HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire a VAT return accountant in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Whoever files your VAT return must be registered with HMRC. Here are the checks, the deadline and what the fee should cover.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a VAT return accountant in five steps

  1. Know your deadlineUsually one calendar month and seven days after each VAT period ends, for filing and paying.
  2. Check HMRC registrationThe VAT return accountant needs an agent services account; you authorise them.
  3. Keep digital recordsIn software that can file under Making Tax Digital.
  4. Send records earlySales, purchases and bank lines well before the deadline.
  5. Approve before filingCheck the box figures and the amount due.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Preparing VAT returns is not reserved work in any UK nation and the title accountant is unprotected. The legal duties are HMRC registration and anti-money-laundering supervision.

Ask the VAT return accountant about their professional body and their supervisor. regulated-professions.service.gov.uk →

HMRC agent services account

Paid advisers who interact with HMRC on someone else's tax, including sending returns, must register for an agent services account; registration has been required in stages since 18 May 2026.

Ask whether they hold an agent services account and accept their authorisation request. gov.uk →

VAT Return deadlines

HMRC sets the online filing and payment deadline at usually one calendar month and seven days after the end of each accounting period, and a VAT-registered business must file even if nothing is due.

Put each deadline in your calendar and agree a record-handover date before it. gov.uk →

Anti-money-laundering supervision

Accountancy service providers must be supervised under the Money Laundering Regulations by a professional body or HMRC.

Ask who supervises the practice preparing your VAT returns. gov.uk →

VAT

Preparing and filing VAT returns is itself standard-rated, so a registered VAT return accountant adds 20% to the fee per return and to error corrections. Registration becomes compulsory once a VAT return accountant has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the VAT return accountant for their own VAT number with the engagement letter and for the fee and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →

“Are you registered with HMRC to file VAT returns for clients?”

A good answer: Yes, with an agent services account, and an authorisation request sent to you.

“Which VAT scheme suits my business?”

A good answer: A view on standard, flat rate or cash accounting, with reasons.

“What does the VAT return fee include?”

A good answer: Checking records, preparing, filing and answering HMRC's questions, or which are extra.

“When do you need my records each quarter?”

A good answer: A date well before the VAT deadline.

“Which software will you file through?”

A good answer: Software compatible with Making Tax Digital, in your name.

“How will you handle mistakes on past VAT returns?”

A good answer: A clear process for corrections, and the cost.

“Will I approve each return before filing?”

A good answer: Yes, with the figures and the payment due.

Getting the quote right

  • Fee per return, and how often
  • Who actually attends to your returns: the VAT return accountant named, an employee, or a subcontracted bookkeeper
  • The VAT scheme and number of transactions it assumes
  • Bookkeeping or reconciliation needed first, priced
  • HMRC correspondence and error corrections
  • Software subscription, in your name
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the fee per return

Walk away if

  • Files without showing you the return
  • Wants your HMRC login rather than agent authorisation
  • Misses or nearly misses deadlines
  • No anti-money-laundering supervisor
  • Unclear what the fee covers
  • Recommends a VAT scheme without explaining it
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£350

What a VAT return accountant costs: £50–£350 per return

VAT returns are usually priced per return, or within a monthly accounting package. VAT Returns price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

VAT return accountants near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. RecordsSales and purchase records sent to the VAT return accountant.
  2. ChecksMissing invoices and errors looked for.
  3. PreparationBox figures calculated under your VAT scheme.
  4. ApprovalYou approve the return.
  5. FilingFiled through Making Tax Digital software, with the amount due confirmed.

VAT period
The months a VAT Return covers, usually three.
Making Tax Digital
HMRC's rules for digital VAT records and filing.
Flat Rate Scheme
A simplified VAT scheme paying a fixed percentage of turnover.
Cash accounting
Accounting for VAT when money is paid, not when invoiced.
Input tax
VAT you paid on purchases and can usually reclaim.
Output tax
VAT you charged on sales.

AFTER

When the job is done

Save the submission receiptHMRC's confirmation, with the figures filed.
Pay on timeThe payment deadline is usually the same as the filing deadline.
Keep the VAT recordsInvoices and receipts behind each return, in digital form.
Rate the workYour review of the VAT return accountant can only follow a booking on Locufy. Below four stars, you can send the problem to them first and we follow it up before the review appears.

STEP 1Raise it with the VAT return accountantSay what was agreed, what went wrong and the fix you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats a trader's service as including reasonable care and skill; where the VAT return accountant fell short of that, you can ask for the work to be redone free or for money off.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen you rate the VAT return accountant under four stars, you decide whether the problem goes to them first. We follow it through, then the review is posted.
STEP 3The preparer's body, and HMRCA VAT return accountant in a professional body can be reported to it for poor conduct, and HMRC deals with agents who breach its standard. For consumer advice: Citizens Advice 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland 0808 800 9060, Consumerline 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland).
STEP 4Small claims courtUnresolved money disputes with the VAT return accountant fit the small claims routes: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a VAT return accountant: questions people ask

Yes, if paid: tax advisers who interact with HMRC for clients must hold an agent services account.

Usually one calendar month and seven days after the period ends, for filing and payment.

No licence is needed, but anti-money-laundering supervision applies to accountancy practices.

£50–£350 per return, typically around £150. Transactions, the VAT scheme, corrections and the state of the records move the fee. The VAT return accountant price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above to compare VAT return accountants near you.

Yes. HMRC requires a return from a VAT-registered business even with nothing to pay or reclaim.

A few hours a quarter for a simple return; longer when records need sorting.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in business & professional

How to hire: AccountantHow to hire: BookkeeperHow to hire: Tax AdvisorHow to hire: Self-Assessment HelpHow to hire: Payroll ServiceHow to hire: Company Formation ServiceHow to hire: AuditorHow to hire: Business ConsultantAll 701 hiring guides →

VAT return accountants near you

VAT return accountants in LondonVAT return accountants in ManchesterVAT return accountants in BirminghamVAT return accountants in GlasgowVAT return accountants in BelfastAll vat return accountants on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — VAT Returns: deadlines
  2. gov.uk — check if and when you need to register as a tax adviser with HMRC
  3. gov.uk — Money Laundering Regulations: who needs to register
  4. gov.uk Regulated Professions — Chartered Accountant
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register