How do I submit a zero VAT return?

A few years ago, I was selling on Amazon in the UK, but I haven't had any sales for over two years, and I have no inventory on Amazon. For the past two years, I've been submitting zero sales returns through a paid service from a third-party tax agent. Now, my contract with the third-party tax agent has expired, and I haven't renewed it. I initially wanted to deregister my VAT, but after spending two months, I still haven't succeeded. They don't offer online deregistration. I filled out the VAT7 form two months ago and sent it by registered mail, but I haven't received any feedback. I called them and was kept waiting for almost 20 minutes, but the issue wasn't resolved (I made an international call). I also sent emails, but no one replied. By the way, I managed to deregister my VAT in Germany just by sending an email to their tax office. So I've changed my mind and want to submit a zero return instead. Since I have no sales, it should be straightforward. I retrieved my HMRC account from the tax agent. I logged into HMRC Online Services and saw that my next submission date is October 7, 2024, but I can't find where to submit the return. Can anyone guide me on how to proceed with submitting the return myself?

 

Hi. Injoeder to submit a VAT return to us you will need to do this via Making Tax Digital compliant software. Please see the guidance below: Overview of Making Tax Digital    . The software you will use will essentially submit the return to us by connecting to your Business Tax Account which you will be asked to sign in to as part of the submission process. Thank you .

 

If you have regained access to your government gateway (HMRC online services), there is an option to deregister for VAT amongst the menu options. Try "Manage my VAT Account" and then look for "Cancel my VAT registration", answer a few questions (the same questions as asked on the VAT7) and then the de-registration should be processed in a couple of day, you can log back onto the website to check progress. Technically if you are not making taxable sales and you do not intend to make taxable sales, then you should not be VAT registered, so you were doing the right thing by submitting the VAT7 but these forms often get lost in the post.