Small businesses face a cash squeeze this autumn. Three tax bills fall due within three weeks in October. The warning comes from Azets, an accountancy and advisory firm.
Praveen Gupta is the firm's UK head of tax. He gave the warning on 25 August. Firms that have not put the money aside face a real risk of a cashflow crisis, he said. He pointed to Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE Settlement Agreement payments, all landing in October.
01The dates behind the warning
Corporation Tax comes first, on 1 October. That date applies to a company whose accounting period ended on 31 December. According to gov.uk, the deadline is nine months and one day after the period ends.
VAT follows on 7 October. That date applies if your VAT quarter ended on 31 August. According to gov.uk, the return and the payment are both due one calendar month and seven days later.
Employers with a PAYE Settlement Agreement pay last. The tax year in question ended on 5 April 2026. According to gov.uk, payment is due by 22 October if it is made electronically. The deadline is 19 October by post.
02Why the timing is difficult
The three bills land in the same month. They also land just before the Budget on 28 October. Costs have been rising for many firms, which leaves less room in the account.
A business that spots a shortfall in August has choices. One that spots it on 30 September has fewer. Both HMRC and any lender need time.
03What owners can do now
Start by writing down the three dates that apply to your own business. Add the amount due on each one. Two of the dates depend on your year end, so they will not be the same for everyone.
Where there is a gap, two routes are worth looking at. One is a Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC. The other is a finance facility arranged before the bills land. Our guide sets out the dates and the options in full: October 2026 tax deadlines.
For the second route, bizbritain arranges business growth finance from a panel of 100+ lenders. The earlier the conversation starts before October, the more options stay open.
