New User - VAT Liability not updating

[bagman]

I am just starting with Quickfile and I have loaded a quantity of sales and purchase invoices onto the system and I have noticed that my VAT Liability Account (2202) is not updating at all. It is only showing the opening balance I put on at the start.
I think this reply to an earlier question might be something to do with it:
‘2202 should only get transactions once you’ve submitted your VAT return, and will balance back to zero when you’ve paid (or been paid back by) HMRC for the box 5 amount of the return.’
If this is true though, we have already posted the VAT return for the quarter before we started with Quickfile via our accountants, so we can’t submit last quarters VAT via Quickfile. What do we need to do?
Thanks.

[QFSteve]

Hello @bagman

As you post your sales and purchase invoices the vat is posted to the Sales Tax Control Account (2200) and Purchase Tax Control Account (2201) respectively.

You can run the vat return via Reports > Vat Returns > Create > Select the period, at any time to check the figures.

When you submit the return a automatic journal moves the values from Sales Tax and Purchase tax for the relevant amounts to Vat liability to net against each other, then it is paid off as you mentioned above.

[MHCottages]

I have a similar problem. As instructed by HMRC I have set up a Quickfile account to submit my regular VAT returns, and have now attempted 4 times to submit my first (September 7th) return allowing each time the specified few days for HMRC to process the data before trying again. My 4th attempt has succeeded in reaching the green “GOOD” status on Quickfile, but is showing as “overdue” on the HMRC website, 5 days after submission. No reason is given for this, although Quickfile suggest I may have input the wrong VAT registration number, or logged into the wrong VAT account. Neither is so.
Am I correct in assuming the fault lies with HMRC being overwhelmed with new registrants to the “Making Tax Digital” system? Or am I doing something wrong?
My paranoia suggests that HMRC may be, perhaps by underfunding the changeover, deliberately slowing the process in order to fleece us through “late submittal” fines? This latter being a very plausible explanation, based on previous performance.