Submitting Your VAT Return

When you’ve reconciled your VAT return, you’re ready to submit it to HMRC. You must keep a copy of all your reports, just in case you’re inspected at a later point in time – HMRC has six years to do so.

You can either submit your VAT Return directly from Sage or you can print off all the reports and submit your VAT return via the HMRC website. I describe both methods in the following sections.

Posting your return online via Sage

From April 2012, all VAT-registered businesses (with the exception of a very small minority) have to submit their VAT return online. You’re also required to pay electronically, and this works in your favour as you actually get seven extra calendar days to pay your VAT liability.