SOS Development Bulletin

“Making Tax Digital”

Summary and User Guide

19th December 2018

Solicitors Own Software Limited (SOS) Making Tax Digital

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All development for “Making Tax Digital” has now been completed.

In Practice Manager, new features have been added to the Branch Maintenance* screen and VAT Return screen, to

allow the VAT registration number to be stored against each branch, and for the calculated VAT data for the selected

branches to be exported to an encoded XML data file, protected with a check-sum security key. Manual

adjustments to the calculated VAT figures can be made in the VAT Return screen before the data is exported.

These new features are available in these versions:

- 4.16 0810 Patch 16 - released 26th November 2018*

- 4.17.26.16653 (Patch 2) - released 20th November 2018

- 5.17.26.16653 (Patch 2) - released 20th November 2018

- 4.18.5.17393 - released 23rd November 2018

- 5.18.5.17393 - released 23rd November 2018

The updated branch maintenance screen is shown below, with the new VAT registration number field near the top:

In the VAT Return screen, new options have been added at the bottom of the screen to export the calculated VAT

figures to an XML data file, for onward delivery to HMRC. The VAT number shown at the bottom of the screen is

derived from the selected branches (the VAT registration number allocated to all of the selected branches must be

the same for the VAT number to be populated in the VAT Return screen). Once the calculations have been run,

manual adjustments can be made to any of the boxes in this screen by clicking in the box then dismissing the

transaction list.

* Note that the branch maintenance VAT registration number is not available in PM version 4.16 0810 Patch 16. When creating the VAT data

export file in this version from the VAT Return screen in Practice Manager, the VAT registration number needs to be entered manually at the

bottom of the VAT Return screen.

Solicitors Own Software Limited (SOS) Making Tax Digital

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Clicking on the Generate button exports the data to the XML file. This file contains the values as shown on the

screen (which will be submitted to HMRC), the values as originally calculated, and details of when and who generate

the file. There is also a security check-sum in the first line of the file which is used to prove that this file was not

tampered with between the export and the submission to HMRC. An example file is shown below:

<!--yakSchbclnuXakje--> Security check sum

<vat xmlns="http://www.soslegal.co.uk/VatFile.xsd">

<!--fields required in xml schema definition-->

<vatNo>654321999</vatNo>

<periodStart>2017-11-01</periodStart>

<periodEnd>2018-01-31</periodEnd>

<vatDueSales>1086.40</vatDueSales>

<vatDueAcquisitions>0.00</vatDueAcquisitions>

<totalVatDue>1086.40</totalVatDue>

<vatReclaimedCurrPeriod>225.00</vatReclaimedCurrPeriod>

<netVatDue>861.40</netVatDue>

<totalValueSalesExVAT>26716.00</totalValueSalesExVAT>

<totalValuePurchasesExVAT>300.00</totalValuePurchasesExVAT>

<totalValueGoodsSuppliedExVAT>0.00</totalValueGoodsSuppliedExVAT>

<totalAcquisitionsExVAT>0.00</totalAcquisitionsExVAT>

<!-- metadata fields added by generating process - these are schema exempt -->

<vatDueSalesCalculated>359.81</vatDueSalesCalculated>

<vatDueAcquisitionsCalculated>0.00</vatDueAcquisitionsCalculated>

<totalVatDueCalculated>359.81</totalVatDueCalculated>

<vatReclaimedCalculated>40.20</vatReclaimedCalculated>

<netVatDueCalculated>319.61</netVatDueCalculated>

<totalValueSalesExVatCalculated>1799.06</totalValueSalesExVatCalculated>

<totalValuePurchasesExVatCalculated>201.00</totalValuePurchasesExVatCalculated>

<totalValueGoodsSuppliedExVATCalculated>0.00</totalValueGoodsSuppliedExVATCalculated>

<totalAcquisitionsExVATCalculated>0.00</totalAcquisitionsExVATCalculated>

<machineName>DEV-STEVE</machineName>

<machineUser>s.matthews</machineUser>

<sosUserId>sm</sosUserId>

<fileCreated>19/12/2018 10:53:14</fileCreated>

</vat>

Values to be supplied to HMRC

Original values

calculated by PM

File creation details

Solicitors Own Software Limited (SOS) Making Tax Digital

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Once the XML VAT data file has been created, this file can then be transmitted to HMRC to submit your VAT return

by using the on-line SOS VAT submission portal. The live URL for this submission portal is:

https://mtd.soslegal.co.uk/

To complete your on-line VAT submission you will need credentials to login, supplied to you by HMRC.

There is also a test site available which allows test VAT submissions to be made.

https://internal.virtualpractices.co.uk/mtd

To make a test submission, you will require a set of test credentials (a fictitious user ID, password and VAT

registration number). These credentials can be generated by using the link at the bottom of the page above labelled

“Need test credentials? Create some”. The fictitious VAT registration number provided with these test credentials

will need to be used when you create the test VAT data file. Please note these test credentials expire after 48 hours.

Live VAT submissions can be made now but HMRC have the policy in place that as soon as a live on-line VAT

submissions is made for your company then all future submissions will need to also be made on-line.

Clicking on the login with HMRC account button will take you through to the HMRC login page where you can enter

your credentials as given to you by the HMRC (test credentials for a test submissions, live credentials for a live

submission):

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After signing in, the HMRC ask you to confirm that you are happy for the SOS VAT submission portal to make digital

VAT submissions on your behalf:

Click the Grant Authority button. You will then be taken back to the SOS VAT submission page:

Choose the Submit VAT return for period option, then in the next page click the Choose file button and select the

VAT XML file which was previously exported from Practice Manager. Clicking the load file button will present the

data loaded from the file on the screen:

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Scrolling down the page will bring the list of available VAT periods into view:

Click inside the area for the specific VAT period for which data is being submitted: it will be highlighted in green to

indicate that has been selected.

Solicitors Own Software Limited (SOS) Making Tax Digital

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You will then be asked to read and acknowledge the VAT submission declaration:

Click inside the red message to confirm that you have read and accepted the terms:

Finally, click the Submit Return button to send the data to HMRC. You will be given various items of information in

response to the submission confirming that HMRC have successfully received your VAT information.

Please print these details and retain for future reference.

The on-line VAT submission is now complete.