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An obligation is a recurring requirement. A filing is one period of it. You never create obligations by hand — Bumara works them out from what kind of business you are and which regulators you connected.

Where your obligations come from

When you connect a regulator, Bumara looks at three things and creates the obligations that match: Each obligation records its regulator, its frequency, and the rule used to calculate due dates.

Reading the obligations list

Open an obligation to see every filing it has ever produced, including past ones.

How due dates are calculated

Bumara does not ask you for due dates. It applies the rule the regulator uses: This is why your financial year end and entity type in Set up your business matter so much. Get them wrong and every annual due date is wrong.
Changing your financial year end later does not move filings that already exist — they keep the due dates they were created with. Only filings created after the change use the new date.

Common due dates

Always trust the due date shown on the filing itself over this table — it is calculated for your specific business.

Working a filing

1

Open the filing

From Compliance → Filings, or from the regulator workspace. The header shows the period, the due date, the current status and how many days remain.
2

Read the blockers panel

At the top of every filing is a panel telling you either Ready for submission or exactly what is still outstanding — which tasks, which documents, whether payment is needed.
3

Work through the checklist

Each task links straight to the place you complete it. See Working a task.
4

Upload the required documents

The documents panel lists what is required and what has been provided. Uploading a required document usually completes its matching task automatically.
5

Enter the figures where asked

Some filings have a figures section — PAYE totals, turnover for the month. These are often pre-filled from your payroll or invoicing data for you to check.
6

Watch it turn ready

When the last required item is done, the filing moves itself to Ready for submission. You do not have to mark it ready.
7

Request submission

Press Request submission. See Submitting to a regulator.

What is on a filing page

Filing statuses

Nil returns

If you had no activity in a period — no employees paid, no turnover — you usually still have to file. This is a nil return.
1

Open the filing as normal

Do not ignore it. An unfiled nil return is still an unfiled return.
2

Mark it as a nil return

In the figures section, choose the nil return option.
3

Give the reason

No employees, below threshold, temporarily inactive, seasonal, staff on unpaid leave, or other. The regulator expects a reason.
4

Submit as usual

A nil return typically has a much shorter checklist and often becomes ready immediately.

Missed and late filings

A filing that passes its due date is flagged as overdue and stays on your list. It does not disappear, and it does not stop being your responsibility. If you have missed several periods, do not work them one at a time in isolation — run a compliance health check so the full picture and any accrued penalties are established first.
Reminders about upcoming and overdue filings are sent according to your preferences. Set them up in Reminders and notifications — this is the single most valuable five minutes of setup in Bumara.
Last modified on August 4, 2026