What are the VAT filing deadlines UK 2025, how do you prepare for VAT compliance and what is VAT?
Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax added to goods and services sold by businesses that are registered for VAT. Businesses in the UK, have to register for VAT if their VAT taxable turnover is more than £90,000. Businesses can also choose to voluntarily register for VAT even if their turnover is less than £90,000.
As a VAT-registered business you must:
- Add VAT to the price of the goods and services you are selling.
- Track and keep records of how much VAT you pay out when buying goods and services from other businesses.
- Account for VAT on any goods you import into the UK
- Report, to HMRC, how much VAT you charged customers and how much you paid to other businesses by sending a VAT return.
- Pay any VAT you owe to HMRC.
The VAT you pay is usually the difference between the VAT you’ve charged and the VAT you’ve paid.
Overview of VAT Filing Deadlines in the UK for 2025
Understanding the VAT filing deadlines UK 2025 is the first step to ensure timely submissions. Whilst we can’t give you a specific filing schedule for your business in this article, we can give a general overview and guidance to help you prepare your own.
What a lot of businesses miss, is that if your VAT filing due date falls on a Saturday, it is adjusted to the next working day. Which would be the following Monday. Here’s an example for a business with VAT quarter periods ending March, June, September, December. You should stay ahead of the VAT filing deadlines UK 2025 by implementing a solid preparation plan.
| VAT Period End Date | Standard Due Date | Day of Week | Adjusted Due Date |
| 31st December 2024 | 7th February 2025 | Friday | None |
| 31st March 2025 | 7th May 2025 | Wednesday | None |
| 30th June 2025 | 7th August 2025 | Thursday | None |
| 30th September 2025 | 7th November 2025 | Friday | None |
| 31st December 2025 | 7th February 2026 | Saturday | 9th February 2026 |
There has been changes to VAT since the last tax year. The VAT registration and deregistration thresholds increased since 1st April 2024. The 12-month taxable turnover threshold which determines whether a business must be registered for VAT increased from £85,000 to £90,000. The 12-month taxable turnover threshold which determines whether a business may apply for deregistration also increased from £83,000 to £88,000. If you want a recap of the previous VAT complaiance, check out our former article.
Why Preparing for VAT Compliance is Crucial
Businesses need to prepare for VAT compliance to avoid unnecessary fines and disruptions.
Since January 2023, HMRC has had a penalty point system in place for non-compliance with VAT.
The penalty point system is fairly straightforward to understand and even easier to avoid. If you’re late in submitting your VAT return, you’ll get 1 penalty point. You will get this penalty point each time you submit a return late. When you reach the penalty point threshold, you’ll pay a fine, currently at £200, to HMRC. The thresholds vary depending on the VAT reporting structure your business is on.
- Annual Returns: Threshold is 2 points.
- Quarterly Returns: Threshold is 4 points.
- Monthly Returns: Threshold is 5 points.
HMRC will however allow your first VAT return to be exempt from earning any penalty points. To avoid the penalty point system entirely, you just need to file your VAT return on time, even easier, have us do it for you.
Steps to Prepare for VAT Filing Deadlines
Preparing for VAT filing deadlines is not as daunting as people think. One very important step is to keep an organised record for all your receipts, invoices, bank statements and bills in one place. You can use folders or filing systems in order to do this for you. Having the knowledge of where your records are, makes meeting the deadline easier.
Using accounting software such as Xero or Quickbooks can then further help you keep on top of your bookkeeping and keep you ahead of you VAT preparation work. All these system will let you file your VAT return directly from theie dashboard. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, have us do it for you.
To make sure you don't miss important deadlines, set up reminders for your VAT filing dates. These are all simple steps but they go a long way and make a big difference. By preparing early for VAT compliance, you can focus on growing your business in 2025.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Understanding and navigating VAT rules can be confusing. They are often very detailed and can change regularly. Making sure you keep updated with HMRC’s changes or having an accountant in place such as us is usually the only way businesses can stay up to date.
Making sure your VAT returns are correct is important. The accounting software you use will do it’s best to keep you right but can still get things wrong. Having a professional in place to review your figures and double check your work will help prevent any errors.
Tips for Smooth VAT Compliance in 2025
Effective strategies to prepare for VAT compliance can save your business time and money. If you're unsure about VAT rules or how to handle your returns, it's okay to ask for help. Our team at MJ Kane, aims to help keep you right. Schedule a free consultation call today to discuss your businesses circumstances and understand what you need to do if VAT is causing you issues. If you already have a grasp, you may benefit more from one of our tax advice/planning meetings.
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