Making Tax Digital

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Making Tax Digital (MTD) is a government initiative to modernise HMRC's tax system, with the aim of making the whole process of administrating tax simpler and more efficient.

The timetable for rolling Making Tax Digital has been amended to ensure that small businesses have more time to prepare for the changes.

The first to be affected will be small businesses and individuals with a turnover above the VAT threshold of £85,000, who will be required to keep digital records for VAT purposes from April 2019.

What do I have to do?

You will need to open and log into your digital account. Everyone will be allocated one through the current Government Gateway. Then you will need to ensure your accounting software can update this account at least quarterly. For most businesses, this means a move away from desktop and onto Cloud based accounting software. You will use digital (Cloud) software to maintain your business records and to provide updates of information to HMRC. You will be prompted to send summary updates directly to HMRC - quarterly updates will need to be submitted within a month of quarter end, and an end of year activity report will be due within nine months of the end of the accounting year.

Support from us

The Lancaster Haskins Team can advise you on the software you will need and how to comply with the new quarterly reporting requirements.

We will be contacting all of our clients shortly to prepare you and get you ready for Digital Tax well in advance. In the meantime, if you want to discuss how this affects you and your business please contact us.