VAT return problem - wrong dates - wrong figures

[TGH]

I am having problems getting an accurate VAT report. The dates which come up when I try to go to a new VAT return are not the dates either of the last return completed or of the current quarter but from 1st July 202 to 31st August 2020 with figures in which obviously cannot come from my accounts. When I substitute the correct quarter dates the return uses, and the report give, the whole year’s figures from March 2019 instead of from 1st September 2019. The system has worked perfectly well in the past but seems tt be playing silly so and sos now. Am I doing something wrong ? Even when I change the VAT start date to 01/09/2019 it does the same thing.
I would be most grateful for any help.

[QFMathew]

Hi @TGH

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing problems with this.

Can I check a few things firstly -

• Are you enrolled on MTD? And if so, is it enabled on your QuickFile account?
• What VAT periods do you submit for (according to HMRC)?

[TGH]

Thanks for your prompt response. I am not yet enrolled for MTD. I submit for quarters ending February, May, August and November.

[QFMathew]

Thanks @TGH. I’m not entirely sure it’s loading with 01/07/2020 as a start date, but I have asked our development team to take a look.

If you override the dates, however, that should work. If you’re seeing data being pulled in that’s older than your entered range, it’s likely to be because of a setting on your account.

In your VAT settings you have an option to set a start date. If you change this to the earliest date you want data included for, then that should resolve it:

Anything before that date won’t be included.

Once you’ve submitted your first return however, it’ll create a journal and a VAT lock on the account, so the next one should be smoother

[TGH]

I have reloaded the browser and relogged in to Quickfile and with an altered start date it now works even though it at first defaults to the 2020 dates I described earlier. I don’t understand however why it should be pulling in the old data without an altered start date and would like to have it running properly for the future if possible. What should I do?

Thanks again for your help so far.

[QFMathew]

By default any transactions since the start date that aren’t locked to a VAT return, are included. This ensures nothing is missed (e.g. a late entered invoice). The start date is exactly that - it’s the date the system starts from when looking for invoices (and/or payments) to include in the VAT calculations.

So if you only want data from, for example, 01/11/2019 included, you would set that as your start date. Anything prior to that won’t be included.