Corporation Tax Act 2010 section 1168

Payment of dividends

Section 1168 establishes when dividends are treated as paid for corporation tax purposes.

• For corporation tax purposes, dividends are treated as paid on the date they become due and payable — not when they are physically handed over or received.
• This is a general rule that applies across the Corporation Tax Acts unless a specific exception exists elsewhere.
• The general rule can be overridden by other provisions that define a different payment date, such as regulations governing authorised investment funds.
• For authorised investment funds, separate regulations may specify a different "distribution date" for a distribution period, which takes precedence over this general rule.