How to Submit a VAT Return in Sage Intacct
VAT returns can be submitted directly within Sage Intacct, enabling you to handle compliance with ease.
In this tip of the week, we’ll show you how to submit a VAT return in Sage Intacct step-by-step.
Important: Before beginning your VAT submission in Sage Intacct, close the books and make sure you’re at the top level.
Navigate to: Taxes > All > Tax submissions
Press ‘New tax submission’.
Enter a name for the submission. We advise you follow a naming convention to make it easier if you need to revisit any submissions in the future. For example, ‘April – June 2025’.
Then select the tax solution from the dropdown, enter your VAT registration number and click ‘Prepare tax data’.
Enter your email address and click ‘Continue’.
You’ll receive an email when everything is ready.
Now enter the credentials of your tax return, select the relevant open obligation period from the dropdown and click ‘Create tax return’.
Check the files to make sure everything is correct.
You’ll be alerted if there are any eligible transactions from the last period that you can include in this tax return.
Export the reports, make any adjustments and then when you’re happy with everything, click ‘Submit’ to send it to HMRC.
Make any manual adjustment journal entries, VAT liability journal entries and update the submission overview with your working out and reasons behind any adjustments.
This ensures that auditors or HMRC can understand any adjustments that have been made.
For further assistance with VAT submissions in Sage Intacct, contact sagesupport@pkfscs.co.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions About VAT Submissions in Sage Intacct
What do I need to do before starting a VAT submission in Sage Intacct?
There are two important steps to complete first. Before beginning your VAT submission in Sage Intacct, you need to close the books and make sure you’re at the top level. Skipping either of these steps could cause issues with the data included in your return.
Is there a recommended way to name my VAT submissions so I can find them easily later?
Yes. We advise the following a naming convention to make it easier if you need to revisit any submissions in the future, “Month – Month Year” for example: April – June 2025. A consistent format like this makes it straightforward to locate specific periods during audits or when responding to HMRC queries
I need to make adjustments to my VAT return. How should I document them for audit purposes?
After submitting to HMRC, you should make any manual adjustment journal entries and VAT liability journal entries, then update the submission overview with your working out and the reasons behind any adjustments. This ensures that auditors or HMRC can understand any adjustments that have been made. Keeping this record within the submission itself means everything is in one place if you’re ever queried.
Written by: Nick Collyer, Sage Intacct Solutions Consultant at PKF Smith Cooper Systems
Reviewed by: Philippa Leonard, Sage Intacct Team Leader at PKF Smith Cooper Systems
Last reviewed: June 2026
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