Your VAT return, reconciled and filed every quarter.
VAT-registered businesses must keep digital records and file every return through Making Tax Digital-compatible software once taxable turnover passes £90,000, the current registration threshold (gov.uk, read 2026-09-14). ac-co reconciles all nine boxes from your bank and books, handles the scheme and reverse charge you're on, and files straight through HMRC's MTD API for your review.
From connected to filed, in four moves.
Everything this plan files, keeps and tells you.
Files for you
Sent to HMRC under MTD, with a receipt you keep.
- The nine-box MTD VAT returnBox 1 to Box 9, with an HMRC receipt.
- The digital-link trailKept intact end to end, as MTD requires.
Keeps for you
Six years of returns, and the transactions behind each box.
- The transactions behind every box
- The scheme rules appliedFlat-rate, cash accounting, margin or the domestic reverse charge.
- Six years of returns and receipts
Tells you
What is due, and what looks wrong, before you submit.
- When the return and payment are due
- Which lines look wrongFlagged against last quarter, before you submit.
Bridging software, an accountant, or ac-co.
Where someone else is better, the row says so.
| Row | Bridging softwareYou build the nine boxes | An accountantQuoted per client | ac-coIncluded in Limited company |
|---|---|---|---|
| £/year | £0–£120/yr for a bridging tool | £300–£588/yr [typical UK accountant VAT service, £25–£49/mo, 2026-09-13] | From £39/mo, VAT included |
| Hours/year | ~8 hours, four returns | ~2 hours, plus waiting for a reply | ~10 minutes, four returns |
| Recognised by HMRC for MTD VAT | Yes | Their software, not them | Yes |
| Must register once turnover passes £90,000The current VAT registration threshold — the same figure whichever route you file through. | £90,000 [gov.uk, VAT registration threshold, 2026-09-14] | £90,000 | £90,000 |
| Reads your bank feed and books | No | If you send them | Yes |
| Flat-rate, cash accounting, DRC handled | You apply the rules yourself | Yes | Yes |
| A qualified human checks itWe are weaker here — a human always reviews before submitting, but nobody signs it the way an accountant does. | No | Always | You review, not a qualified third party |
Accountant VAT-service fee dated 2026-09-13 — check their own quote.
Try the VAT calculator — no sign-up.
An estimate from the figures you enter — not a filed VAT return. Your real return is reconciled from your connected books and bank.
What moves across, and what it costs.
From Xero
- ✓Bank feed history
- ✓Chart of accounts
- ✓Open invoices and bills
- ✓Prior VAT return history
From QuickBooks
- ✓Bank feed history
- ✓Chart of accounts
- ✓Contacts
From Spreadsheet
- ✓Nothing to import — we bridge the digital link instead
Ready when you are.
Is this an HMRC-recognised MTD bridge?
Yes — ac-co is recognised by HMRC for MTD for VAT and files through the official API, linked above. Every return keeps the unbroken digital link MTD requires, from your ledger to the boxes you submit.
Will I see all nine boxes before it's submitted?
Yes — every box is shown with the transactions behind it before you tap submit. Nothing files itself; a human reviews every return.
I'm on the flat-rate scheme, or cash accounting — can you handle that?
Yes — flat-rate (with the 1% first-year discount and limited-cost-trader test), cash accounting and margin schemes are all applied automatically, and we'll flag if standard rate would now save you money.
What about the domestic reverse charge for construction?
Handled automatically — qualifying supplies carry no VAT, and both the supply and the corresponding input are reported in the right boxes.
What if I file late?
We show your deadline and the return status well before the 7th of the month it's due, so you file on time. If you are late, HMRC's points-based penalty system applies — we flag your position, we don't waive their penalty.
Want a seat in the beta?
Leave your email and we'll open a seat on MTD for VAT for you in the next batch.