After you’ve completed your VAT settings in Ember, the next step is to connect HMRC to Ember to ensure seamless VAT submissions under Making Tax Digital (MTD). This guide will walk you through the connection process, as well as how to troubleshoot errors that may occur during authentication.
Step 1: Initiating the Connection to HMRC
From your Ember dashboard, go to Settings and select Manage connections.
Click on Connect to HMRC to start the connection process.
You will be redirected to the official HMRC site to authenticate your account.
Enter your Government Gateway credentials (username and password).
You may have to complete two factor authentication (2FA) if you previously set this up.
Grant Ember permission to access your VAT data for Making Tax Digital submissions.
Once authentication is complete, you will be redirected back to Ember, where the connection status will be displayed as Connected.
Step 2: What to Do If You Receive an Error During HMRC Authentication
If an error occurs during the authentication process on HMRC's side, it typically indicates an issue with your HMRC credentials. Here’s how to troubleshoot:
Common HMRC Authentication Errors and Solutions:
Incorrect Government Gateway Credentials:
Double-check that the Government Gateway username and password you entered are correct. If you're unsure, try logging directly into your HMRC tax account to verify you are using the correct credentials.
Permission Denied by HMRC:
Ensure you have granted Ember the necessary permissions to access your VAT data. You may need to repeat the process and confirm all permissions during authentication.
VAT Registration Status Issues:
Confirm that your business is registered for VAT with HMRC. If not, you’ll need to complete this step before continuing with the connection.
Step 3: Troubleshooting Errors in Ember
If you receive an error within Ember during the connection process, it is likely due to an issue with the VAT number or credentials you’ve provided. Here’s how to resolve it:
Common Errors in Ember and Solutions:
Incorrect VAT Number:
Verify that the VAT number you entered in VAT Settings is correct. You can find your VAT number on your VAT registration certificate, correspondence from HMRC or by logging into your business tax account.
Go to Settings > VAT Settings and ensure that the VAT number matches your HMRC records.
Mismatched Credentials:
Ensure that the Government Gateway credentials you’re using to connect to HMRC are associated with the correct VAT number you’ve entered in Ember. If these credentials are linked to a different business or are your personal credentials, authentication will fail.
Try logging into your business tax account directly using your credentials to verify that they are associated with the correct VAT number.
Need Further Assistance?
If you’ve tried all the steps above and are still facing issues, feel free to contact our support team for assistance. Make sure to include any error messages you’ve encountered so we can help resolve the issue more quickly.