VAT and Sales Tax Summary

Who this is for

The period's sales and purchases on one sheet, with the tax on each separated out. Enter the net and the tax exactly as your own invoices show them; the sheet totals the tax you charged, the tax you were charged and the difference between them.

Sole traders and small businesses who keep their own records and want the period's figures in front of them before they hand anything to an accountant or type it into a return.

What this helps you track

• Every sale and purchase in the period, with its reference
• The net amount and the tax on each, as the invoice states them
• Tax charged on sales, kept apart from tax paid on purchases
• The difference between the two for the period
• A working paper you can hand to whoever prepares the return

How to use it

1. Write your business, the period covered, your registration number and the rate you are registered at — that figure comes from your own registration, not from this sheet.
2. Enter each sale and each purchase on its own line, choosing sales or purchases in the type column.
3. Write the net amount and the tax figure straight from the invoice. Do not calculate the tax here unless the invoice does not state it.
4. The gross, the split between tax on sales and tax on purchases, the column totals and the difference are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add each column and subtract.
5. Keep the invoices themselves with the sheet — this is a summary of them, not a substitute.
6. Give the finished sheet, or the workbook, to your accountant or use it to check a return before it is submitted.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is this a tax return?

No. It is a working summary of what you charged and what you were charged in a period. What has to be reported, on what form and by when differs by country and by how you are registered — check the rules where you are.

Which rate should I use?

Whichever applies to your business and to each sale, and neither figure comes from this sheet. Enter the tax as it appears on the invoice; where you need to work it out, use the rate your own registration or your accountant gives you.

What if different lines carry different rates?

That is fine. The sheet works from the tax figure on each line rather than from a single rate, so mixed rates, zero-rated and exempt lines all sit together. Use the reference column to say which is which.

Does the difference figure mean I owe that amount?

Not necessarily. It is simply tax on sales less tax on purchases as you entered them. Adjustments, schemes and rules about what can be reclaimed vary; that is a conversation for your accountant.

Can I keep a sheet per period?

Yes, and that is how it is meant to be used. Print or save one per period and write the period at the top so a run of them reads in order.