DMS Posts, Tax

Penalty points and penalties if you submit your VAT Return late

From 1 January 2023, you’ll get penalty points if you submit a VAT Return late (including nil payment returns). Find out how points work and how to avoid a £200 penalty.

For VAT accounting periods starting on or after 1 January 2023, late submission penalties apply if you submit your VAT Return late.

The VAT default surcharge is being replaced by new penalties for returns that are submitted late and VAT which is paid late. The way interest is charged is also changing.

These changes affect everyone who submits VAT Returns, including a nil or repayment return. 

How late submission penalties work

You must send a VAT Return by the deadline for your accounting period. Your accounting period is when you need to send a return to HMRC, for example, quarterly.

Late submission penalties work on a points-based system.

For each return you submit late you will receive a penalty point.

Once you’ve reached a penalty point threshold, you’ll receive a £200 penalty and a further £200 penalty for each subsequent late submission while you’re at the threshold.

The penalty point threshold for your accounting period

The penalty point threshold is set by your accounting period. The threshold is the maximum points you can receive.

Accounting periodPenalty points threshold
Annually2
Quarterly4
Monthly5

Penalty example for a business making quarterly returns

A company submits their VAT Return quarterly. This means their penalty point threshold is 4.

They already have 3 penalty points because they submitted 3 previous returns late.

They submit their next return late and get a fourth penalty point. Because they’ve reached the penalty point threshold, they receive a £200 penalty.

The company submits their next return on time. They stay at threshold of 4 penalty points but do not get a £200 penalty.

The company submits their next return late. As they’re still at the penalty point threshold of 4 points, they receive another £200 penalty.

If you use a non-standard accounting period

If you have agreement from HMRC to use non-standard accounting periods, different rules apply.

Accounting periodPenalty points thresholdRules that apply
Over 20 weeks2Annual
Over 8 weeks and no more than 20 weeks4Quarterly
8 weeks or less5Monthly

How changes to your business affect penalty points

Changing your accounting period

If you’ve agreed with HMRC to change how often you submit returns, we will adjust your threshold and penalty points.   

This is how we will adjust your penalty points threshold:

Previous accounting periodPrevious penalty point thresholdNew accounting periodNew penalty point threshold
Annual2Quarterly4
Annual2Monthly5
Quarterly4Annual2
Quarterly4Monthly5
Monthly5Annual2
Monthly5Quarterly4

If you have existing penalty points, this is how we will adjust your penalty points:

Previous accounting periodNew accounting periodPenalty points adjustment
AnnualQuarterly+ 2 points
AnnualMonthly+ 3 points
QuarterlyAnnual– 2 points
QuarterlyMonthly+ 1 point
MonthlyAnnual– 3 points
MonthlyQuarterly-1 point

When you change your accounting period:

  • we’ll set your penalty points to zero if the adjustment gives you a minus figure
  • we will not make an adjustment if you have zero points

You cannot appeal adjustments to your penalty points.  

When you change from a non-standard accounting period to the equivalent standard period, your points will not change.

Non-standard accounting periodEquivalent standard accounting period
Over 20 weeksAnnual
Over 8 weeks and no more than 20 weeksQuarterly
8 weeks or lessMonthly

Taking over a business

If you take over a VAT-registered business as a ‘going concern’ any penalty points built-up by the business will not be transferred to your VAT registration number. This will be the case even if the VAT registration number is transferred from the previous owner to yourself.

Find out more about what ‘going concern’ for VAT means in paragraphs 1.3 and 1.4 of VAT Notice 700/9.

VAT groups and penalty points

If the representative member of a VAT group changes, any penalty points they’ve built-up are transferred to the new representative member.

The VAT groups’ penalty points total does not change if a person:

  • joins the group, even if the joining member had penalty points
  • leaves the group (the leaving member does not take points with them)

VAT Returns not affected

The late submission penalty rules do not apply to your:

  • first VAT return if you’re newly VAT registered
  • final VAT return after you cancel your VAT registration
  • one-off returns that cover a period other than a month, quarter or year

For example, you might make a one-off return covering a four-month period because you changed from submitting quarterly to annually.

Tax

MTD for VAT rules will apply to all VAT-registered clients from 1st April

On 1st April 2022, Making Tax Digital (MTD), the government’s initiative to implement a fully digital tax system within the UK, will reach a new milestone: all VAT-registered clients will be required to follow MTD for VAT rules. 

What are the rules?

MTD for VAT requires affected clients to keep digital records and file their VAT returns through MTD-compatible software like FreeAgent. Currently, only VAT-registered clients with a turnover above the VAT registration threshold of £85,000 a year are required to follow MTD for VAT rules.

What’s changing?

From 1st April 2022, all VAT-registered clients, regardless of turnover, will be required to follow MTD for VAT rules, and the option to file VAT returns through HMRC’s website will no longer be available. 

The estimated 1.1 million business owners who will be affected by this change, they will need to start using MTD-compatible software to: 

  • store their business records digitally
  • send their VAT returns to HMRC
DMS Posts

MTD ITSA delayed to 2024

by Rebecca Cave

Delayed

The government has delayed the start of MTD ITSA to 6 April 2024, with MTD for general partnerships postponed to 2025. The change to the tax year basis has also been delayed until at least April 2024.

In a written statement to the House of Commons on 23 September 2021, it was announced that MTD for income tax self assessment (MTD ITSA) would be postponed yet again to April 2024. 

“We recognise that, as we emerge from the pandemic, it’s critical that everyone has enough time to prepare for the change, which is why we’re giving people an extra year to do so. We remain firmly committed to Making Tax Digital and building a tax system fit for the 21st Century” announced the new financial secretary Lucy Frazer. 

Long time coming

This is the latest in a series of delays and deferrals in the MTD programme, which was proposed by Chancellor George Osborne in late 2015. The MTD start date for small businesses was first planned to be in April 2018, then the focus switched to MTD for VAT. The MTD for income tax programme was to be delayed until lessons had been learnt from the VAT roll-out.

MTD for VAT commenced on time for most VAT registered businesses for VAT periods starting on and after 1 April 2019 but a number of “complex” entities had a deferred start date to 1 October 2019. A similar deferral is now in place for general partnerships (ie not LLPs, mixed or corporate partnerships), with those “ordinary partnerships” due to enter MTD ITSA from April 2025.

There is no indication of when other more complex partnerships will have to join MTD, and we don’t know if the MTD for corporation tax project will start as planned in 2026 or not.

What is the base year?

The turnover for mandation into the MTD ITSA regime remains at only £10,000 per year, much to disappointment of many who were lobbying for a much higher entry threshold.

As the turnover threshold must take into account the taxpayer’s income from all of their sole-trader businesses, plus their rental income, HMRC needs to pull together several figures from the taxpayer’s self assessment tax returns. Only when the tax return totals reach the £10,000 threshold will HMRC issue a notice to file under the MTD regulations.

If MTD ITSA was mandated from 6 April 2023, the turnover test would need to apply to the figures reported in the 2021/22 tax return, submitted by 31 January 2023, and possibly turnover reported in the 2021/22. Both of those years were affected by the pandemic which reduced turnover and rental income for many businesses and landlords.

Local authority grants for businesses liable for business rates would also increase business turnover for those periods. The SEISS grants should not have been included in business turnover, but some taxpayers have reported them as such, leading to HMRC having to make many corrections taxpayers’ self-assessments for 2020/21, and possibly also for 2021/22. 

As MTD ITSA will now start in April 2024 the base year for testing the MTD turnover threshold will be the tax year 2022/23. The turnover figures for that year should not be distorted by Covid-related grants, and hopefully will reflect normal trading beyond the pandemic for most businesses. 

Tax year basis

When the consultation on changing to the tax year basis of assessment was released in July 2021, doubts were raised on whether there was sufficient time to introduce such a fundamental change to tax law before the mandation of MTD ITSA.

It was apparent that HMRC wanted all unincorporated businesses to switch to the tax year basis before the introduction of MTD ITSA in 2023, but this would make 2022/23 the difficult transitional year.

For businesses with an accounting year end that doesn’t approximate to the tax year, more than 12 months of profits would be assessed in 2022/23. This would have a knock-on effect for a wide range of allowances and charges, including NIC, student loan repayments and capital allowances, to name a few. There was just not enough time to write amendments to regulations in all the areas affected before April 2022.    

What’s more using the tax year basis would bring forward the start of MTD ITSA for businesses with a 31 March year end, from 1 April 2024 to 6 April 2023 – which came as a big shock for many accountants and businesses.

The written statement from the new financial secretary to the Treasury, confirmed the change to the tax year basis will not come into effect before April 2024, with a transition year no earlier than 2023. The government will respond to the consultation on reforming basis periods “in due course” but the wording of this statement makes the change to the tax year basis look uncertain.

Uncategorized

VAT: Reverse charge for builders delayed until 2020

In a move hailed as a ‘victory for common sense’, the government has announced a 12-month delay to the introduction of the domestic reverse charge VAT for construction services, citing industry concerns and Brexit as the reasons behind the postponement.

Clock in the helmet

In a short briefing on gov.uk, the government announced it would be putting the introduction of the domestic reverse charge for construction services on ice for a period of 12 months until 1 October 2020.

The brief explained that industry representatives had “raised concerns” that many construction sector businesses were not ready to implement the changes on the original date of 1 October 2019. To help them prepare, and to avoid the new rules kicking in at the same time as the UK’s potential exit from the European Union, the reverse charge has been delayed for 12 months until 1 October 2020.

‘Construction chaos’ avoided?

Industry insiders, including the largest trade association in the UK’s construction sector, had called on the government to delay the changes, citing research findings that the charge could lead to a spike in company insolvencies and ‘construction chaos’.

In a statement, HMRC said that it “remains committed” to introducing the charge and in the intervening year it will focus additional resource on identifying and tackling existing perpetrators of VAT-related fraud in the industry. HMRC also committed to working closely with the sector to raise awareness and provide additional guidance to make sure all businesses will be ready for the new implementation date.

The tax authority recognised that some businesses will have already changed their invoices to meet the needs of the reverse charge and cannot easily change them back in time. Where genuine errors have occurred, HMRC has stated that it will take into account the late change in its implementation date.

“Some businesses may have opted for monthly VAT returns ahead of the 1 October 2019 implementation date, which they can reverse by using the appropriate stagger option on the HMRC website,” said the statement.

‘Victory for common sense’

Reacting to the news, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, hailed the decision as “sensible and pragmatic”.

“To plough on with the October 2019 implementation could have been disastrous given that the changes were due to be made just before the UK is expected to leave the EU, quite possibly on ‘no-deal’ terms,” said Berry.

DMS Posts

VAT Updated Valuation Table: Road Fuel Scale Charges (RFSCs) effective from 1 May 2019

The VAT road fuel scale charges are amended with effect from 1 May 2019. Businesses must use the new scales from the start of the next prescribed accounting period beginning on or after 1 May 2019.

  1. The Valuation Table sets out the new scale charges (a VAT inclusive amount). This table must be operated in accordance with the notes to the table and these are set out below.
  2. The VAT Rate Tables set out the VAT to be charged if you account for VAT on an annual, quarterly or monthly basis.

1. Valuation table

Description of vehicle: vehicle’s CO2 emissions figureVAT inclusive consideration for a 12 month prescribed accounting period (£)VAT inclusive consideration for a 3 month prescribed accounting period (£)VAT inclusive consideration for a 1 month prescribed accounting period (£)
120 or less59214749
12588622273
13094723678
135100425083
1401,06626587
1451,12328093
1501,18429698
1551,241310103
1601,303325107
1651,360340113
1701,421354117
1751,478369122
1801,540384128
1851,597399132
1901,658414137
1951,715429143
2001,777444147
2051,834458152
2101,895473157
2151,952487162
2202,014502167
225 or more2,071517172

Where the CO2 emission figure is not a multiple of five, the figure is rounded down to the next multiple of five to determine the level of the charge.

For a bi-fuel vehicle which has two CO2 emissions figures, the lower of the two figures should be used.

For cars which are too old to have a CO2 emissions figure, you should identify the CO2 band based on engine size, as follows:

  • If its cylinder capacity is 1,400cc or less, use CO2 band 140
  • If its cylinder capacity exceeds 1,400cc but does not exceed 2,000cc, use CO2 band 175
  • If its cylinder capacity exceeds 2,000cc, use CO2 band 225 or more

Please see the notes to the Valuation Table for more details.

Notes to the Valuation Table

  1. For a car of a description in the first column of the valuation table, the value on the flat-rate basis of all supplies of road fuel made to any one individual in respect of that car for a prescribed accounting period is the amount specified under whichever of the second, third or fourth columns corresponds with the length of the prescribed accounting period.
  2. Where a CO2 emissions figure is specified in relation to a car in a UK approval certificate or in a certificate of conformity issued by a manufacturer in another member state corresponding to a UK approval certificate (“corresponding certificate of conformity”), the car’s CO2 emissions figure for the purposes of the valuation table is determined as follows:
    • if only one figure is specified in the certificate, that figure is the car’s CO2 emissions figure for those purposes
    • if more than one figure is specified in the certificate, the figure specified as the CO2 (combined) emissions figure is the car’s CO2 emissions figure for those purposes
    • if separate CO2 emissions figures are specified for different fuels, the lowest figure specified, or, in a case within sub-paragraph (b), the lowest CO2 (combined) emissions figure specified is the car’s CO2 emissions figure for those purposes
  3. For the purpose of paragraph 2, if the car’s CO2 emissions figure is not a multiple of 5 it is rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5 for those purposes.
  4. Where no UK approval certificate or corresponding certificate of conformity is issued in relation to a car, or where a certificate is issued but no emissions figure is specified in it, the car’s CO2 emissions figure for the purposes of the valuation table is:
    • 140 if its cylinder capacity is 1,400 cubic centimetres or less
    • 175 if its cylinder capacity exceeds 1,400 cubic centimetres but does not exceed 2,000 cubic centimetres
    • 225 or more if its cylinder capacity exceeds 2,000 cubic centimetres
  5. For the purpose of paragraph 4, the car’s cylinder capacity is the capacity of its engine as calculated for the purposes of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.
  6. In any case where:
    • in a prescribed accounting period, there are supplies of fuel for private use to an individual in respect of one car for a part of the period and in respect of another car for another part of the period
    • at the end of that period one of those cars neither belongs to, nor is allocated to, the individual, the flat-rate value of the supplies is determined as if the supplies made to the individual during those parts of the period were in respect of only one car
  7. Where paragraph 6 applies, the value of the supplies is to be determined as follows:
    • if each of the 2 or more cars falls within the same description of car specified in the valuation table, the value specified in the valuation table for that description of car applies for the whole of the prescribed accounting period
    • if one of those cars falls within a description of car specified in that table which is different from the others, the value of the supplies is the aggregate of the relevant fractions of the consideration appropriate for each description of car in the valuation table “The relevant fraction” in relation to any car is that which the part of the prescribed accounting period in which fuel was supplied for private use in respect of the car bears to the whole of that period.
  8. “CO2 emissions figure” means a CO2 emissions figure expressed in grams per kilometre driven.
  9. “UK approval certificate” means a certificate issued under either:
    • Section 58(1) or (4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988
    • Article 31A(4) or (5) of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981

2. VAT rate tables

Annual charges

CO2 bandVAT fuel scale charge, 12 month period (£)VAT on 12 month charge (£)VAT exclusive 12 month charge (£)
120 or less59298.67493.33
125886147.67738.33
130947157.83789.17
1351,004167.33836.67
1401,066177.67888.33
1451,123187.17935.83
1501,184197.33986.67
1551,241206.831,034.17
1601,303217.171,085.83
1651,360226.671,133.33
1701,421236.831,184.17
1751,478246.331,231.67
1801,540256.671,283.33
1851,597266.171,330.83
1901,658276.331,381.67
1951,715285.831,429.17
2001,777296.171,480.83
2051,834305.671,528.33
2101,895315.831,579.17
2151,952325.331,626.67
2202,014335.671,678.33
225 or more2,071345.171,725.83

Quarterly charges

CO2 bandVAT fuel scale charge, 3 month period (£)VAT on 3 month charge (£)VAT exclusive 3 month charge (£)
120 or less14724.50122.50
12522237185
13023639.33196.67
13525041.67208.33
14026544.17220.83
14528046.67233.33
15029549.17245.83
15531051.67258.33
16032554.17270.83
16534056.67283.33
17035459295
17536961.50307.50
18038464320
18539966.50332.50
19041469345
19542971.50357.50
20044474370
20545876.33381.67
21047378.83394.17
21548781.17405.83
22050283.67418.33
225 or more51786.17430.83

Monthly charges

CO2 bandVAT fuel scale charge, 1 month period (£)VAT on 1 month charge (£)VAT exclusive 1 month charge (£)
120 or less498.1740.83
1257312.1760.83
130781365
1358313.8369.17
1408814.6773.33
1459315.5077.50
1509816.3381.67
15510317.1785.83
16010717.8389.17
16511318.8394.17
17011719.5097.50
17512220.33101.67
18012821.33106.67
18513222110
19013722.83114.17
19514323.83119.17
20014724.50122.50
20515225.33126.67
21015726.17130.83
21516227135
22016727.83139.17
225 or more17228.67143.33