Key tax deadlines around a business sale

For a share sale, the conditions must be met throughout the two years up to the date of the sale. That includes being an officer or employee, the company being a trading company and, for shares not acquired through EMI, holding at least 5%.

For the main statutory clearances, HMRC must respond within 30 days of a complete application. It can ask for more information within 30 days, and the 30-day clock then runs again from when you reply. Build this into the deal timetable before signing.

It is a joint election by an employee and the employer that sets aside certain restrictions on employment-related shares when they are acquired. It must be made within 14 days of the acquisition. Missing it can mean part of a later gain is taxed as employment income instead of capital gains.

For options granted on or after 6 April 2024, the grant must be notified by 6 July following the end of the tax year in which the options were granted. Options granted before 6 April 2024 had to be notified within 92 days of grant. Late notification risks the tax advantages of the options.

Usually by 31 January after the end of the tax year of the sale. For a sale in 2026/27 (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), that is 31 January 2028. The date of disposal is usually the date of an unconditional contract, not completion.

The first anniversary of 31 January following the end of the tax year of the sale. For a sale in 2026/27, the deadline is 31 January 2029. In practice, the claim is usually made in the self assessment return for the year of sale.

You may be able to. Where the contract sets out instalments of the price that are paid over more than 18 months, you can ask HMRC to let you pay the tax in instalments. The tax instalments must end by the earlier of the last payment of the price and eight years after the normal due date.

Not for UK residents selling shares. The 60-day rule applies to UK residential property. A non-UK resident selling shares in a company that gets 75% or more of its value from UK land may have to report within 60 days, even if no tax is due.

Moving abroad after the date of disposal doesn't remove the UK tax on that sale. If you leave before selling but are non-resident for five years or less, gains on assets you held before leaving can be taxed in the year you return.

If you don't already file a tax return, you must tell HMRC by 5 October after the end of the tax year that you need to complete one. You can also report gains through HMRC's real time capital gains tax service, by 31 December after the end of the tax year.