2 min read
Definition
A financial year is the twelve-month period a company's accounts cover, ending on its accounting reference date. It need not match the calendar year or the personal tax year.
In plain terms
It is simply your company's own year for reporting and tax. You choose when it ends, and everything — accounts, corporation tax, deadlines — follows from that.
Why it matters for your company
Choosing a sensible financial-year end can align your busiest reporting with a quieter trading period and smooth cash planning. It sets every deadline in your year-end process.
Related reading

Accounting reference date
The accounting reference date is a company's official year end — the date all its accounts and tax deadlines…
Read →
Accounting period
An accounting period is the span a company's accounts cover — usually a year — and it fixes the deadlines for…
Read →
The company year-end accounts process, step by step
Your company's year end triggers a chain of tasks that ends with accounts filed at Companies House and a tax…
Read →
Financial year end
The financial year end is the date your accounting period closes — it sets your accounts and tax deadlines,…
Read →Funding for UK limited companies
Credicorp lends to your company, not to you personally — short-term working capital with no personal guarantee. See what your business could access.