How journal entries affect the VAT Return
Description

Journal entries move values between ledger accounts. By default, they don’t affect the VAT Return. If you add VAT to a journal, it updates the VAT Return depending on the ledger account and whether it’s a debit or a credit.

The following table shows which VAT Return box updates when you enter a journal.

Ledger Account Default Nominal Code Credit or Debit Affects the VAT Return
VAT on sales 2200 Credit Increases Box 1
VAT on sales 2200 Debit Decreases Box 1
VAT on purchases 2201 Credit Decreases Box 4
VAT on purchases 2201 Debit Increases Box 4
Any income account 4000 to 4940 Credit Increases Box 6
Any income account 4000 to 4940 Debit Decreases Box 6
Any expenditure account 5000 to 9999 Credit Decreases Box 7
Any expenditure account 5000 to 9999 Debit Increases Box 7
Any other ledger account   Credit

Increases Box 6

Any other ledger account   Debit

Increases Box 7

If you use the Flat Rate VAT scheme, journals:

  • Don’t affect Box 1, because we calculate VAT due as a flat percentage of sales
  • Don’t affect Box 4, because you can't recover expenses
  • Don’t support transactions outside the flat rate scheme

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