QUICK ANSWER
A China company needs more than one annual deadline. Most foreign-owned companies must keep books, make tax-related filings and complete annual reporting. The exact checklist changes with your taxpayer status, employees, import-export activity and city. The safest approach is to track the recurring work from the first month — not wait until a bank, work permit or authority asks for it.
The calendar at a glance
| FREQUENCY | WHAT TO TRACK | PRACTICAL CHECK |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Books, tax declarations, invoices, payroll and employee-related obligations where applicable. | Are invoices, bank records and expense evidence reconciled before the next filing? |
| Quarterly | Profit review, corporate-income-tax prepayment where applicable and any business changes. | Do the books still match the company's real revenue, costs and activity? |
| Annual | Annual report, annual tax work and renewal dates for relevant registrations. | Start preparing records early; annual work is not a one-day form submission. |
| When a change happens | Address, shareholder, legal representative, employees, bank, trade model or planned closure. | Check the filing and document impact before making the change. |
This is a planning calendar, not a substitute for a company-specific filing list. The dates, tax treatment and supporting documents should be confirmed against your own registrations and current local requirements.
Monthly: books, tax and payroll
The monthly routine is where most later problems begin. A company should keep its invoices, contracts, bank records and expense evidence organised while transactions happen. Waiting until the end of the year makes it harder to explain a payment, correct a mismatch or prepare a credible bank or work-permit file.
For a company with staff, payroll and employee-related obligations need their own calendar. For a trading company, purchase invoices, export records and settlement evidence should be kept in a form that can be reconciled with the books. The point is not to create extra paperwork. It is to make the company's financial story consistent.
Quarterly: check whether the company still matches the plan
Every quarter, look beyond whether the latest filing was submitted. Has the business started trading when the registered scope says consulting? Has a foreign shareholder started drawing a salary? Has the company moved, hired staff or added imports? These changes can affect tax, banking and later applications.
A short quarterly check is also the right time to ask whether the company's taxpayer status and accounting support still fit the actual volume of work. A company that looked simple at registration can become much more complex once invoices, foreign payments or exports start.
Annual: reports and reconciliation
Annual work usually combines more than one task. The annual report to the market-regulation authority is different from annual corporate-income-tax work, and neither replaces the company's routine bookkeeping. Companies with special registrations, foreign employees or trade activity may have additional checks.
Do not wait for an annual deadline to discover that a contract, invoice, bank entry or address document is missing. The preparation work should start early enough to identify questions before the filing window becomes urgent.
What changes by company type
Service company
Focus on contracts, invoices, payroll if applicable and whether the registered address still matches the operation.
Trading company
Add supplier invoices, customs and settlement records, tax-status planning and a clean evidence trail for each shipment.
Employer / founder-led company
Track payroll, employment records, social-insurance handling where applicable and foreign staff permit expiry dates separately.
A common situation: no invoices does not mean no exposure
COMMON SITUATION — NOT A CLIENT CASE
A founder registers a company, does not begin trading immediately and assumes nothing needs to happen until the first customer arrives. Months later, the company needs a bank update, shareholder change or work-permit file. The first question becomes: are the books, tax status, address and company records in order? A simple early review is cheaper and calmer than trying to rebuild a file under pressure.
Your first 90 days after registration
- Confirm who will keep the books, what documents they need each month and how you will send them.
- Keep company income and spending through the correct company channels; retain contracts, invoices and bank evidence.
- Check the company's tax status, invoice needs and employee plan against the business you actually intend to run.
- Put annual-report, tax and permit reminder dates in one shared calendar before they become urgent.
- Request a review before a major change, rather than after a bank or authority has raised a question.
Frequently asked questions
Not sure whether your company's records are in order?
Tell us what your company does, whether it has staff or trade activity, and the next change you are planning. We will explain what should be checked before you move ahead.