QIPs ― when do they apply?

By Tolley

The following Corporation Tax guidance note by Tolley provides comprehensive and up to date tax information covering:

QIPs ― when do they apply?
Definition of a large company
Very large companies
Group arrangements
Circumstances where QIPs are not payable

This guidance note provides details of quarterly instalment payments (QIPs) for corporation tax purposes and which companies need to pay their tax liabilities in this manner.

Generally, corporation tax is payable nine months and one day after the end of the relevant accounting period. However, large companies are required to pay their corporation tax liability upfront in four quarterly instalments (subject to a few exceptions which are set out below).

The rules in relation to the payment of quarterly instalments and the definition of a large company can be found in Corporation Tax (Instalment Payments) Regulations 1998, SI 1998/3175.

The concept of a ‘very large’ company also applies for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2019. Very large companies are required to pay QIPs before the accounting period end, which is earlier than the payment schedule for large companies.

SI 2017/1072

For guidance on the calculation of the QIPs and potential interest charges, please refer to the Calculating QIPs guidance note.

Definition of a large company

A large company is one whose ‘profits’, in an annual accounting period, exceed £1.5m or such amount as reduced proportionately for accounting periods of less than 12 months up to the £20m threshold for very large companies (for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2019).

‘Profits’ are defined as ‘augmented profits’ within the meaning of CTA 2010, s 279G. Augmented profits comprise the company’s taxable total profits of the period (CTTPP), plus non-group franked investment income, plus ATED-related and non-resident capital gains tax (NRCGT) gains to the extent where those gains are otherwise subject to capital gains tax (this may be relevant for disposals of residential property made prior to 6 April 2019). For additional information on ATED / NRCGT gains on UK land, see the Overview of the ATED regime and Overview of the rules on