Prepare a spreadsheet with VAT Return details

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To submit a client's VAT Return to HMRC using Onvio, you will need to upload an Excel worksheet that contains the details of the Return instead of entering them manually in Onvio.

Use our template or make your own Excel spreadsheet

You can create your own Excel spreadsheet or you can download our VAT Spreadsheet Template. We recommend that you use our template because it will help to save you time and minimise the risk of error from data entry.

Download our VAT Spreadsheet Template

You can download our template from Onvio by carrying out the following steps.
  1. Select My applications > Onvio VAT.
  2. Under the client's name, select the project that has been set up for this VAT Return.
  3. Select the File upload tab.
  4. Select the
    How to prepare your spreadsheet for upload
    link.
  5. Select the Excel icon to download the VAT Spreadsheet Template and save it.

Add details to your Excel spreadheet

You can manually enter the details in each required cell of the VAT Spreadsheet Template, but we recommend that you automate data entry by using Excel cell referencing. This will help you to reduce the risk of errors.
Read more about Excel cell referencing
Create a copy of the template in your Excel worksheet containing client data
To enable cell referencing, you'll need to copy the worksheet from our template to your Excel workbook that contains the client's VAT Return data.
  1. Open a copy of the VAT Spreadsheet Template workbook and the Excel workbook that holds your client's VAT data.
  2. In the template, right-click the Sheet 1 tab and choose
    Move or copy
    from the context menu.
  3. Choose the name of your own Excel workbook from the
    To book
    drop-down list.
  4. Select the
    Create a copy
    checkbox, then select OK.
  5. Close the VAT Spreadsheet Template workbook.
  6. In your Excel workbook containing client data, rename the new copy of the Template worksheet and save your workbook.
Use cell referencing to enter VAT Return data
  1. In the Excel workbook containing client data, select the worksheet you've just copied over and renamed.
  2. Select an empty cell in the VAT Return template that you need to complete and enter the equal sign.
  3. Select the worksheet containing your client data, then the cell with the value that you want to enter in the template, and press Enter to confirm.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each cell that needs to be completed.
  5. Make sure that the VAT registration number, VAT Period start date and VAT Period end date are exact matches for VAT number and period for this VAT Return stored in Onvio
  6. Save your workbook.

If you use your own spreadsheet

If you create your own spreadsheet, you will need to use Excel and make sure that you include the cell names defined by Onvio.
Read more about defined cell names
You will need to use the details in Table 1 below to create your own spreadsheet.
Table 1: Excel worksheet contents
Vat Return details
Excel cell name
Cell format
VAT Period start date
OnvioVATStart
Date (dd/mm/yyyy)
VAT Period end date
OnvioVATEnd
Date (dd/mm/yyyy)
VAT registration number
OnvioVATVRN
General
VAT due in this period on sales and other outputs
OnvioVATBox1
Number
VAT due on acquisitions from other EC member states
OnvioVATBox2
Number
Total VAT due
OnvioVATBox3
Number
VAT reclaimed on purchases and other inputs
OnvioVATBox4
Number
Net VAT to be paid to HMRC or reclaimed by you
OnvioVATBox5
Number
Total value of sales and other outputs excluding VAT
OnvioVATBox6
Number
Total value of purchases and other inputs excluding VAT
OnvioVATBox7
Number
Total value of all supplies of goods and related costs to other EC member states excluding VAT
OnvioVATBox8
Number
Total value of acquisitions and related costs from other EC member states excluding VAT
OnvioVATBox9
Number
You can use the following formulae to calculate the values of OnvioVATBox3 and OnvioVATBox5:
  • The Total VAT due cell (OnvioVATBox3) should equal Total value of purchases and other inputs excluding any VAT (OnvioVATBox1) plus VAT due on acquisitions from other EC member states (OnvioVATBox2).
  • The Net VAT to be paid to HMRC or reclaimed by you (OnvioVATBox5) should equal the Total VAT due (OnvioVATBox3) minus VAT reclaimed on purchases and other inputs (OnvioVATBox4).
If you make your own spreadsheet, it must be saved as a .xlsx file. This is the file extension used for Microsoft Excel workbooks.

Next step

Upload the spreadsheet and submit the VAT Return.