Sh Company Income Tax

---
name: sh-company-income-tax
description: "Saint Helena island company income tax for tax year 2026 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). Covers the 25% standard rate, the 15% qualifying-production rate, dividends, capital gains, residence, registration, annual filing on the P50 company return, instalments, penalties, depreciation and the investment tax credit. Use for company tax, corporation tax, company return or instalment questions on St Helena. Does not apply to Ascension or Tristan da Cunha."
license: "AGPL-3.0-or-later (code) / OpenAccountants Guide License v1.0 (content)"
metadata:
  source: openaccountants
  openaccountants_url: "https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/sh-company-income-tax"
  jurisdiction: "SH"
  tax_year: "2026"
  last_updated: "2026-11-01"
---

# Saint Helena island: company income tax v0.3

> **General reference only.** This skill is general tax reference material for AI-assisted workflows. It has not been reviewed for any specific person's facts. It covers Saint Helena island only, not Ascension or Tristan da Cunha, which have separate laws.

## Who this applies to

Companies and other bodies of persons with income earned, accrued or derived in or from Saint Helena. A company incorporated in Saint Helena is resident, and so is a body whose control and management was exercised there in the tax year (Ordinance s.2). The tax year runs 1 April to 31 March; tax year 2026 here is 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.

## Rates, bands and thresholds

| Item | Figure and conditions | Tax year | Official URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard company rate | 25% of chargeable income other than dividends, capital gains and item (e) income (Schedule 1 para 1(1)(a)(i)) | 2026 | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Income-Tax-Ord-Updated-011021 |
| Qualifying production rate | 15% of chargeable income from self-employment, trade or business under Chapter IV derived from the taxpayer's primary production of goods or services in: exportation of goods and services; fishing and fish processing; honey; growing and roasting local coffee; farming and butchering meat; farming vegetables, legumes, nuts or fruit, or processing locally grown produce; distilling or brewing liquor, wine or beer; traditional craftwork, or jewellery using predominantly locally sourced inputs; upholstery or clothing (Schedule 1 para 1(1)(e)) | 2026 | same |
| Company dividends | 0% (Schedule 1 para 1(1)(b)(ii)) | 2026 | same |
| Capital gains | 10% of chargeable income representing capital gains (para 1(1)(c)) | 2026 | same |
| Withholding income | 10%; bank-deposit interest; a final tax when correctly deducted (para 1(1)(d), ss.25 to 27) | 2026 | same |
| Instalments threshold | Instalments do not apply if taxable income from business or property (other than interest) was less than £50,000 in the previous tax year (s.45(2)) | 2026 | same |
| Registration threshold | Registration does not apply to an activity with gross annual income under £20,000 (s.36) | 2026 | same |
| Investment tax credit | 15% of the cost of qualifying depreciable assets, against tax on section 17 or 21 income, subject to s.11(1A) (s.11) | 2026 | same |
| Depreciation, straight line | Business structural improvement 5%; property-income structural improvement 2%; other assets 20% a year for 5 years; assets with an effective life of 3 years or less, as the Commissioner accepts, 33 1/3% for 3 years (Regulation 17(4)) | 2026 | same |
| Late filing | £100 plus £10 for each complete month outstanding (s.66) | 2026 | same |
| Late payment | 10% of tax outstanding at the due date plus 1% a month after the first month (s.67) | 2026 | same |

## The base

Section 8 and the source definitions decide taxable income: income earned, accrued or derived in or from Saint Helena. Residence does not replace that source test. Section 7 then gives chargeable income after deductions, floored at nil. A company operating in a broadly related sector does not qualify for 15% on all its income: only income from its own primary production in a listed activity does.

If a company has both standard and qualifying income, deductions attributable to both are apportioned in the ratio of the two income sources to total taxable income (Schedule 1 para 1(3)(a)). Dividends and gains are not blended into the 25% base.

A company gets no personal allowance; it pays on every pound of profit (Tax Guide 12). Records: books or accounts under s.52. A person required to register under s.36 must obtain a tax invoice from resident suppliers (s.52(2)).

## Deadlines and filing

Return for the year to 31 March 2026: 30 June 2026 (official reminder). For the year to 31 March 2027: 30 June 2027, payment 30 September 2027 (ss.39(1)(b), 43; Income Tax Office key dates). An approved substituted accounting period (s.53) runs on its own calendar.

How to file:
1. Register before the activity starts, if s.36 applies. A company gives its registered name, registration number, place of incorporation, the activity, its start date, places of business and correspondence address (Regulation 20). The Income Tax Office issues a certificate with the tax registration number. Report changes within one month.
2. Download the Company Income Tax Return (P50 COM) from the Relevant Forms section of the [Income Tax page](https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/income-tax/). The current form is the 2025/26 spreadsheet.
3. Complete it, with a depreciation schedule where applicable, and include end of year accounts. The form calculates tax in its tax calculation table.
4. Send it to the Income Tax Office, 1st Floor, Post Office Building, Jamestown, by the due date. The office lists Mondays to Fridays 8.30am to 4pm, telephone (290) 22825 for companies. Section 37(5) lets the Commissioner approve electronic filing; the arrangement in force was not stated on the page.
5. Returns are processed on the figures given. Checks and audits come afterwards (Tax Guide 3).

Filing extension: request in writing before the due date with a full statement of reasons (s.39(3)). It does not move the payment date (s.43(2)), which stays 3 months after the original return date. No late filing penalty applies within an extended date (Tax Guide 5). Earlier instalments still apply.

Instalments: within 15 days after the end of months 3, 6, 9 and 12 of the tax year or substituted period (Regulation 21(1)). For the normal year that is 15 July, 15 October, 15 January and 15 April. Each is one quarter of the previous year's tax, less tax deducted under s.26 (Regulation 21(2)). If that figure is unknown, use the latest assessed year or an estimate (21(3)). A reduced estimate is not self-authorising: apply by the third instalment date and get approval (21(4)). If an approved estimate is under 75% of actual tax, the difference is treated as a tax shortfall under s.68 (21(5), (6)). The test concerns taxable income from the specified sources, not final tax or turnover.

If the company cannot pay, it may ask the Commissioner for an arrangement under s.46; that does not change the due date for penalties.

## Penalties and interest

Late filing: £100 plus £10 for each complete month (s.66). The penalty is mandatory, and an extension before the due date avoids it (Tax Guide 5). Late payment: 10%, plus 1% a month after the first month (s.67). The Commissioner may remit it where the cause was beyond the person's control or it is reasonable to do so (s.67(4)). False or misleading statement: 75% of the shortfall if knowing or reckless, 20% otherwise (s.68(2)), up 10 points on a repeat. Voluntary disclosure before discovery or audit cuts the rate by 20 points under s.68(3)(b). Tax Guide 5 says 10%; the statute wins. Failure to register: offence, plus £100 and £10 a month on conviction (s.36).

## Cross-border points

A non-resident is taxed on business income attributable to activity in Saint Helena, including through a permanent establishment (s.2). The Commissioner can reallocate income between associates to an arm's length result (s.78). See [cross-border points](sh-cross-border.md).

## Two worked examples that recompute

Example 1: £80,000 ordinary and £20,000 qualifying chargeable income, after allocation and with no credits.

```oa-check
name: Mixed company income
inputs:
  ordinary: 80000
  qualifying: 20000
steps:
  - tax: ordinary * 0.25 + qualifying * 0.15
expected:
  tax: 23000.00
```

On £100,000 of either kind alone, tax is £25,000 or £15,000. This example starts after allocation and does not establish an incentive entitlement.

Example 2: prior-year tax £20,000, no s.26 withholding, no variation, final current-year tax £25,000.

```oa-check
name: Instalments and balance
inputs:
  prior: 20000
  final: 25000
steps:
  - instalment: prior / 4
  - balance: final - instalment * 4
expected:
  instalment: 5000.00
  balance: 5000.00
```

## Ask the client first

- Is the company incorporated on the island, or controlled and managed there?
- Which income is from primary production in a listed activity?
- Previous-year taxable income from business and property?
- Prior-year tax, and any approved accounting period?
- Any new depreciable assets bought or imported?

## Sources

| Source | URL | Read on |
|---|---|---|
| Income Tax Ordinance 2012 and Income Tax Regulations 2012, consolidation authoritative at 1 October 2021, read for the sections and regulations cited | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Income-Tax-Ord-Updated-011021 | 2026-11-01 |
| Income Tax Office page (rates, key dates, forms), read in full | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/public-services/income-tax/ | 2026-11-01 |
| Reminder: Filing of Tax Returns, tax year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, read in full | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/reminder-filing-of-tax-returns/ | 2026-11-01 |
| Tax Guide 3, Self Assessment (April 2024), read in full | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Tax-Guide-No.-3-Guide-to-Self-Assessment-fiing-your-Return-and-Paying-Your-income-Tax | 2026-11-01 |
| Tax Guide 5, Penalties (April 2024), read in full | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Tax-Guide-No.-5-Guide-to-Penalties-that-Apply-Under-the-Income-Tax-Law | 2026-11-01 |
| Tax Guide 7, Registering with the Income Tax Office (April 2024), read in full | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Tax-Guide-No.-7-Guide-tp-Registering-with-the-Income-Tax-Office | 2026-11-01 |
| Tax Guide 12, Questions on Taxes and Allowances (April 2024), read in full | https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/documents/Tax-Guide-No.-12-Questions-on-Taxes-Allowances-on-St-Helena | 2026-11-01 |

Not yet confirmed: Any instrument after the 1 October 2021 consolidation: the Laws index, press pages and 2026 Income Tax Office page show no enacted change to these rates, and a full Gazette audit was not done. Whether the Income Tax Office accepts the return by email. Full deduction, loss and investment credit conditions (ss.11, 17 to 24): the rates are in this skill, the detailed tests are not. Treaty relief. Formation duties and company-law reporting.

## Today's figures and who stands behind this skill

This file is an AI skill (tax rules your AI follows) from OpenAccountants, copied on 2026-11-01. Rates, thresholds and deadlines change. For the current version of this skill, its official sources and the named accountant (if any) who stands behind it, call `get_skill` with slug `sh-company-income-tax` on the OpenAccountants connector (https://www.openaccountants.com/connect), or read https://www.openaccountants.com/skills/sh-company-income-tax. If neither is available, confirm every figure against the official source pages cited above before relying on it.