How Submitting Your VAT Return Online Can Save You Time, Money, And Stress

Submitting your VAT return online can be one of the most time-efficient and cost-effective ways to ensure that you are up to date with all of your financial obligations. In this blog post, we discuss how submitting your VAT return online can save you time, money, and stress in the long run. Read on to find out more!

Introduction to VAT

If you’re registered for VAT, you must file a return with HMRC every quarter. This can be a time-consuming and stressful process, especially if you’re not familiar with the ins and outs of VAT.

Fortunately, submitting your VAT return online is a quick and easy way to get it done. Here’s everything you need to know about submitting your VAT return online.

When you submit your VAT return online, you’ll need to provide information about your sales and purchases for the quarter. This includes the total value of goods and services sold (excluding VAT), the total value of purchases (excluding VAT), and the amount of VAT owed or refunded.

You’ll also need to provide your bank details so that HMRC can pay any refunds due. Once you’ve entered all the required information, simply submit your return and wait for HMRC to process it.

It’s important to note that you can only submit your VAT return online if you’re using compatible software. This includes accounting software like QuickBooks, FreeAgent, or Xero, as well as HMRC’s own web-based service.

If you’re not using compatible software, you can still submit your return online by downloading and completing an Excel spreadsheet template from HMRC’s website.

Benefits of Submitting Your VAT Return Online

If you’re a business owner in the UK, you likely know that value-added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax levied on most goods and services. And, if your business is registered for VAT, you must file a VAT return with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) every quarter.

While it used to be required that businesses file their VAT returns via paper forms, HMRC now offers online filing as an option. And, submitting your VAT return online can offer a number of benefits over the traditional paper filing method.

 Perhaps the most obvious benefit of submitting your VAT return online is that it’s faster and more convenient than mailing in a paper form. With online filing, you can submit your return at any time of day or night, from anywhere with an internet connection. This means you don’t have to take time out of your busy schedule to go to the post office or wait in line at the HMRC office.

In addition to being more convenient, online filing is also more accurate than paper filing. When you submit your VAT return online, the system will validate your input and flag any errors before you submit the final form. This reduces the chances of mistakes that could result in penalties from HMRC.

Finally, submitting your VAT return online can save you money. Many businesses choose to outsource their bookkeeping and accounting tasks to save money on staff costs.

Steps to Submit a VAT Return Online

If you’re a business owner in the UK, you know that Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax levied on most goods and services sold in the country. And, if your business makes more than £85,000 per year, you’re required to submit a VAT return to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) every quarter.

While many businesses still submit their VAT returns the old-fashioned way – by paper – more and more are turning to online submission. And it’s no wonder why: submitting your VAT return online can save you time, money, and stress. Here’s a step-by-step guide to submitting your VAT return online:

1. Log into your HMRC Online Services account.
2. Enter the required information into the online form, including your VAT registration number, the period covered by the return, and the amount of VAT you owe or are claiming back.

3. Once you’ve reviewed and double-checked your entries, click “Submit.”

4. You’ll receive confirmation from HMRC once your return has been processed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Your VAT Return Online

When it comes to submitting your VAT return online, there are a few common mistakes that you’ll want to avoid.

Here are four of the most common mistakes:

1. Not Submitting Your Return On Time

If you don’t submit your VAT return on time, you may be subject to late penalties and interest charges. Make sure you’re aware of the deadline for submission and make sure your return is filed in a timely manner.

2. Incorrectly Filing Your Return

If you make a mistake when filing your VAT return, you may be required to resubmit the return or pay a fine. Be careful when filling out your return and double check all of the information before submitting it.

3. Not Keeping Accurate Records

It’s important to keep accurate records of all of your transactions in order to correctly file your VAT return. If you don’t have accurate records, you may end up overpaying or underpaying VAT. Make sure you keep track of all invoices, receipts, and other documentation related to your transactions.

4. Not Claiming All Of Your Eligible Expenses

Be sure to claim all eligible expenses on your VAT return in order to maximise your refund (or minimise the amount of tax you owe). You may be able to claim items such as office supplies, travel expenses, and entertaining customers as long as they’re business-related expenses.

How to Track Your VAT Return Status

If you’re like most business owners, you dread tax season. But what if we told you that submitting your VAT return online could save you time, money, and stress?

Here’s how to track your VAT return status so you can be sure everything is submitted on time and correctly:

1. Go to the website of your country’s tax authority.
2. Look for a section on tracking your tax return status.
3. Enter your VAT return reference number.
4. Check the status of your return.

5. If it shows as “submitted,” then you’re all set! If not, contact the tax authority for help.

Conclusion

Submitting your VAT return online is a great way to save time, money, and stress. Not only does it eliminate the need for additional paperwork, but it also makes the process simpler and faster overall. By automating many of the tasks involved in filing a VAT return, you can ensure that all of your records are up-to-date and accurate without having to worry about manually entering data or dealing with potential mistakes. Taking advantage of this streamlined approach to submitting your taxes can make tax season much easier for everyone involved!