What if i am Transferring MTD to a new machine?

If you wish to transfer your MTD license to operate on a different machine, you can take the following actions.

All the options in the steps below are available from this menu in the MTD system:

This series of steps will allow you to transfer the license and NOT have to re-authenticate with HMRC (it carries the authentication permission with it):

  1. Backup MTD VAT Details on the original machine
  2. Transfer the file created to the new machine (or save in a shared location in step 1)
  3. De-activate the MTD License on the original machine
  4. Activate the MTD License using the original activation code on the new machine.
  5. Restore the MTD VAT Details on the new machine

If these steps are followed there is no need to re-authenticate with HMRC (The necessary details are stored in the file that is backed up)

In the case of an unexpected situation arising we have to assume that it is not possible to de-activate the license key on the old machine, therefore you would have to buy a new license or request us to cancel your original activation code and re-issue a new one – for which there is a service charge of £25 plus VAT.

We would also assume that it would not be possible to backup the MTD VAT Details so you cannot restore them.

Not being able to restore from the backup would simply mean that you have to Re-Authenticate with HMRC, which is not a difficult procedure and one that you have to carry out every 18 months anyway (HMRC requirement).

I keep having to re-authenticate with HMRC

The most common reasons for this is that the User credentials for HMRC have been reset, The end-user has reset their Government Gateway password or changed the MultiFactor Authentication device associated with their account. This causes exiting agreements between our software and HMRC to be invalidated. This is far more common than we were expecting and could well be down to credential sharing/resets on shared accounts.

How do I authenticate for each VRN for Making Tax Digital?

This process is carried out once per VAT number and does not need to be repeated for 18 months

On an MTD enabled spreadsheet the top of the screen has a box into which you type the VAT number:

Having type in the VAT number you click the select new button and that will bring up the following box where you fill in the details relevant to the VRN. HMRC want the detail recorded but in fact the ONLY relevant piece of information is the VAT number itself – we just store the rest and do nothing else with it:

Note that the “Use the Test Sandbox” should be unticked and, for you, I believe the “Acting as Agent” should be unticked as well.

When you click “Save” you will find the prompt on the MTD form has changed:

If you click “Authorise it will take you to the relevant HMRC site for authenticating:

Clicking “Continue” takes you to the page where you enter your Gateway ID and password for the VRN (I have moved to our test gateway to demonstrate this, hence the references to test credentials):

Once successfully signed in you click the “Grant Authority” button:

HMRC will generate an authorisation code and pass you back to a screen where we display the code:

If you click the “Copy to Clipboard” button that memorises your code for entry in the MTD form, if you right click in the token input box you will get the context menu that will allow you to paste the code, equally you can type Ctrl and “V” together to paste directly:

With the code entered into the box you can then click the “Validate” button which completes the authentication by communicating the code back to HMRC:

On successful completion of the authentication process the screen will show:

At this point you can save the spreadsheet and complete the actual submission at a later date.

This process needs to be repeated for each VRN. It is allowed to happen before the registration process is complete.

What is the oldest Sage version you can support?

We have gone all the way back to 2008, but belive we could have gone back furthur, here is some of our testing for exporting the file:

I have just produced the attached file by running the print to file option in the VAT management part of Sage 2008. I then selected

“Comma Separated Value Files” in the “Save Report As” screen. I saved the CSV file.