PART I THE CHARGE TO TAX

Corporation tax

12 Basis of, and periods for, assessment.
(1) Except as otherwise provided by the Corporation Tax Acts, corporation tax shall be assessed and charged for any accounting period of a company on the full amount of the profits arising in the period (whether or not received in or transmitted to the United Kingdom) without any other deduction than is authorised by those Acts.
S. 12(1)-(7) excluded (28.4.1997) by The Open-ended Investment Companies (Tax) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/1154), {reg. 25(2)}
S. 12(1)-(7) excluded (1.4.2006 with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the affecting S.I.) by The Authorised Investment Funds (Tax) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/964), regs. 1(1), 79(2)
SOURCE-1970 s. 247; 1972 s. 107(1)
(2) An accounting period of a company shall begin for purposes of corporation tax whenever—
(a) the company, not then being within the charge to corporation tax, comes within it, whether by the company becoming resident in the United Kingdom or acquiring a source of income, or otherwise; or
(b) an accounting period of the company ends without the company then ceasing to be within the charge to corporation tax.
(3) An accounting period of a company shall end for purposes of corporation tax on the first occurrence of any of the following—
(a) the expiration of 12 months from the beginning of the accounting period;
(b) an accounting date of the company or, if there is a period for which the company does not make up accounts, the end of that period;
(c) the company beginning or ceasing to trade or to be, in respect of the trade or (if more than one) of all the trades carried on by it, within the charge to corporation tax;
(d) the company beginning or ceasing to be resident in the United Kingdom;
(da) the company ceasing to be in administration;
S. 12(3)(da) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 41 para. 5(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 41 para. 1(2)
(e) the company ceasing to be within the charge to corporation tax.
(4) For the purposes of this section a company resident in the United Kingdom, if not otherwise within the charge to corporation tax, shall be treated as coming within the charge to corporation tax at the time when it commences to carry on business.
(5) Subject to subsection (5A) below if a company carrying on more than one trade makes up accounts of any of them to different dates, and does not make up general accounts for the whole of the company’s activities, subsection (3)(b) above shall apply with reference to the accounting date of such one of the trades as the company may determine.
Words in s. 12(5) inserted (with effect as mentioned in Sch. 24 para. 11(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 79, Sch. 24 para. 11(2)(a)
Words in s. 12(5) substituted (with effect as mentioned in Sch. 4 para. 11(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 79, Sch. 24 para. 11(2)(b)
(5A) If the Board is of the opinion, on reasonable grounds, that a date determined by a company for the purposes of subsection (5) above is inappropriate, they may by notice direct that the accounting date of such other of the trades referred to in that subsection as appears to them to be appropriate shall be used instead.
S. 12(5A) inserted (with effect as mentioned in Sch. 4 para. 11(4) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 1996 (c. 8), s. 79, Sch. 24 para. 11(3)
(5B) For the purposes of subsection (3)(da) a company ceases to be in administration when it ceases to be in administration under Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986 or any corresponding event occurs otherwise than under that Act.
S. 12(5B) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 41 para. 5(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 41 para. 1(3)
(6) If a chargeable gain or allowable loss accrues to a company at a time not otherwise within an accounting period of the company, an accounting period of the company shall then begin for the purposes of corporation tax, and the gain or loss shall accrue in that accounting period.
(7) Notwithstanding anything in subsections (1) to (6) above, where a company is wound up, an accounting period shall end and a new one begin with the commencement of the winding up, and thereafter, subject to subsection (7ZA) below and section 342(6), an accounting period shall not end otherwise than by the expiration of 12 months from its beginning or by the completion of the winding up.
Words in s. 12(7) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 41 para. 5(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 41 para. 1(4)
For this purpose a winding up is to be taken to commence on the passing by the company of a resolution for the winding up of the company, or on the presentation of a winding up petition if no such resolution has previously been passed and a winding up order is made on the petition, or on the doing of any other act for a like purpose in the case of a winding up otherwise than under the Insolvency Act 1986.
(7ZA) Notwithstanding anything in subsections (1) to (6) above, where a company enters administration—
(a) an accounting period of the company shall end immediately before the day the company enters administration, and
(b) if immediately before the company enters administration it is in the course of being wound up, subsection (7) ceases to apply at the end of that accounting period.
For this purpose a company enters administration when it enters administration under Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986 or is subject to any corresponding procedure otherwise than under that Act.
S. 12(7ZA) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 41 para. 5(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 41 para. 1(5)
(7A) Notwithstanding anything in subsections (1) to (7ZA) above, and subject to subsection (7C) below where an insurance business transfer scheme has effect to transfer from a company to another person business which consists of the effecting or carrying out of contracts of long-term insurance, an accounting period of the company from which the business is transferred shall end with the day of the transfer.
S. 12(7A) inserted by Finance Act 1990 (c. 29), s.48, Sch.9 para.3 (in relation to transfers of business on or after 1.11.1990)
S. 12(7A) modified (with effect in accordance with reg. 1 of the amending S.I.) by The Friendly Societies (Taxation of Transfers of Business) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/171), reg. 4(2)(b)
S. 12(7A) modified (19.3.1997) by S.I. 1995/171, reg. 4A (as inserted by The Friendly Societies (Taxation of Transfers of Business) (Amendment) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/472), reg. 4)
S. 12(7A) modified (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the modifying S.I.) by The Friendly Societies (Modification of the Corporation Tax Acts) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/473), reg. 4 (as amended by S.I. 2001/3629, art. 154); and that modifying reg. 4 is omitted (8.4.2004 with effect in accordance with reg. 1 of the revoking S.I.) by virtue of S.I. 2004/822, reg. 5
Words in s. 12(7A) substituted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 41 para. 5(1) of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2003 (c. 14), Sch. 41 para. 1(6)
Words in s. 12(7A) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 9 para. 20(7) of the amending Act) by Finance (No. 2) Act 2005 (c. 22), Sch. 9 para. 20(2)
Words in s. 12(7A) substituted (with effect in accordance with art. 14(4) of the amending S.I.) by The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential Amendments) (Taxes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3629), art. 14(2)
(7B) In subsection (7A) above—
S. 12(7B) inserted (with effect in accordance with art. 14(4) of the amending S.I.) by The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential Amendments) (Taxes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3629), art. 14(3)
“contracts of long-term insurance” means contracts which fall within Part II of Schedule 1 to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001; and
“insurance business transfer scheme” means a scheme falling within section 105 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and—
(a) includes an excluded scheme falling within Case 2, 3 or 4 of subsection (3) of that section, but
(b) does not include a scheme for the transfer of business carried on by one or members or former underwriting members of Lloyd’s.
(7C) Where subsection (1) of section 444AA applies in the case of an insurance business transfer scheme—
(a) an accounting period of the transferor shall end for purposes of corporation tax—
(i) with the end of the period covered by the periodical return deemed by virtue of subsection (2) of that section, or
(ii) where the last period covered by an actual periodical return of the transferor ends immediately before the transfer, with the end of that period,
(so that an accounting period will end immediately before the transfer), and
(b) an accounting period of the transferor shall end for purposes of corporation tax with the end of the period covered by the periodical return deemed by virtue of subsection (3) of that section (so that the time of the transfer shall be an accounting period of the transferor);
and for this purpose, expressions used in this subsection and in that section have the same meaning in this subsection as in that section.
S. 12(7C) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 9 para. 20(7) of the amending Act) by Finance (No. 2) Act 2005 (c. 22), Sch. 9 para. 20(3)
(8) Where it appears to the inspector that the beginning or end of any accounting period of a company is uncertain, he may make an assessment on the company for such period, not exceeding 12 months, as appears to him appropriate, and that period shall be treated for all purposes as an accounting period of the company unless either—
(a) the inspector on further facts coming to his knowledge sees fit to revise it; or
(b) on an appeal against the assessment in respect of some other matter the company shows the true accounting periods;
and if on an appeal against an assessment made by virtue of this subsection the company shows the true accounting periods, the assessment appealed against shall, as regards the period to which it relates, have effect as an assessment or assessments for the true accounting periods, and there may be made such other assessments for any such periods or any of them as might have been made at the time when the assessment appealed against was made.
(9) This section is subject to Schedule 10 to the Finance Act 2006.
S. 12(9) inserted (with effect in accordance with Sch. 10 para. 2 of the amending Act) by Finance Act 2006 (c. 25), Sch. 10 para. 43(2)
1986 c. 45.