From April 2019 Making Tax Digital and the new rules for VAT compliance take effect. If you’re a VAT registered business you need to be aware of these changes and how they might affect you.
Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, which is also known as ‘Making VAT Digital’ (MVD), your business will be required to use ‘functional compatible’ software in order to report VAT.
Because of this, you will also be required to keep digital records to support the VAT return information which you submit to HM
Revenue through MTD functional compatible software. We discuss what needs to be included in your digital records below.
Whichever software you decide to use it must be capable of connecting to HMRC’s systems via Application Programming Interface (API).
As a minimum the information submitted should include the details which are usually included in the current 9 VAT Return boxes. You’ll also be able to voluntarily submit additional information. However, VAT accounting entries should only be submitted once. Where more than one piece of software is used between entering data and then submitting it to HMRC, it will need to be capable of extracting/passing data from one to the other. This may mean using bridging software if necessary, to avoid physically typing the information in more than once.
So if you still wedded to your spreadsheets, you’ll need to ensure there is software available to extract the information from your spreadsheet and then submit it to HM Revenue. Alternatively the information on your spreadsheet must be digitally linked to another piece of software that can submit it to HM Revenue.
However why would you go through this aggravation? It’s far easier to submit the information directly via a third party software provider and it also reduces the likelihood of mistakes occurring.
We have taken steps to adapt to Making Tax Digital and the new rules for VAT compliance by supporting our clients on the various
software we us to make sure our clients are fully compatible with HMRC’s system.
Your records must be kept on functional compatible software and include the following details:
The digital records must also be held within functional compatible software for up to 6 years from submitting the information. If you
deregister for VAT you must keep records for up to 6 years following a VAT deregistration.
If you’re a VAT registered business whose taxable supplies exceed the VAT registration threshold in any 12 month period which ends or after 31 March 2019 then you are mandated into MVD.
If you are a VAT registered business whose VATable turnover does not exceed the VAT registration threshold you can elect to ignore the exemption (see below) and opt in to MVD.
Once you are mandated into, or voluntarily join MVD you remain in MVD until you either deregister for VAT, or are exempt (see below). You can’t simply leave MVD because your VATable turnover drops below the VAT registration threshold at a later date.
As this only applies to VAT registered businesses, if you’re not VAT registered then obviously you are not caught by MVD. The following businesses are also exempt from MVD:
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