Online company accounts and tax filing service to close

From 31 March 2026, HMRC's free online service to file company accounts and tax returns will close.

The service, often referred to as 'CATO', will not be available after this date.  Instead, from 1 April 2026 onwards, companies will need to use commercial software to file their annual accounts and tax returns with HMRC.  It will also no longer be possible after this date to access or amend returns previously submitted using CATO.

HMRC say that the closure of CATO is because the service, which is only available to small unrepresented businesses, does not meet modern digital standards or recent company law changes. 

HMRC are advising companies currently using CATO to plan how they will file their accounts and tax return from 1 April 2026 onwards. They will also need to use the HMRC online service to download and save at least the last three years' worth of filed returns before 31 March 2026.  After that date, previous returns will no longer be available.

More information about the closure can be found on GOV.UK.