VAT-registered traders
A Making Tax Digital return from software, reviewed before it goes.
Making Tax Digital, already
VAT returns filed from software, not from a weekend of receipts.
Flat rate, standard, cash or annual accounting. We pick the scheme that costs you less, then file on time.
Taxation · Countplus file
VAT Return
- Fee
- From £20/month
- The date
- Usually 1 month and 7 days after the VAT period ends (online returns). Your own deadline is shown in your VAT account.
- Reply
- Same day before 4pm
In the package
- Scheme choice
- MTD filing
- Partial exemption and reverse charge
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ICO ZA551114XeroFreeAgentSageQuickBooks
What a VAT return actually is.
VAT is the tax that punishes messy books. The VAT registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover in any rolling 12 months (since 1 April 2024). We prepare and file Making Tax Digital returns for businesses over the threshold, and for those who register early.
From, per month
£20/month
VAT filing typically from £20/month on a package.
Usually 1 month and 7 days after the VAT period ends (online returns). Your own deadline is shown in your VAT account.
In the number
- Scheme choice
- MTD filing
- Partial exemption and reverse charge
- Threshold watch
Quoted separately
- First-year catch-up
- One-off relief claims
- Valuations, exits, restorations
What is in the package.
Everything below is included from £20/month. Nothing here is billed twice.
4 lines, all included
- Scheme choice
- Flat rate is not always cheaper. We model it before you lock in.
- MTD filing
- Software to HMRC with a digital link. Screenshots of a portal do not count.
- Partial exemption and reverse charge
- When they apply, we do not leave them as a surprise on box 1.
- Threshold watch
- If you are approaching registration, we say so early enough to plan cash.
You probably need this if
Signs you need VAT returns
- The last return was rebuilt from receipts
- You are on flat rate because someone said it was cheaper
- Box 1 never quite matches the bank
- Turnover is climbing toward the published threshold
The desk
Taxation
Reply
Same day before 4pm
Stack
Xero · Sage · QB · FreeAgent
Switch
We write the letter
VAT Return
Who it is usually for
Businesses near the threshold
A rolling twelve-month watch, not a tax-year surprise.
Mixed supplies
Dine-in and takeaway, labour and parts, UK and overseas, the rate is not always 20%.
Three steps. Then it is just a calendar.
No onboarding theatre. We take the file, put a named accountant on it, and the deadlines go in the diary.
- 01
Books first
VAT is only as good as the coding. We fix that before the first return.
- 02
Review and file
You see the net payment. Then it goes.
- 03
Cash date
We tell you when HMRC will take it, so the current account is ready.
Dates that do not move
31 January
Self Assessment, the one everyone remembers
31 January and 31 July
Payments on account, if they apply
The VAT quarter
MTD return from software, not a screenshot
In plain English
VAT Return, written properly
VAT punishes messy books
A Making Tax Digital return is only as good as the coding. We pick the scheme (standard, flat rate, cash or annual accounting) by modelling it, then file from Xero, Sage, FreeAgent or QuickBooks with a digital link. Screenshots of a portal are not a filing. Thresholds move; the habit of a clean quarter should not.
Registering early is a cash decision
If your customers are VAT-registered and you want to reclaim input tax, early registration can pay. If you sell to consumers under the threshold, it can be a price rise you did not need. We run both numbers. Construction clients get reverse charge treated as a system, not a surprise on box 1.
VAT Return FAQs
The VAT registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover in any rolling 12 months (since 1 April 2024). You must register if you go over it, or expect to go over it in the next 30 days alone. We help you monitor turnover and register on time.
Sometimes, if your customers are VAT-registered and you want to reclaim input tax. Sometimes not. We run both numbers.
You can. Most clients still want us to review it. A wrong box 1 is an expensive kind of independence.
The notebook
Guides on VAT returns
VAT · 1 min read
VAT registration threshold: when your Lancashire business must register
The threshold is a rolling 12 months, not a tax year. Crossing it quietly is how first VAT bills become crises.
Read article →
Both offices
One number. Whichever desk you land on.
01925 670289- Warrington
- Ragan House, 674 Knutsford Road, WA4 1JHMap
info@countplus.co.uk
Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00. Same-day response before 4pm.
Write to a human
Accounts, tax or consultancy. Pick a topic.
Countplus Accounting, since 2019
Ready to hand VAT returns to a named accountant?
Get a monthly number in a minute, or book a call. We reply the same day before 4pm.
Get a quote, or call the desk on 01925 670289, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. Write before 4pm and a named person answers the same day.