Who this service is for

This service suits VAT-registered businesses across Birmingham that want their returns prepared from records that actually reconcile, and businesses approaching the point where registration becomes an issue. It fits sole traders and companies alike: those on standard accounting, those using the cash or flat rate schemes, and those dealing with slightly less routine matters such as reverse-charge transactions, imports and exports, or partial exemption. If VAT has started to feel like a quarterly scramble, this is the service to steady it.

How we can help

We take the quarter-end pressure out of VAT by keeping the records behind each return in order and preparing the return from figures that tie back to your bookkeeping. Where you are deciding whether to register or deregister, or wondering whether a different scheme would suit you better, we can talk it through against your numbers. We work within Making Tax Digital, filing through compatible software, and we deal with the routine HMRC correspondence that VAT can generate. Where a matter sits beyond what we can properly advise on, we will say so and help you find the right specialist.

What’s included

  • Support with VAT registration and deregistration, including the timing and thresholds involved
  • Reviewing which VAT scheme fits your business, such as cash accounting, flat rate or annual accounting
  • Keeping digital records in a form that meets Making Tax Digital requirements
  • Preparing and submitting your VAT return through compatible software
  • Reconciling the VAT control account so the return agrees with your bookkeeping
  • Reviewing output VAT on sales and input VAT on purchases for correct treatment
  • Handling reverse-charge transactions where they apply to your supplies
  • Dealing with imports and exports where these fall within our competence
  • Applying partial exemption calculations where these are within our competence
  • Correcting errors on earlier returns using the appropriate method
  • Making voluntary disclosures to HMRC where a correction requires one
  • Managing routine HMRC correspondence about your VAT affairs
  • Helping you plan for VAT payments so the cash requirement is not a surprise

How it works

  1. We review your current VAT position, your scheme and how your records are kept.
  2. We agree the scope in writing, so you know what each return covers and what it does not.
  3. We make sure your digital records are set up to meet Making Tax Digital requirements.
  4. Each period we reconcile the records, prepare the return and review anything unusual with you.
  5. We submit the return through compatible software and confirm the amount and date to pay.

What we’ll need from you

To prepare an accurate return we need access to your bookkeeping or accounting software, your sales and purchase records for the period, and copies of VAT invoices where a figure needs checking. For anything less routine, such as imports, exports, reverse-charge supplies or exempt income, we need the underlying paperwork so the treatment is right. Giving us access in good time before the deadline lets us reconcile properly rather than filing against the clock.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Treating the return as a total of receipts rather than reconciling it to the records
  • Reclaiming input VAT without a valid VAT invoice to support the claim
  • Missing reverse-charge or partial-exemption treatment and misstating the return
  • Staying on a VAT scheme that no longer suits the business as it has grown
  • Keeping records outside compatible software and falling short of Making Tax Digital
  • Leaving an error uncorrected instead of disclosing it in the proper way

Serving Birmingham and the Midlands

We prepare VAT returns for businesses right across Birmingham and the West Midlands, working cloud-first so your records and ours reconcile in real time and each return is filed through Making Tax Digital-compatible software without waiting on paperwork in the post. Where a VAT question warrants a proper discussion, we are glad to arrange one.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't a VAT return just adding up my sales and purchases?

It looks that way, but it rarely is. A reliable return depends on records that reconcile, VAT treated correctly on each transaction, and awareness of things like reverse-charge supplies, partial exemption and imports. We prepare the return from reconciled digital records rather than simply totalling receipts, so the figures can be relied on.

Do we have to use Making Tax Digital for VAT?

Generally, VAT-registered businesses are within Making Tax Digital for VAT (keeping digital records and submitting through compatible software) unless an exemption applies. We can set your records up to meet those requirements and file through compatible software, and help you check whether any exemption is relevant to you.

Which VAT scheme should we be on?

It depends on your turnover, your customers and how you buy and sell. Standard accounting, the cash accounting scheme, the flat rate scheme and annual accounting each suit different situations. We can review the options against your figures and explain the trade-offs, though we cannot promise a particular saving because the right scheme depends on your own circumstances.

What happens if we find an error on a past VAT return?

Errors can often be corrected, either on a later return or by a separate disclosure to HMRC, depending on the size and nature of the mistake. We help you establish what went wrong, work out the correct position and make the appropriate correction or voluntary disclosure so it is put right properly.