The deadline for submitting a VAT return online is usually one calendar month and 7 days after the end of the accounting period, and the same date is the deadline for paying HMRC. Both halves matter: a return filed on time with the money arriving late is still late, because the payment has to have reached HMRC's account by that date rather than merely been sent.
Your quarter dates are yours, not everyone's
VAT quarters are not aligned across the country. HMRC allocates a stagger when you register, so one business files for quarters ending March, June, September and December and another for January, April, July and October. Your own dates are confirmed on registration and shown in your VAT online account, which also tells you when the payment must clear. Any generic table of quarterly VAT return dates is a guess about which stagger you are on.
The deadline is a clearing date, not a posting date
You must submit the return and make sure the payment reaches HMRC on or before the deadline, even when it falls on a weekend or bank holiday, which means allowing time for the payment method you use. A faster payment arrives the same day; a direct debit is collected three working days after the deadline under the scheme's own timetable; a cheque or a bank transfer from some accounts is slower. Working backwards from the clearing date rather than forwards from the quarter end is what avoids the surprise.
Annual accounting changes the shape
A business on the annual accounting scheme files one return a year instead of four and pays in instalments through the year, which suits a business with steady turnover and a preference for fewer deadlines. HMRC's online account can send an email reminder each time an annual return is due. For everyone else the rhythm is four returns a year, each due one calendar month and 7 days after its period ends, and each carrying its own payment on the same date.
Questions people ask about vat return deadline
When is my VAT return due?
Usually one calendar month and 7 days after the end of your accounting period. That is also the deadline for the payment to reach HMRC.
Are VAT quarters the same for every business?
No. HMRC allocates a stagger when you register, so quarter ends differ between businesses. Your own dates are in your VAT online account.
What if the deadline falls on a weekend?
It does not move. The return must be submitted and the payment must reach HMRC on or before the deadline even when it is a weekend or bank holiday.