COM1081 - Accounting periods: company accounting periods: maintaining the AP record (Action Guide)
To maintain company AP records, consider steps 1 - 6 below. The guide is presented as follows.
| Action | Steps |
|---|---|
| Set up new APs | Steps 1 - 2 |
| Amend existing APs | Steps 3 - 4 |
| Record dormant periods | Step 5 |
| Record exempt periods | Step 6 |
Set up new APs
1. Use function MAPD (Maintain AP Dates) to enter the start and end dates of the first new AP. Enter ‘L’ in the ‘status’ field.
2. Continue entering new APs in date order without gaps or overlaps, until you have entered every AP that is less than 12 months and you have entered an AP that ends on or after today’s date.
Amend existing APs
3. Use MAPD (Maintain AP Dates) to enter the start and end dates of the first amended AP. The start date field of the first revised AP is pre-populated with the start date of the period you selected. Enter ‘L’ in the ‘status’ field.
4. Continue entering amended AP details, until you have completed all available lines, or the end date of the latest amended AP is later than the end date of the latest existing AP, or you enter an AP end date that matches that of an existing AP.
See Difficulties using MAPD - Example (Word 45KB) if you need to amend more than five APs.
You must not create live APs, dormancy or exempt periods far into the future. You only need to create an AP ending on or after the date on which you are using the function. Each month, COTAX identifies APs that have ended, issues a notice to deliver and creates the following live AP.
Record dormant periods
5. Use function MAPD (Maintain AP Dates) to enter the start and end dates of the dormant period.
The end date of the dormant period must be:
- the date of striking-off or
- the actual date on which the dormancy period ended or
- where the dormancy period end date is in the future, any date, as long as it is followed by a live AP and no later than five years from the dormancy period start date or
- 31 May with no following live AP and no later than five years from the dormancy period start date.
Enter ‘D’ in the status field.
When you set up a dormancy period, you can inhibit the automatic issue of form CT204 if the dormancy end date is no more than 180 days in the future. You should inhibit issue of the form where the company has advised you that it is going to start trading and you have set up a live AP following the dormancy.
Record exempt periods
6. Exempt periods must only be set up by staff dealing with records for charities or the non-taxable element of UK-REITs.
Use function MAPD (Maintain AP Dates) to enter the start and end dates of the exempt period, enter ‘E’ in the ‘status’ field and enter the frequency for which a notice to deliver is to be issued. The frequency can be between one and nine years. If you do not want a notice to be issued at all, enter ‘0’.
See COM1110 for details of exempt periods.