Ever had that sinking feeling when you realise you’ve missed a deadline? With VAT returns, that feeling comes with added penalties, interest and extra admin from HMRC. But the trick to avoiding all that is simple. You just need to know your dates, plan ahead and let digital tools (or an accountant) take the stress out of filing. 

In this guide, we’ll cover the VAT return deadlines for the 2025/26 tax year, explain how filing and payment schedules work and highlight some tips to make sure you never miss a deadline again! Let’s start with a quick refresher:

What is a VAT return?

Put simply, your VAT return is a quarterly (or sometimes annual) report you send to HMRC showing the VAT you’ve charged customers (output tax) and the VAT you’ve paid on business costs (input tax). The difference decides whether you owe HMRC money or they owe you a refund. 

Since April 2022, all VAT-registered businesses have had to file their returns using MTD-compliant software. That means you can no longer submit through the old HMRC online portal unless HMRC has given you a specific exemption. You can find out more about the details of MTD here and in our recent article. 

Standard VAT return deadlines

Most businesses file VAT returns every three months. Your return and payment deadline is 1 calendar month and 7 days after the end of your VAT accounting period.

Here’s how that looks in practice for the 2025/26 tax year:

• Quarter ending 31st March 2025 = Deadline: 7th May 2025
• Quarter ending 30th June 2025 = Deadline: 7th August 2025
• Quarter ending 30th September 2025 = Deadline: 7th November 2025
• Quarter ending 31st December 2025 = Deadline: 7th February 2026
• Quarter ending 31st March 2026 = Deadline: 7th May 2026

HMRC assigns one of three standard VAT stagger groups, so your deadlines may differ (e.g. April/July/October/January). But no matter how your VAT quarters are staggered, your deadlines will follow the same ‘1 month + 7 days’ pattern.

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Making HMRC’s payment deadlines

Submitting your return on time isn’t enough. HMRC also needs to receive your payment by the same deadline.

Direct Debit is generally the safest way to pay on time, as HMRC collects automatically. If you pay by Faster Payments, Bacs, or CHAPS, you must make sure the funds reach HMRC by the deadline date to avoid penalties and interest. Card payments are no longer accepted for VAT (that stopped in 2020).

Annual VAT accounting deadlines

Some businesses use the Annual Accounting Scheme, which means you file just one VAT return per year instead of four.

If you’re on this scheme in 2025/26, you’ll make advance payments towards your estimated VAT bill throughout the year (either monthly or quarterly). Your single VAT return and balancing payment will be due 2 months after the end of your 12-month accounting period.

This scheme can help to simplify admin, but it’s not right for every business, especially if your turnover fluctuates a lot.

What happens if you miss a VAT deadline?

Since January 2023, HMRC has used a points-based penalty system for late VAT returns.

Here’s how it works:

• Each late submission earns you a penalty point.
• When you reach your penalty threshold (which depends on how often you file), you’ll face a £200 fine.
• Additional late submissions trigger further £200 penalties.

The thresholds are:

• Annually filed VAT returns: 2 points
• Quarterly returns: 4 points
• Monthly returns: 5 points

On top of this, HMRC charges late payment interest, charged at BoE base rate +2.5% (7.75% as of August 2025) on overdue VAT bills, starting from the day after the deadline. This rate may change if the Bank of England base rate changes.

Special cases: monthly and non-standard VAT periods

While quarterly is the default, some businesses are required (or choose) to file monthly VAT returns. This often applies to businesses that regularly reclaim VAT refunds.

In this case, the same ‘1 month + 7 days’ rule applies, but you’ll have 12 filing and payment deadlines each year.

If HMRC changes your VAT stagger (for example, moving you to monthly returns), you’ll receive written notice of any change well in advance.

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Key VAT dates for 2025/26 at a glance

Here’s a summary for businesses on standard quarterly VAT returns deadlines (assuming the standard Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec stagger group).

Please note that HMRC may assign your business a different stagger such as Apr/Jul/Oct/Jan, in which case your deadlines will follow the same ‘1 month + 7 days’ pattern.

How to make VAT deadlines less stressful

Here are a few ways to take the stress out of VAT return deadlines: 

1. Use accounting software: Cloud-based systems not only calculate VAT for you but also file directly to HMRC through MTD.

‍2. Set reminders: Add return and payment deadlines to your digital calendar with alerts a week in advance.

3. Don’t leave payments to the last minute: Faster payments can clear the same day, but bank holidays and weekends can delay transfers.‍

4. Reconcile regularly: Keeping your records up to date throughout the quarter means no mad scramble at filing time.

5. Work with an accountant: Outsourcing VAT returns to a qualified expert (like one of our friendly team at Crunch) can take the stress off your plate entirely. Our team will automatically create your VAT return from your bookkeeping data, notify you when it's ready for you to review and approve, and file your VAT return directly with HMRC on your behalf - on time, every time. 

VAT deadlines without the drama

Staying on top of VAT return deadlines in 2025/26 doesn’t have to be stressful. Once you understand the filing and payment timetable, and put a system in place to keep your records accurate, you’ll avoid HMRC penalties and keep your cash flow under control.

And if you’d rather not worry about tracking deadlines or dealing with MTD software, our team at Crunch can handle it all for you, from VAT registration and returns to making sure every submission hits HMRC on time. We’d be happy to help!

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