VAT threshold checker
Find out if you have to register for VAT. Enter your takings month by month, or one 12 month total, plus anything due in over the next 30 days.
ACCA qualified accountants with over 20 years in practice
Enter your turnover to check.
| Last 12 months | £0.00 |
|---|---|
| Next 30 days | £0.00 |
| VAT threshold | £90,000.00 |
This is a guide only, not advice. It does not cover exempt or out of scope sales, distance selling, or businesses that have to register for other reasons. Ask us if you are close to the threshold.
Help with VAT: free quoteIllustrative estimate only. It uses the 2026/27 rates and allowances published on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) (checked 15/10/2026) and only the figures you enter. It is not tax advice and does not cover your full situation, so we accept no liability for decisions made from it (see our terms). For a figure you can rely on, get a free quote or book a call.
The two VAT registration tests
HMRC counts taxable turnover: the value of everything you sell that is not VAT exempt or out of scope. For most trades that is simply your invoices, without taking off costs.
The backward test uses a rolling year, not the tax year. Add up the 12 months just gone at each month end, and if the total is above £90,000, the clock starts: 30 days from the end of that month to apply. A run of busy months in the summer can tip you over long after 5/4.
The forward test catches one big job. If a single contract means more than £90,000 will come in within 30 days on its own, the deadline is the last of those 30 days.
Below the line, registering is a choice. It can suit a business whose customers mostly claim the VAT back, which we can look at with your figures.
The rates in this calculator come from GOV.UK. Last checked .
Questions about the VAT threshold
Where does the £90,000 figure come from?
It is the VAT registration threshold on GOV.UK for 2026/27. Going above it on either test means you must register.
Do I count my income for the tax year?
No. The backward test looks at any rolling run of 12 months, checked at each month end.
Is it my takings or my profit?
Takings. Taxable turnover is what you sell that is not exempt or out of scope, before any costs come off.
I am well under. Can I still register?
Yes, HMRC allows it. Ask us first, because it adds returns and changes what you charge.