Every quarter you must send a return to Customs and Excise detailing the VAT which you have charged and paid and a cheque for the difference. Additionally you have to calculate and pay VAT on petrol provided for private motoring.

This can be a lot of work, unless you use Independence™. When you first set up Independence™, you tell it your VAT Registration Number and the quarterly cycle on which you make payments; it then sets up records for each quarter. As sales and purchases are recorded on the system, they are automatically connected to the appropriate quarter. At the end of the quarter, a Reminder will appear; this can be used to prepare the VAT Return. A report is produced detailing all sales and purchases, analysed between goods and VAT. The last page is a facsimile of the VAT100 form, and the figures are copied across.

Facilities are provided for various adjustments including the Cash Accounting Scheme and VAT on fuel provided for private motoring . The quarter can then be closed and the payment recorded.