Stay ahead of upcoming changes to UK VAT submissions

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It’s been a difficult year for many small businesses in the UK. They have had to contend with challenges around COVID-19 as well as uncertainties associated with Brexit. And that’s before we take into account upcoming changes to Making Tax Digital (MTD).

Since it was first implemented in the UK almost two years ago, there have been a number of important changes to the way small businesses manage and report their tax. We understand that it isn’t always easy to stay on top of these types of changes. So we are doing everything we can to keep you updated, so you can prepare.

New changes to MTD

The next major milestone is for all VAT-registered businesses to sign up to MTD for VAT by April 2022. After that date, all VAT-registered businesses will need to keep digital records and submit their VAT Returns using MTD from within Xero or other API-enabled software.

HMRC has also recently announced that non-MTD VAT submissions using software providers will no longer be supported from April 2021. This means that quarterly VAT periods ending in December, January or February 2021 will be the last that you can submit in Xero using the old VAT Return.

How to prepare for this change

To prepare for this change, you have two options:

The first is to sign up to MTD for VAT voluntarily (please remember that you’ll be mandated to join MTD from April 2022.)
The second is to generate VAT amounts using our new non-MTD VAT Return in Xero, which is designed for businesses who are not ready for MTD (such as those under the VAT threshold or part of a VAT group.) If you choose to use the non-MTD VAT Return in Xero, you will be required to submit the return manually using HMRC online services or by using MTD bridging software.

This will be available from 23 November 2020 and is designed for use if you’re not ready to make the move to MTD. It will also be the default option for new trials and subscriptions moving forward.

You may notice that the new non-MTD VAT Return looks very similar to the existing MTD one. We did this intentionally, so it will be easier for businesses to transition to MTD VAT Returns in the year ahead.

This includes all the functionality of our existing MTD VAT Return for generating VAT amounts, as well as some new features that will improve your workflow. For example, the ability to calculate late claims for a previous VAT period.

Start preparing now

While there is some time before you will no longer be able to submit non-MTD VAT returns via Xero, it’s a good idea to start preparing your business early. We’ll keep you updated on further improvements to Xero Tax too, as we continue to stay ahead of MTD changes and make it easy for your business to stay compliant.

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