Knowle, Solihull · serving Birmingham & the West Midlands ICAEW Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors
iTSA Digital Tax
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VAT returns and registration

You must register for VAT once your taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 months. Returns are normally filed quarterly through Making Tax Digital software: paper and manual filing are no longer allowed. We handle registration, pick the right scheme, and file every return from £45 a month.

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VAT is where small businesses get caught out most often: registering late, picking the wrong scheme, or reclaiming something they should not have. It is also where a good accountant saves you real money within the first month.

What is included

Registration

Handled with HMRC, including choosing your effective date and backdating where that helps.

Scheme selection

Standard, Flat Rate, Cash Accounting or Annual Accounting, we model which one actually leaves you better off.

Quarterly returns

Prepared, reviewed and filed through MTD-compatible software, every quarter, on time.

Reclaim review

We check what you can recover, including pre-registration purchases going back four years on goods.

Deregistration

If your turnover drops, we handle coming back out again.

Read more about vat

All guides
VAT The VAT registration threshold explained The rolling 12-month test, and what registering late costs. 5 min VAT The VAT Flat Rate Scheme: is it worth it? The limited cost trader rule that makes it worse for most. 5 min VAT Reclaiming VAT: what you can and cannot claim Cars, fuel, entertaining, and pre-registration purchases. 5 min

VAT: your questions answered

What is the VAT registration threshold?

You must register once taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 in any rolling 12-month period, or if you expect to exceed it in the next 30 days alone. You can register voluntarily below that, which often makes sense if your customers are VAT registered.

How often are VAT returns due?

Usually quarterly, due one calendar month and seven days after the quarter end. So a quarter ending 31 March is due by 7 May.

Do I have to use software for VAT?

Yes. Making Tax Digital for VAT applies to all VAT-registered businesses. Records must be kept digitally and returns filed through compatible software or bridging software.

Should I use the Flat Rate Scheme?

It depends on how much VAT you incur on purchases. If you buy very little, the Flat Rate Scheme can leave you better off. If you buy a lot, or you are a limited cost trader, it usually does not. We run the numbers both ways.

VAT across the West Midlands

Talk to a chartered accountant, free for 15 minutes

No sales pitch and no obligation. Tell us what you do, we will tell you what you need, what it costs and whether Making Tax Digital affects you. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.

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