If you're VAT-registered, every quarter you'll see an open obligation in VAT in the Tax menu. Here's the end-to-end flow for your first one.
Step 1 — connect HMRC
The first time you click into a VAT obligation, you'll be prompted to connect your HMRC account. This is a standard HMRC OAuth flow:
- Click Connect HMRC.
- You're redirected to HMRC's Government Gateway login.
- Sign in with your Gateway credentials and grant access.
- You're returned to AccountantUK with the token saved.
You only do this once — the token refreshes automatically.
Step 2 — review the 9 boxes
The return form pre-fills the nine boxes from your invoices (sales VAT) and expenses (purchase VAT) for the quarter:
- Box 1 — VAT due on sales
- Box 2 — VAT due on EU acquisitions (usually 0 post-Brexit)
- Box 3 — Total VAT due (Box 1 + 2)
- Box 4 — VAT reclaimed on purchases
- Box 5 — Net VAT to pay or reclaim (Box 3 − 4)
- Box 6 — Total sales excluding VAT
- Box 7 — Total purchases excluding VAT
- Box 8 / 9 — EU-related figures (usually 0)
Each pre-fill links to the underlying invoices and expenses — click a number to see what's in it.
Step 3 — adjust if needed
If you spot something missing (an unrecorded expense), add it from Expenses and come back. The numbers re-pull.
Step 4 — submit
Click Submit to HMRC. We sign the payload, send it, and wait for the receipt. You'll see one of three outcomes:
- Accepted — receipt with HMRC reference number stored against the return; you'll get a confirmation email and an in-app notification.
- Rejected — error message explaining what HMRC didn't accept; fix and resubmit.
- Pending — rare; usually means an HMRC delay. We auto-poll and update you when the receipt arrives.
Paying the VAT
A receipt does NOT mean payment. Pay HMRC the amount in Box 5 via Direct Debit, faster payment or any of the methods on the HMRC site. We track the obligation as "submitted, payment pending" until the deadline.