News

12th January 2021

Deadline to sign up to Making Tax Digital

If you are registered for VAT but not yet signed up with HM Revenue & Customs to Making Tax Digital (MTD), then please read on. If you are already signed up for MTD, or if we submit VAT returns on your behalf, then no further action is required at this stage.

HM Revenue & Customs will cease their old IT system from 8th April 2021. After this date it will no longer be possible to submit VAT returns without signing up to MTD. You may have already received a letter referencing this from HM Revenue & Customs titled ‘Action required before 8 April 2021: you need to change the way you submit your VAT Returns’.
Prior to this 8th April 2021 deadline, impacted businesses need to either:

  • Sign up for MTD which will allow you continue submitting VAT returns via your software
  • Set up a Business Tax Account online and submit VAT returns through this

As all businesses will need to be signed up to MTD by April 2022, we recommend you chose this option rather than setting up and submitting through the business tax account.

To sign up your business up for MTD please use the following link to Gov.UK website
https://www.gov.uk/vat-record-keeping/sign-up-for-making-tax-digital-for-vat and scroll down to click the green ‘Sign up now >’ button.
The process should take around 10 minutes and you will need the following information:

  • your business email address
  • a Government Gateway user ID and password - if you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you use the service
  • your VAT registration number and latest VAT return

You’ll also need:

  • your National Insurance number if you’re a sole trader
  • your company registration number and Unique Taxpayer Reference if you’re a limited company or registered society
  • your Unique Taxpayer Reference and the postcode where you’re registered for Self-Assessment if you’re a general partnership
  • your Unique Taxpayer Reference, the postcode where you’re registered for Self-Assessment and your company’s registration number if you’re a limited partnership

Once you have completed the short process you should receive a confirmation email from noreply@tax.service.gov.uk within 3 days of signing up (check your spam folder if this doesn’t come to your inbox).
Do not submit a VAT Return until you get a confirmation email.