The "Take action" button in your QuickBooks VAT overview means the link between your books and HMRC has expired or disconnected. QuickBooks requires you to re-link to your Government Gateway every 18 months. To clear this alert and get back to business, follow the prompts in QuickBooks to re-authorise the connection and log in using your HMRC credentials in the pop-up window. Once you're re-linked, you can continue submitting VAT.
If those steps don't clear the alert, we should check a few other things:
- Make sure the 9-digit VAT number in QuickBooks matches your HMRC records exactly. You can check this by going to Taxes > VAT > Edit VAT > Edit Settings.
- Confirm you are using your Business Government Gateway ID rather than a personal one. It's important to check that you are using the correct credentials provided to you by HMRC.
- Check if you've received your confirmation email from HMRC. It can take 24 to 72 hours for their system to update after you sign up for Making Tax Digital.
- If your accountant set this up, have them verify your business is linked to their Agent Services Account. The old agent portal doesn't support these filings.
Have more questions about your VAT connection? Drop a reply below, and we'll be happy to help.
