Ftax VAT: Getting Started - for Clients (2:37)

We are very grateful to our clients for their comments and suggestions, without which these guides would not be possible.
If you have a suggestion to improve this guide or its associated video, please email tracey@ftax.co.uk

Ftax VAT Getting Started for Clients - Step by Step Instructions

This guide is an introduction to using the Ftax VAT form which your agent has sent to you. It is broken down into the following steps:

1. Saving the form and opening with Adobe Reader
2. Complying with the Special Notice
3. Entering your password
4. Navigating the form
5. Uploading a file 
6. Syncing multiple copies of your form

1. Saving the form and opening with Adobe Reader

You should now have received a copy of the Ftax VAT form which has been set up for your use by your agent. Save the form in a known location on your computer and open it with Adobe Reader: 

Please note, if you do not have a copy of Adobe Reader on your machine, you can download a free copy from the Adobe website. 

2. Complying with the Special Notice

If you have never used an Ftax form on this computer before, you should now see the following screen. You will need to comply with this notice before you can continue:

Further information on the Special Notice is available in the video and guide Ftax Setup Checklist and in the FAQ What is the Ftax Special Notice?

Having complied with the Special Notice and clicked 'Continue', the form should now look like this:

3. Entering your password

Your agent has provided you with an eight digit password, comprising both letters and numbers. Enter the password into the yellow box and press 'Enter'. The form should now look like this:

If your password is correct, an Ftax Account Login success screen should appear:

Please note: if the following warning appears, it may be because you have entered the incorrect password:

It is easy to confuse the number 0 as in the image below:

With the letter O as in this image:

Similarly, it is also easy to confuse the number 1 as in this image:

With the letter I as in the image below:

When the login success screens appears, save the form in a known location and it is now ready for use. 

4. Navigating the form

Payments made in each VAT quarter can be seen at a glance on the front page of the form:

More details are available on the VAT pages:

You can view each quarter by pressing next and previous:

Please note: when the form has successfully submitted, this has been confirmed by HMRC and the form has double checked this, a tick will appear in the success box. The words 'CONFIRMED by HMRC' will also be displayed at the bottom of the page, as shown in the image above.

5. Uploading a file

You can import data in CSV format which is the file format commonly used in the banking and financial services industry. Most accountancy packages and bank software can output files in CSV format; the files having the extension .csv (compared with .xls for a spreadsheet or .doc for a document). Further information on this can be found in the video Exporting Data from Spreadsheets as a CSV File.

6. Syncing multiple copies of your form

Both your copy and your agent's copy of the form are synched via the Ftax servers. This means that you can both view the same data and can securely transfer data from one to the other. The form will advise you when to sync to ensure both copies feature the same data:

We are very grateful to our clients for their comments and suggestions, without which these guides would not be possible. If you have a suggestion to improve this guide or its associated video, please email tracey@ftax.co.uk