MTD for VAT
VAT, filed — without leaving your books.
If you're VAT-registered, Making Tax Digital means keeping digital VAT records and filing your return through compatible software — no typing figures into the HMRC website. Bookfolio is HMRC-recognised for MTD VAT. Reconcile the quarter, check the box-by-box breakdown, and submit your VAT return straight to HMRC in a couple of taps. You review every figure before it goes. Nothing is submitted until you say so.
Built in the UK
HMRC-recognised for MTD VAT
You review, then file
VAT Q1 2026 · example
Filed to HMRC
Box 1 · VAT on sales
this quarter
£4,210.00
Box 4 · VAT reclaimed
this quarter
£525.80
Box 5 · net to pay
submitted to HMRC
£3,684.20
What MTD for VAT asks of you
Three obligations. All handled here.
Making Tax Digital applies to VAT-registered businesses, with limited exemptions — GOV.UK has the detail for your situation. Where it applies, here's what HMRC expects, and how Bookfolio handles each.
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Keep digital VAT records
Your sales and purchases live in Bookfolio as digital records, with VAT worked out line by line. No shoebox, no spreadsheet you copy figures out of by hand.
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File from your software
Submit your VAT return directly to HMRC from Bookfolio, using HMRC-recognised software. You don't log in to the HMRC website to type the boxes in — you review them here and file.
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Figures carry through
Once imported and reconciled, your figures carry through to the return without manual re-keying — what you reconcile is what's filed.
The return, building itself
Watch the boxes fill as you reconcile.
The VAT return is just your reconciled quarter, totalled the way HMRC wants it. As you categorise transactions, the box-by-box breakdown updates — VAT on sales, VAT reclaimed, the net to pay or reclaim. By the time the quarter's done, so is the return. You read every box before anything is filed, so there are no surprises on the deadline.
Box-by-box breakdown matching the HMRC return
Updates live as you reconcile — no separate return to build
Check every figure, drill into the transactions behind it
VAT Q1 2026 · example
Box 1 · VAT on sales
£4,210.00
Box 4 · VAT reclaimed
£525.80
Box 5 · net to pay
£3,684.20
Submit VAT return · example
Quarter reconciled
482 transactions · all sorted
Done
Box-by-box breakdown
you reviewed it
Checked
File to HMRC
nothing sent until you confirm
Ready
File direct
File straight to HMRC, when you're ready.
Once the quarter's reconciled and you've checked the breakdown, file your VAT return to HMRC from inside Bookfolio. The first time, you sign in via HMRC's secure service and grant Bookfolio authority to file your VAT returns — that's what lets it submit directly over HMRC's MTD service. After that, it's review and submit. You stay in control: nothing is submitted until you say so, and the figures remain yours to stand behind.
Authorise once through HMRC's secure sign-in
Review the box-by-box breakdown, then file in a couple of taps
A dated receipt on record once HMRC accepts the return
Schemes
Standard, flat rate or cash — set it once.
VAT schemes differ, so Bookfolio works the way yours does. Tell us which scheme your business is on and the return is worked out that way — VAT on the standard scheme, the flat-rate calculation if you're on flat rate, or VAT counted when money moves on cash accounting. Change scheme and the current period recalculates from the change date; returns you've already filed stay locked. We total it the way your scheme requires — we don't give tax advice or tell you which scheme to pick.
Standard, flat rate and cash accounting supported
Quarterly, monthly or annual return cycles
Change scheme mid-period — past returns stay locked
VAT scheme · example
Scheme
how your return is worked out
Standard
Return cycle
Apr / Jul / Oct / Jan
Quarterly
Your default rate
applied to new transactions
Switch anytime
Why it's calmer
Quarter-ends stop being a scramble.
Always quarter-ready
Reconcile as you go and the return is built by the time it's due
HMRC-recognised
Recognised for Making Tax Digital for VAT, filing over HMRC's own service
Every filing on record
Who filed which return, when, and the figures behind it — exportable
Also a sole trader or landlord?
VAT is one regime. Income Tax is another.
MTD for VAT is for VAT-registered businesses. If you're a sole trader or landlord, there's a separate regime — MTD for Income Tax — being introduced in phases from 2026 onward. Bookfolio keeps those records too, submits quarterly updates straight to HMRC, and lets you review and send the final declaration when the year ends. Whether and when MTD applies to you depends on HMRC's rules — check GOV.UK to confirm.
Making Tax Digital · example
MTD for VAT
VAT-registered businesses
You're here
MTD for Income Tax
sole traders & landlords
Different regime
Questions
MTD for VAT, answered plainly.
Can I file my VAT return through Bookfolio?
Yes. Once the quarter's reconciled, you file your VAT return straight to HMRC from Bookfolio — you review the box-by-box breakdown first, and nothing is submitted until you say so. Bookfolio is HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital for VAT.
Do I have to use software for VAT now?
Making Tax Digital applies to VAT-registered businesses, with limited exemptions — you keep digital VAT records and file through compatible software rather than typing figures into the HMRC website. Check GOV.UK to confirm it applies to you; Bookfolio does both.
Is Bookfolio HMRC-approved?
HMRC doesn't approve or endorse products — it recognises software that's passed its process and connects to its MTD service. Bookfolio is HMRC-recognised for MTD VAT. We'd rather be precise than overclaim.
How does authorising Bookfolio to file work?
The first time you file, you sign in through HMRC's secure service and grant Bookfolio authority to file your VAT returns. After that, you review each return and submit it from Bookfolio. The figures are sent directly to HMRC. You remain responsible for their accuracy — we total what you've reconciled; we don't give tax advice.
Which VAT schemes do you support?
Standard, flat rate and cash accounting, on quarterly, monthly or annual cycles. Set your scheme once and the return is calculated that way. Change scheme and the current period recalculates from the change date; filed returns stay locked.
When are VAT returns due?
That depends on your registration and cycle — most businesses file quarterly. Bookfolio shows your period and deadline, and keeps the return building as you reconcile, so it's ready well before the date.
I import a CSV — does that still count as digital records?
You import a statement as a CSV, reconcile it in Bookfolio, and the figures carry through to the return without manual re-keying. Whether your wider record-keeping meets MTD's digital-links rules depends on your setup — GOV.UK has the detail. Automatic bank feeds aren't in this version; it's something we'll add carefully.
Do you file Corporation Tax or my company accounts too?
No. Bookfolio files VAT returns. The CT600 is filed with HMRC or through your accountant — we give you the figures, not the filing. We don't produce statutory accounts. Payroll is available in limited-company books as a separate workflow.
I'm a director — what about my personal tax?
That's separate. A director often also files a personal Self Assessment on dividends. Where MTD for Income Tax applies, that's filed digitally and Bookfolio can submit it; otherwise Bookfolio keeps the figures tidy and ready. See the MTD for Income Tax page.
Do I still need an accountant?
You don't need one to use Bookfolio. If you have one, clean VAT records and filed returns let them focus on advice, not data entry.
File your next VAT return from your books.
Start free for 30 days, no card required. Upload last quarter, reconcile it, and file your VAT return straight to HMRC — you review every figure first.