Capability

Filing a VAT return, start to finish under Making Tax Digital.

A VAT return in DataFlow follows one path: reconcile the VAT journal, check EC Sales and Intrastats where they apply, submit the nine-box VAT 100 to HMRC under Making Tax Digital, then store the receipt and record the payment. Each step squares against the ledger before you move on.

The problem

When the return is stitched together by hand.

If the VAT figures live outside the ledger, every quarter turns into a rebuild — and a risk.

Spreadsheet bridging

Figures copied out of the accounts into a spreadsheet, then bridged into HMRC — every manual hop is a chance for the return to drift from the ledger.

Reconciling VAT by hand

Tallying the VAT control accounts against the return by hand is slow, and it is never quite clear whether the numbers agree until the afternoon is gone.

Missing the deadline

Without the obligations in front of you, a period slips — and a late or missed submission is exactly the kind of avoidable exposure MTD was meant to close.

No trace of what you filed

When HMRC queries a return months later, there is no stored copy of the exact figures or the submission receipt, so you rebuild the whole quarter from memory to answer them.

Overview

One path from the ledger to HMRC.

The return is a review of the ledger, not a reconstruction of it.

Reconcile the VAT Journal scene

Reconcile the VAT journal for the period

VAT control accounts reconciled to the VAT due for the period. The return is built from ledger figures, not a spreadsheet.

  • Ledger figures behind the return
  • Squared control accounts before filing
In their words
Automating our finance and reporting routines saves us in the region of ten days of work every month.
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Explore more

More capabilities.

Filing a VAT return is one of the workflows built straight from the ledger — explore the other capabilities that lead into it.

Period Close

The VAT period closes at the end of the ordered month-end sequence, leaving the return ready to reconcile and file.

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Order to Cash

Every sales invoice posts debtors, sales and VAT together, so the VAT behind the return is already in the control accounts.

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Bank Reconciliation

The HMRC payment you record in the Cash Book reconciles against the bank like any other, once it settles.

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Multi-Company & Consolidation

Each company files its own VAT return from its own ledger, while the group still runs on one shared installation.

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Frequently asked

Filing a VAT return questions.

Does Making Tax Digital cover more than VAT?

No. In this workflow Making Tax Digital covers the VAT return only. EC Sales Lists and Intrastat declarations are separate submissions handled on their own, where they apply to you — they are not part of the MTD return.

What is submitted to HMRC?

The nine-box VAT 100. The MTD Submission window loads your open HMRC obligations, matches your closed DataFlow VAT period and shows the nine-box VAT 100 for you to review before you Submit.

How do I know the return agrees with my accounts?

You reconcile the VAT journal for the period first, so the VAT control accounts agree with the VAT due before you file. The return is built from ledger figures rather than a spreadsheet.

What happens after I submit?

HMRC returns a receipt number that is stored against the period for audit. When the bank settles the HMRC payment, you record it in the Cash Book.

See it on your VAT

File your next VAT return the straightforward way.

  • 30-minute walkthrough
  • Your VAT period
  • No obligation
Working with DataFlow

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