Log in

VAT threshold 2026

VAT threshold 2026: will you cross £90,000?

The VAT threshold for 2026 is £90,000 of taxable turnover in a rolling 12 months, checked at the end of every month. Track your own numbers below to see where you stand.

Try Finn free for 14 daysRead the VAT guide

The threshold

£90,000

rolling 12-month taxable turnover

  • Register within 30 days of the end of the month you go over.
  • Deregister once you fall below £88,000.

What is the VAT threshold for 2026?

The VAT threshold for 2026 is £90,000. You must register for VAT once your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over that figure, or if you expect to go over it in the next 30 days alone. It's checked on a rolling basis, not against the tax year.

VAT threshold tracker

Your rolling 12-month turnover

Enter your taxable turnover for the last 12 complete months. That means sales of things that are not VAT exempt: standard, reduced and zero-rated sales all count.

Running total across the months you have entered

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

Dashed line: the £90,000 threshold.

£0 rolling total

£90,000 threshold

£90,000 of headroom left before you go over.

You're under

£90,000 under the £90,000 threshold.

You can ask HMRC to cancel your registration if your taxable turnover falls below £88,000.

How it works

How the £90,000 test works

The VAT threshold is not a tax-year figure. The test is your taxable turnover for the last 12 months, and it is up to you to check it at the end of every month, not once a year. So a business can be nowhere near £90,000 at the end of its financial year, and still cross the threshold partway through the next one, simply because the trailing 12-month window has moved on.

Here is a worked example: a growing consultancy with rising monthly sales. Each row is the total of that month and the 11 months before it.

MonthThat month's salesRolling 12-month total
Jul 2026£8,600£83,000
Aug 2026£9,000£86,000
Sep 2026£9,500£89,700
Oct 2026£10,200£93,800 (over the threshold)
Nov 2026£10,800£98,300

In this example the rolling total goes over £90,000 in Oct 2026. The business has to register within 30 days of the end of that month.

The forward look

The 30-day forward look

Separately from the rolling 12-month test, you also have to register if you expect your taxable turnover to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days alone. This usually comes up when a single large contract or order lands: even if your trailing 12 months are nowhere near the threshold, that one expected 30-day figure can trigger registration on its own, and straight away, not at the end of the month.

Registering

Registering: what happens

You register with HMRC once you know you need to. HMRC gives you a VAT number, and from your effective date of registration you charge VAT on your sales and file VAT returns under Making Tax Digital. See our Making Tax Digital guide and VAT guide for what changes once you are registered.

Registering early

Should you register before you have to?

Voluntary registration can make sense if most of your customers are VAT registered businesses, since they can usually reclaim the VAT you charge them, and you have VAT on your own costs that you would like to reclaim. It makes less sense if you sell mainly to the public: adding VAT to your prices makes you more expensive, and your customers cannot claim it back. This is general information, not advice for your specific situation.

Getting close

Getting close? What to do now

  • Track your rolling 12-month total monthly, not just once a year.
  • Plan your pricing for the change: decide whether you will absorb VAT or pass it on.
  • Decide which VAT accounting scheme suits you, for example the flat rate scheme. Use our VAT calculator to see what VAT on your prices looks like.

Deregistering

Deregistering below £88,000

If your taxable turnover falls below £88,000, you can ask HMRC to cancel your registration. This is a choice, not a requirement: some businesses stay registered even below that figure, usually because it suits their customers or their VAT-bearing costs.

Where Finn helps

Finn tracks your VAT threshold from your own books

Finn keeps your sales and purchases categorised with the right VAT as you go, so your rolling 12-month figure is always up to date, not something you have to reconstruct at the last minute.

Try Finn free for 14 days
  • Tracks your rolling 12-month turnover from your books and warns you as you get close to £90,000
  • Files MTD VAT returns (HMRC-recognised software for MTD VAT)
  • Keeps sales and purchases categorised with the right VAT
  • Answers "how close am I to the VAT threshold?" from your own numbers
On HMRC's list of MTD VAT software (opens gov.uk in a new tab)

Questions

VAT registration, answered

What is the VAT threshold for 2026?

The VAT threshold for 2026 is £90,000. You must register for VAT when your total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000.

Is the VAT threshold based on the tax year or a rolling period?

It's a rolling 12-month period, checked at the end of every month, not the tax year or your accounting year. Your turnover from any 12-month window can trigger registration, not just a fixed annual figure.

How to register for VAT?

You register with HMRC once you know you need to, either because your rolling 12-month turnover has gone over £90,000 or because you expect to go over it in the next 30 days. Registering gives you a VAT number, and from your effective date of registration you charge VAT and file VAT returns under Making Tax Digital.

Should I register for VAT straight away, before I have to?

It can make sense if most of your customers are VAT registered businesses (they can usually reclaim the VAT you charge) and you have VAT on your own costs to reclaim. It makes less sense if you sell mainly to the public, since adding VAT to your prices makes you more expensive without your customers being able to claim it back. This is general information, not advice for your situation.

What counts as taxable turnover for the VAT threshold?

Taxable turnover is your sales of things that are not VAT exempt. Zero-rated sales still count towards the £90,000, even though you charge 0% VAT on them, because they are taxable, just at a zero rate.

What is the 30-day forward look for VAT registration?

Separately from the rolling 12-month test, you must also register if you expect your taxable turnover to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days alone. If that happens, you need to register straight away, not wait for the rolling 12-month figure to catch up.

What is voluntary VAT registration?

Registering before your turnover requires it. It's a choice, not a requirement, and whether it helps depends on who your customers are and how much VAT you pay on your own costs.

When can I deregister for VAT?

If your taxable turnover falls below £88,000, you can ask HMRC to cancel your registration.

What is the flat rate VAT scheme?

It's one of the ways you can account for VAT once registered, alongside standard VAT accounting. Which scheme suits you depends on your costs and sector, and is a separate decision from whether you need to register in the first place.

Sources, checked on

General guidance, not advice for your situation. Rules change: always check the GOV.UK page before you act.

Know where you stand on VAT before HMRC does

Finn keeps your books up to date all year, so your rolling 12-month figure is never a surprise.

Try Finn free for 14 daysRead the VAT guide