Your accountant has sent you your company’s accounts, its Corporation Tax return, or both, and needs you to approve them before they are filed. This page explains how to read them, sign, approve, or ask a question. It takes a few minutes and you do not need to install anything.
You can only see the documents your accountant sent you. Nothing you do here changes the figures.
Choose a password and sign in
Your accountant’s email contains one or two links.
- If this is the first time, click the first link to choose a password. You only do this once. The link stops working after it has been used, so if it says it has expired, use Forgot your password? on the sign-in page to be sent a new one.
- Then click the link to the documents and sign in with the email address the message was sent to and your password.
If you have been sent documents before, sign in with the password you chose then.
Your list of documents
After you sign in you see everything your accountant has sent you, with the company, the period the documents cover, who sent them and when.
The status tells you where each one stands: Waiting for your approval, Question sent to your accountant, or Approved with the date. Click Review to open one.
Read the documents
The first section lists each document. Click Open to read it. It opens as a PDF in a new tab, which you can also save or print.
- Statutory accounts – the accounts for the period, including the balance sheet and the notes.
- Corporation Tax computation – how the taxable profit and the tax were worked out.
- CT600 Company Tax Return – the return that will be sent to HMRC. If the period is longer than 12 months there are two.
You may not have all three: your accountant chooses what to send. Documents that have not been filed yet are marked as a draft.
These are the documents exactly as they were when your accountant sent them. If your accountant changes something afterwards, they will send you a new version to approve.
Ask a question if something is not right
If a figure looks wrong, or you do not understand something, do not approve yet. Scroll to Something not right? Ask your accountant, type your question and click Send to my accountant.
Your accountant is told straight away. You get an email when they reply, and the reply appears on the same page, under your question.
You can ask as many questions as you need. When you are happy, carry on and approve.
Sign
The Approve section tells you whether your accountant has asked for your signature. If they have, you must add one. If they have not, signing is up to you.
There are two ways to sign.
Draw – sign in the box with your mouse, or with your finger on a phone or tablet. Click Clear to start again.
Upload – click Upload, then Choose file, and pick a photo or scan of your signature. It must be a PNG or JPG picture and smaller than 5 MB. A signature in dark ink on plain white paper works best.
Approve
Tick I have read the documents above and I approve them, then click Approve.
By approving you are telling your accountant that you have read the documents and agree they can be filed. For the accounts, that is the directors’ approval. Read them properly first: an approval cannot be withdrawn from this page.
The page confirms that your approval has been recorded, with the date and time, and shows your signature. Your accountant is told by email. You do not need to do anything else.
You can come back at any time to open the documents again.
If the documents are no longer available
If you follow a link and see These documents are no longer available, your accountant has either withdrawn that request or sent you a newer version.
Click Back to your documents. If there is a newer version it is on your list. If your list is empty, ask your accountant.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the figures?
No. You can read the documents, ask a question and approve. If something needs to change, tell your accountant using the question box and they will send you a corrected version.
I approved by mistake. What should I do?
Contact your accountant straight away. An approval cannot be undone from your pages, but your accountant has not filed anything just because you approved, and can send you a corrected version.
Do I have to sign?
Only if the page says your accountant has asked for your signature. Otherwise you can approve without one.
I have forgotten my password.
On the sign-in page click Forgot your password? and enter the email address your accountant used. You will be emailed a link to choose a new one.
Does approving send the documents to HMRC or Companies House?
No. Your accountant files them after you approve.
Who can see what I do here?
Your accountant can see when you first opened the request, any questions you asked, and when you approved. The date, time and internet address of your approval are recorded with it.
What do the times on the page mean?
Times are shown in UTC, which is the same as UK time in winter and one hour behind it in summer.