Can I change the tax control account/VAT boxes of which a sales doc posts to?

This article covers whether you can change which VAT box or tax control account a document posts to. In iplicit, you cannot. The VAT box a document posts to is a fixed system behaviour, determined by whether the document is a Sales or Purchase document and which tax code is applied.

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How VAT boxes are determined on sales documents

Sales documents always post VAT to:

• Box one – VAT on sales
• Box three – total VAT due
• Box six – total sales.

These boxes are fixed on sales documents and cannot be changed.

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How VAT boxes are determined on purchase documents

Purchase documents post VAT to:

• Box four – VAT reclaimed on purchases
• Box seven – total purchases.

Box five (net VAT due or reclaimable) is also affected whenever a standard VAT code is applied on a purchase document, because Box five is a calculated figure: Box five equals Box three minus Box four. So while purchase documents don't post to Box five directly, they influence it whenever VAT is reclaimed. Reduced-rate and zero-rate codes affect Box four and Box seven in the same way, depending on the VAT rate applied.

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What to do if you need VAT to post differently

There are two supported options if a sales or purchase document needs its VAT to behave differently from the fixed boxes above.

Option one: post a manual journal adjustment

Before submitting the VAT return, total the VAT amounts that need reallocating, then post a manual journal to move VAT between the relevant VAT control accounts. This ensures the VAT return reflects the correct values.

Option two: post as a purchase document and settle via contras

If a transaction needs to behave like a purchase for VAT purposes, post it as a Purchase document, then settle it using contras, receipts or payments posted to a dedicated contra control account. This lets the VAT flow through the correct boxes while still clearing the balance.