Company accounts and a director’s personal return are separate tasks. Directorship alone does not mean every person must file a personal return. Check the filing requirement, then provide salary, dividend and other personal-income records where a return is needed.
Check whether a personal return is needed
Being a director does not, by itself, settle every filing question. HMRC’s current director guidance explains that salary, dividends and other untaxed income need considering. Use the current Self Assessment checker and deal with any notice to file.
Tell the accountant about employment income, dividends, benefits and income outside the company. Do not rely only on the money transferred from the company bank account.
Gather the personal evidence
Provide the relevant employment documents, dividend records and information about other income. Explain any payments you do not understand rather than labelling every transfer as salary or a dividend yourself.
Ask the person preparing company records for the information needed for the personal return. Keep the tax year distinct from the company’s accounting period.
Confirm the purchased service
An individual SA package should not be assumed to include company accounts, Corporation Tax, payroll or work on directors’ loans. These need an explicit scope check before purchase.
Example: one company, two different returns
The company’s accounting period might end in December while the director’s personal tax year ends on 5 April. Documents need to be allocated to the relevant return; the company-year end is not automatically the cut-off for every personal figure.
Is every company withdrawal a dividend?
No. A transfer can have a different explanation, and distributions need appropriate records. Ask the accountant responsible for the company records to clarify the treatment rather than naming the payment after the event to suit the tax return.
Does MTD automatically apply to a director’s salary and dividends?
Do not infer MTD eligibility from the directorship alone. Relevant sole-trader or property income needs its own check. Personal Self Assessment, company filing and MTD eligibility are related administrative questions but are not interchangeable.
Next step: Tell TaxSimba you are a director and describe the personal income needing review. Ask separately about any company work, rather than assuming it is included.
Extra close-company details for 2025/26
Where the close-company director questions apply, the 2025/26 employment pages ask for the company’s name, registration number, dividends received from it and percentage shareholding. HMRC’s notes say to use the highest percentage shareholding in the year, calculated by reference to the nominal value of the shares.
Ask for the shareholding history as well as dividend vouchers. These employment-page details do not replace reporting the dividends in the relevant dividend section. Use the current SA102 form and notes; do not copy an older director questionnaire.
Check the home nation used for your tax calculation
Tell the accountant whether you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and about any moves during the tax year. Scottish rates differ for wages, pensions and most other taxable income; savings and dividends use UK rules. Welsh rates are set separately. Use the rules for the relevant year and your actual taxpayer status.
See Scottish Income Tax and Welsh Income Tax. These differences do not make a London address or an England-only earnings example appropriate for everyone.
Ask for the director details needed this year
Illustrative preparation example.
A director’s personal return pack should not stop at a P60 and bank transfers. Check the current employment-page questions and obtain the relevant company, dividend and shareholding details where required. Keep the company tax year separate from the personal reporting year.
Check: Who will supply the company details and shareholding history supporting the personal return?
| Check | Practical action |
|---|---|
| Why is a personal return required? | Check the individual's income and HMRC notice; directorship alone is not a universal filing trigger. |
| Are salary and dividends evidenced? | Use payroll records and dividend documentation, not just personal bank credits. |
| Are there benefits or loan transactions? | Provide the relevant records so their tax treatment can be checked. |
Does Corporation Tax filing cover my personal tax?
No. The company and director are separate taxpayers with different filings and income records.
Must every director file solely because they are a director?
No. Check the actual personal reporting criteria and any HMRC notice to file.
Download a checklist for this guide
- Record the reason a personal return is needed.
- Collect payroll and benefits documents.
- Gather dividend vouchers and payment dates.
- Identify director loan and company-paid personal items.
- List other personal income and reliefs.