End of year accounts and VAT help..pretty please..

[grumpygrumps]

This year has been manic for me and my useless self never photocopied my submitted VAT paper returns. My end of year accounts are due so I was wondering if HMCR would forward any previous copies I have forwarded to them in the past??
I am completely out of my debt lazy regarding figures/tax affairs and although I have an accountant to do the other bits, I thought I would save money by submitting my own VAT returns .
Crazy as it sounds I am too scared to call my accountant, mainly because he makes me feel like a complete idiot and then I end up getting shirty back.

HMRC may possibly have copies
do you have the working sheets?
do you have the cheque stubs from the payments?
does the control account balance?

if your accountant makes you feel like an idiot, change accountant

have a look at this
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Could you not just use the figures from your bank account. You don't need to have all the rest of the information for you end of year, just the amount you paid out.

Do you do it on the computer? If so, you should be able to get a copy from the programme you use.

I agree with Talkinpeace, if the accountant makes you feel like that, you would be better changing to someone who you get on with and you can ask these sort of things without feeling like an idiot. No-one should make you feel like that!

My bank statements show how much vat paid to hmcr every quartly but I cannot remember how much I reclaimed back. I have a rough estimate based on the invoices I have in my possession(but there is quite a bit I cannot find). Meanwhile I have emailed to the accountant a figure of total sales and a figure of purchases. The rest I sent through the post i.e bank statements, cheque stubs and wage slips.
Today he emailed me asking to see copies of the vat returns, can't he just use the information from the bank statements showing payment to hmrc? he also mentioned if I don't hurry that I am close to missing the deadline.
I've always been good in the past for writing down weekly takings etc. but this year I am completely overwhelmed with it all due to crap health and sheer exhaustioned.

Excuse the appalling spelling errors.

Have a go at contacting HMRC.

I assume you submit paper copies rather than online?

Do you submit paper returns or online? Sorry if you said that in OP but I wasn't sure, if it's online you can print copies off, paper ones I'm not sure, I'm sure HMRC will have them but good luck getting through to someone who talks sense!
I submit mine online so can't be more help I'm afraid.
Hope you get sorted

I submit paper copies

From the HMRC website:
"If you are registered for VAT, you must keep certain business records and VAT records of your sales and purchases. You must also keep a separate summary of your VAT, called a 'VAT account'.

There is no set way of keeping these records and accounts. In most cases, they can be easily adapted from your normal business records. The main thing is to ensure that they are complete and up to date and that it is easy for VAT officers to access them when you have a VAT inspection."

As TIP says, you need to retain the audit trail so you can prove to yourself, your accountant or an Inspector how you arrived at your figures. If you haven't done it previously, start doing it now.

I would guess your accountant will have to reconcile your vat payments to your records and will charge you accordingly - and will prob be more expensive than if they had done it in the first place.

How did you work out your vat when you did the returns? Surely you have a spreadsheet or even scribbles to point you in the right direction - and then reconcile as much as poss before asking your accountant to do it?

Change your accountant to one you like and get a good bookkeeper in once a week/month to make sure your paperwork is kept in order.

If you contact HMRC asking for copies of documents you should have kept then there is a strong chance they will send an inspector in so please make sure you have systems in place now to ensure this doesn't happen again.
I don't mean to worry you but in my experience HMRC usually pounce on businesses that fail to keep proper paperwork or send their VAT returns in late.