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VATRelay

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VATRelay

Terms and conditions

Last updated: 3 November 2026

1. About these terms

1.1 These terms apply when you use VATRelay, the website at https://vatrelay.co.uk ("the service").

1.2 VATRelay is provided by Fishex Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 07206584, with its registered office at 11 Canalside Square, London N1 7FN ("we", "us").

1.3 "You" means the person using the service. If you use it for a business, you confirm you are authorised to accept these terms for that business.

1.4 By creating an account or using the service, you agree to these terms. Please read them, with our privacy notice. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

2. What VATRelay does

2.1 VATRelay is bridging software for Making Tax Digital for VAT. It lets you:

  • connect a VAT-registered business to HMRC;
  • see the VAT returns HMRC says are due;
  • import the nine VAT return figures from your own spreadsheet or CSV file;
  • submit the return to HMRC, and keep a record and PDF receipt of each submission.

2.2 VATRelay checks that the figures are in the format HMRC requires and that the boxes add up. It does not check that your VAT is correct, and it does not give tax, accounting or legal advice.

2.3 VATRelay is independent software. It is not provided, approved or endorsed by HMRC.

2.4 We store your account and records for you (see our privacy notice).

3. Your account

3.1 To use the service you must create an account with a valid email address, a password of at least 8 characters, and an authenticator app.

3.2 You must keep your password and authenticator device secure, and not share your account. You are responsible for what is done using your account, unless it was done because of a failure in our security.

3.3 Tell us straight away at support@vatrelay.co.uk if you think someone else has used your account. You can see recent activity on the Account activity page.

4. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for:

4.1 Your VAT figures: the accuracy and completeness of every return you submit, and for keeping the digital records and digital links HMRC requires (VAT Notice 700/22). The spreadsheet you import from must be digitally linked to your accounting records.

4.2 The declaration: before each submission you must confirm HMRC's declaration that the information is true and complete. A false declaration can result in prosecution. Only submit a return you have checked and are authorised to submit.

4.3 Your authority: only add and connect businesses you are authorised to act for.

4.4 Deadlines and paying VAT: VATRelay shows the due dates HMRC gives it, but filing on time and paying any VAT you owe to HMRC remain your responsibility. Submitting a return through VATRelay does not pay your VAT.

4.5 Telling HMRC: if you think a return was submitted without your authority, tell HMRC as well as us.

5. Prices and payment

5.1 Each VAT return you submit through VATRelay costs £4.99, including VAT at the standard rate, or the price shown on the page before you pay if it has changed (clause 5.5).

5.2 You only pay for returns HMRC accepts. When you confirm the declaration, you go to our payment provider, Stripe. Your card is not charged at that point: the price is only reserved ("held"). Then:

  • if HMRC accepts the return, the held amount is taken;
  • if HMRC rejects it, or you confirm HMRC did not receive it, the hold is cancelled and you are not charged;
  • if HMRC's answer is not received, the hold stays until the outcome is known;
  • if a hold is not used, it is cancelled within 5 days.

5.3 Your bank may show a cancelled hold for a few days before it disappears. This is controlled by your bank, not us.

5.4 Payments are processed by Stripe, under Stripe's terms. We never see your card number.

5.5 We may change the price. A new price never applies to a payment you have already started, and we will show the price before you pay.

5.6 A VAT receipt is available from Stripe by email.

6. Cancellation and refunds

6.1 You can stop using the service at any time. There is no subscription to cancel.

6.2 Your right to cancel (consumers): if you use VATRelay as a consumer, you normally have 14 days to cancel a purchase of digital services. By choosing to submit a return, you ask us to provide the service immediately. Because the return is submitted to HMRC straight away, you agree you lose the right to cancel once HMRC accepts it.

6.3 If you think you were charged by mistake, for example for a return HMRC did not accept, contact us at support@vatrelay.co.uk and we will refund you if so.

7. HMRC and fraud prevention data

7.1 The law requires VATRelay to send HMRC fraud prevention data with every request. Our privacy notice explains what this includes. VATRelay will not submit a return if this data cannot be collected.

7.2 Your relationship with HMRC is governed by HMRC's own terms. HMRC may refuse, delay or reject a submission. We are not responsible for HMRC's decisions or for HMRC's services being unavailable.

7.3 VATRelay never submits a return twice automatically. If HMRC's answer is not received, VATRelay helps you check with HMRC before you do anything else.

8. What you must not do

You must not:

  • submit returns for businesses you are not authorised to act for;
  • submit information you know is false;
  • try to get around or interfere with VATRelay's security, its protection against filing twice, its payment checks or its fraud prevention data;
  • try to access another customer's account or data;
  • use automated tools to access the website, or overload it;
  • copy, sell, sublicense or change the software, except as these terms allow.

9. Availability, updates and support

9.1 We aim to keep the service available and working with HMRC, but we cannot guarantee it will always be available or free of errors. It depends on HMRC's systems, our suppliers and your internet connection. Allow time before your filing deadline in case of problems.

9.2 We may update the service, for example to keep up with changes HMRC makes.

9.3 Support is available at support@vatrelay.co.uk during regular business hours.

10. Your data

10.1 Your data belongs to you. Our privacy notice explains what we store, what we send to HMRC, and your rights.

10.2 You can see your returns at any time and download a PDF of each one. Keep your own copies: HMRC requires VAT records to be kept for at least 6 years.

11. Our responsibility to you

11.1 Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot be limited by law.

11.2 We are not responsible for:

  • the accuracy of the VAT figures you submit, or their tax consequences;
  • penalties, interest or surcharges from HMRC, unless they are caused directly by a fault in VATRelay that we did not fix within a reasonable time after you told us about it;
  • HMRC's systems being unavailable, or HMRC's decisions;
  • loss caused by your devices, your security, or your not following these terms;
  • indirect or consequential loss, or loss of profit, business or goodwill.

11.3 Our total liability to you in any 12-month period is limited to the fees you paid us in that period.

11.4 If you are a consumer, you have legal rights under consumer law, for example that digital services are provided with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in these terms affects those rights.

12. Ending these terms

12.1 You can close your account at any time by contacting support@vatrelay.co.uk. We will keep the records we must keep, as our privacy notice explains.

12.2 We may suspend or close your account if you seriously break these terms, if we must by law, or if HMRC withdraws or suspends our access to its services. Unless there is an urgent reason, we will tell you first and give you the chance to download your records.

12.3 When these terms end, you must stop using the service.

13. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms, for example to reflect changes in the law or in HMRC's requirements. We will tell you about significant changes at least 30 days in advance, unless a change is needed sooner by law or by HMRC. The date at the top shows when the terms last changed.

14. General

14.1 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you are a consumer living in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring proceedings in your local courts.

14.2 If any part of these terms is found invalid, the rest still applies.

14.3 Contact: Fishex Limited, 11 Canalside Square, London N1 7FN, support@vatrelay.co.uk.