Quarter ending
How you file Monthly or quarterly
File and pay by Monday .
- Return and payment due
- Money must arrive by
- Direct Debit
- 3 working days after the deadline
VAT return deadlines
Find when your VAT return and payment are due for any VAT period, weekends included.
Return and payment due
Saturday
A Saturday: card payments still count that day. Bacs, CHAPS and standing orders must arrive by Friday . Period ends
Bacs or CHAPS must arrive by
+3 working days Direct Debit taken
Checked by Junayd
- period ends
- Fri Bacs and CHAPS arrive by
- Sat deadline
If Friday is a bank holiday, Bacs, CHAPS and standing orders must arrive by the working day before.
File by Saturday . By card you can pay that day; by Bacs, CHAPS or standing order, pay so it arrives by Friday .
When is my VAT return due?
Your VAT return and payment are due one calendar month and seven days after your VAT period ends. For a period ending on the last day of a month, that's the 7th of the second month after. A quarter ending is due by .
How we worked it out
- Period ends
- + 1 calendar month =
- + 7 days = Saturday
- is a Saturday. Bacs, CHAPS and standing orders arrive only on working days, so they must arrive by Friday . Card payments count on the Saturday.
The working shows here once your figures are filled in.
When the deadline falls on a weekend
The deadline doesn't move for a weekend or bank holiday: your payment must reach HMRC on or before it. Bacs, CHAPS and standing orders arrive only on working days: for a Sunday deadline, they must arrive by Friday .
Card payments count on the day you make them, weekends included, and Faster Payments usually arrive the same or next day. Bacs transfers and standing orders take up to three working days to arrive, and Direct Debit is collected three working days after the deadline. At a bank or building society, a payment counts on the day you pay, Monday to Friday.
Annual Accounting Scheme dates
On the Annual Accounting Scheme you send one return a year, due two months after your accounting year ends. Through the year you pay nine monthly payments of 10% or three quarterly payments of 25% of your estimated bill. The balancing payment is due with the return.
Worked examples
Quarter ending : the deadline is a Sunday
How you file Monthly or quarterly
File by Sunday . By card you can pay that day; by Bacs, CHAPS or standing order, pay so it arrives by Friday .
- Return and payment due
- Money must arrive by
- Direct Debit
- 3 working days after the deadline
Annual Accounting, year ending
How you file Annual Accounting
Your annual return and balancing payment are due by Monday .
- Return and payment due
Common questions
When is VAT payment due?
Payment is due on the same day as your return: one calendar month and seven days after the period ends. Allow time for it to arrive, as Bacs transfers and standing orders take up to three working days.
How do I check when my VAT is due?
Your VAT online account shows when each return is due and when the payment must clear HMRC's account. This calculator works out the standard deadline for any period end.
What are the VAT quarters?
VAT returns are normally every three months, but your quarters are set when you register, so they may not match calendar quarters. HMRC can normally line them up with your financial year if you ask when you register.
When will I get my VAT refund?
HMRC usually makes repayments within 30 days of receiving your VAT return. It can take longer if HMRC checks your return first.
Method and sources
Each calculator applies HMRC's published rates and rules, works in whole pence and rounds to the nearest penny. Every step is shown, and every figure links to its GOV.UK or HMRC page with the date we checked it. Before launch, each worked example is checked against HMRC's own guidance. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it and note the change.
- VAT periods that end on the last day of a month.
- Bank holidays are not worked out: see the note below the timeline.