Connect your clients’ organisations to HMRC if you’re a tax agent

These instructions are for accountants and bookkeepers who file VAT returns for their clients. HMRC also have a step by step guide for Making tax Digital as an agent (GOV.UK website).

Apply for an agent services account

Your firm will need an agent services account (ASA) to access HMRC’s online services and to connect Liquid with HMRC. The GOV.UK website has information about agent services accounts and what you need to create one for your firm.

You’ll get a new Government Gateway user ID for your agent services account. You’ll need to use this to access HMRC online services.

Link clients to your new ASA and sign them up for MTD for VAT

You’ll need to log into HMRC and link your VAT return clients to your new HMRC agent services account. To do this:

1. Link each of your firm’s existing agent Government Gateway user IDs to your new ASA – this links the clients who are connected to the existing IDs.
2. Invite any other clients individually – this is for new clients, and any existing clients you’re not currently VAT authorised for – but who want to authorise you for MTD for VAT.

You can see more information about linking clients to your agent services account on the GOV.UK website. After you’ve linked your clients to your ASA, you’ll need to sign them up for Making Tax Digital for VAT.

Grant authority for Liquid to connect to HMRC

Once you’ve completed HMRC’s requirements, you need to connect to HMRC and grant authority for Liquid to submit VAT Returns.

The connection you create will apply to all of the clients linked to your ASA. You can connect Liquid to your ASA from any one of your clients’ organisations.

1. Read about what you need to do before you can use MTD for VAT. When you are ready click Continue with agent services account.
2. Read about connecting to HMRC and granting Liquid authority, then click Connect to HMRC.
3. Read HMRC’s message about giving Liquid authority to interact with them and what you’ll need to do, then click Continue.
4. Read the HMRC authority information, then click Grant authority.
5. Log in to Liquid.
6. Go to your Agent Panel
7. Authorise your Agent User ID and Password
8. You can then view all of your clients
9. The option to bulk is available for some or all of your clients

Thank you