🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Corporation Tax Calculator 2025/26

Calculate UK corporation tax with marginal relief, see the effective rate on your profits, and compare salary vs dividends extraction for director-shareholders. 2025/26 HMRC rates.

£
Profit before corporation tax
Companies under common control (excludes dormant)
£
Qualifying capital expenditure, max £1,000,000
£
Merged scheme: 86% enhanced deduction from April 2024
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How to Use This Calculator

Corporation Tax tab

The default tab. Enter your company's taxable profit (profit before corporation tax) and the number of associated companies. The calculator shows whether you pay the small profits rate (19%), main rate (25%), or qualify for marginal relief. Expand "More options" to include capital allowances (AIA) and R&D tax relief.

Marginal Relief Explained tab

See exactly how the effective corporation tax rate changes between £50,000 and £250,000. Enter any profit figure and see the precise effective rate, the marginal relief amount, and a rate progression table. Useful for understanding why earning slightly more can push you into a higher effective bracket.

Tax Planning tab

For director-shareholders deciding how to extract money from their company. Compare taking all income as salary versus the optimal salary+dividends strategy. Enter your company revenue, expenses, and director salary. The calculator shows corporation tax, employer NI, employee NI, income tax, dividend tax, and total take-home for each strategy.

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The Formula

Corporation tax uses a two-rate system with marginal relief in between:

If profit ≤ £50,000:
Corporation Tax = Profit × 19%

If profit ≥ £250,000:
Corporation Tax = Profit × 25%

If £50,000 < profit < £250,000:
Corporation Tax = (Profit × 25%) − Marginal Relief
Marginal Relief = 3/200 × (£250,000 − Profit)

Both the £50,000 and £250,000 thresholds are divided by the number of associated companies plus one. For example, if you have 1 associated company, the limits become £25,000 and £125,000.

Between the two thresholds, the effective marginal rate on each additional pound of profit is 26.5%, not 25%. This is because you lose 1.5p of marginal relief for every extra pound earned (3/200 = 1.5%).

Example

James — Software Consultancy, Manchester

James runs a limited company with £150,000 taxable profit for the year ending 31 March 2026. He has no associated companies.

Corporation Tax Calculation

Taxable profit£150,000
Tax at main rate (25%)£37,500
Marginal relief: 3/200 × (£250,000 − £150,000)−£1,500
Corporation tax payable£36,000
Effective rate24.0%

Tax Planning: Salary + Dividends

James pays himself a salary of £12,570 (personal allowance) and takes the rest as dividends:

Director salary£12,570
Employer NI (after Employment Allowance)£0
Profit after salary£137,430
Corporation tax (23.8%)£32,696
Available as dividends£104,734
Dividend tax£21,791
Total tax paid£54,487
Take-home£95,513

James must file his CT600 by 31 March 2027 (12 months after period end) and pay the £36,000 by 1 January 2027 (9 months and 1 day after period end).

FAQ

For the financial year starting 1 April 2025: the small profits rate is 19% on taxable profits up to £50,000. The main rate is 25% on profits over £250,000. Profits between £50,000 and £250,000 receive marginal relief, giving an effective rate between 19% and 25%. These rates are unchanged from 2023/24 and 2024/25. Source: HMRC.
Marginal relief reduces the tax bill for companies with profits between £50,000 and £250,000. The formula is: 3/200 × (£250,000 − taxable profit). Tax is calculated at the full 25% rate, then marginal relief is subtracted. At £50,000 this gives exactly 19%, and the relief tapers to zero at £250,000. The effective marginal rate on each additional pound in this band is 26.5%.
An associated company is one that is controlled by the same person or persons. This includes companies controlled by you, your spouse or civil partner, and certain relatives (in some circumstances). Dormant companies and companies that have not carried on a trade during the accounting period are generally excluded. Each associated company reduces the lower and upper thresholds proportionally.
Corporation tax must be paid 9 months and 1 day after the end of your accounting period. For example, if your year ends on 31 March 2026, payment is due by 1 January 2027. The CT600 return must be filed within 12 months of the period end (31 March 2027 in this example). Large companies with profits over £1.5M must pay in quarterly instalments.
From April 2024, the SME and RDEC schemes merged into a single scheme. Qualifying companies receive an 86% enhanced deduction on top of the normal 100% deduction (total 186% deduction). For R&D-intensive SMEs (those spending 40% or more of total expenditure on qualifying R&D), a 14.5% payable tax credit is available on the enhanced deduction. Claims must be submitted with the CT600 and supported by an additional information form.

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