1
All business bank accounts
Configure receipt capture (Hubdoc/Dext)
Week 1
Photograph receipts on your phone
Set up invoice templates with branding
Week 1
Company name, address, VAT number
Enable automated invoice reminders
Week 1
7-day, 14-day, 30-day overdue
Configure multi-currency (if international)
If needed
Essential for SaaS with overseas customers

5. Payroll & Remuneration

Pay yourself properly
Set optimal director salary (£12,570 for 2026/27)
Month 1
Personal Allowance — most tax-efficient
Configure payroll with RTI submissions
Before first pay
AccTek handles this
Set up workplace pension (if employees)
Within 3 months of first employee
Auto-enrolment duties
Plan salary vs dividends split
Month 1
Use the AccTek calculator
Create dividend voucher template
Before first dividend
Date, amount, tax credit

6. Tax Planning

Minimise your tax bill
Understand Corporation Tax rates (19–25%)
Ongoing
Small profits 19%, main rate 25%
Plan for marginal relief (£50k–£250k profits)
If applicable
Effective ~26.5% rate
Identify R&D tax relief eligibility
Ongoing
Software development, product innovation
Review capital allowances for equipment
At purchase
100% Annual Investment Allowance
Plan for year-end — bring forward expenses if beneficial
Before year end
Discuss with AccTek 2–3 months before
Check Employment Allowance eligibility
Annually
£10,500 — not available to sole directors

7. Financial Reporting

See your numbers clearly
Set up monthly bookkeeping process
Month 1
AccTek reconciles monthly
Establish management accounts cadence
Month 2+
Monthly P&L, balance sheet, cash flow
Define key KPIs to track
Month 1
Revenue, burn rate, runway, gross margin
Create financial dashboard in Xero
Month 1
Real-time visibility
Prepare board pack template (if raising)
Before fundraising
Financials + metrics + narrative

8. Compliance Calendar

Never miss a deadline
Annual accounts — file with Companies House
9 months after year end
Late = automatic penalties
Corporation Tax return — submit to HMRC
12 months after year end
Pay CT within 9 months + 1 day
Confirmation statement — annual filing
Annually
£50 fee — confirm company details
VAT returns — quarterly (if registered)
1 month + 7 days after quarter end
MTD-compliant via Xero
Payroll RTI — monthly or per pay run
On or before payday
Automated through Xero
Self Assessment — director personal tax
31 January
If taking dividends over £1,000
P11D — benefits in kind (if applicable)
6 July
Company car, medical insurance, etc.

9. Investment Readiness

Get fundraise-ready
Apply for SEIS advance assurance
Before raising
HMRC — 4–6 weeks response time
Apply for EIS advance assurance (if applicable)
Before raising
For post-SEIS rounds
Prepare investor-ready management accounts
Ongoing
Clean, monthly, accurate
Build or review financial model
Before fundraising
Revenue, costs, runway, scenarios
Set up EMI share option scheme (if hiring)
Before granting options
Tax-efficient equity for team
Prepare data room with financial documents
Before fundraising
Accounts, forecasts, cap table, contracts

10. Insurance & Legal

Protect your business
Professional indemnity insurance
Before trading
Required by many client contracts
Public liability insurance (if applicable)
If client-facing
Covers third-party injury/damage
Directors' & officers' insurance
Optional
Protects personal liability as director
Review standard client contract / T&Cs
Before first client
Payment terms, liability, IP ownership
Register ICO data protection (if holding personal data)
If applicable
£40–£60/year for most small businesses

Want this as a spreadsheet?

Download the Excel version with status tracking, due dates and notes columns.

Download .xlsx ↓
Ticked the basics? The next step is fractional CFO support — financial modelling, board packs, SEIS/EIS structuring, and R&D claims managed by your accounting team.

Want AccTek to Handle All of This?

Every item on this checklist is included in AccTek’s startup accounting packages. One partner from day one.

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All tax rates and thresholds are for the 2026/27 tax year. This checklist is for general guidance only — contact AccTek for personalised advice. Content by Godwin Pinto, ACA (ICAEW).

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