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      Adding and editing VAT codes

      In this article

      What are VAT codes?

      In Chalkstring, the 'Accounts' menu contains a sub menu called 'VAT Codes'. This sub menu enables you to create and manage a range of sales tax rates.  

      Each VAT rate can be allocated a 'Sales Code' and 'Purchase Code' to tie in with your 3rd party accounts system. This allows Chalkstring to track the VAT you are levying on your sales, as well as the VAT you are being charged on your purchases.

      Adding a VAT codes

      To add a new VAT code you will need to have the necessary permissions. If you don't see the options in the steps below but believe you should have these permissions, please speak to your system administrator or contact our support team.

      Steps to add a VAT Codes

      1. From the left menu bar click the 'Settings' icon, then click the ‘Accounts’ icon.
      2. Click the ‘VAT Codes’ sub menu.
      3. Click the '+ New vat code' button in the top right of the screen.
      4. This will open a form with the following fields:
      • Name (required) - enter the name of the VAT code. Names need to be unique.
      • Rate (required) - enter the % rate for the VAT code. Do not enter the % symbol, Chalkstring will add this automatically.
      • Sales code - enter the applicable sales code for this VAT code from your 3rd party accounting software.
      • Purchase code - enter the applicable purchase code for this VAT code from your 3rd party accounting software.
      5 . Click the 'Save' button.

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        Editing VAT codes

        If a VAT code needs to be updated you can use the edit option.

        Steps to edit a VAT Code

        1. From the left menu bar click the 'Settings' icon, then click the ‘Accounts’ icon.
        2. Click the ‘VAT Codes’ sub menu.
        3. Find the VAT code that you wish to edit and click on it to view the details. 
        4. Click the 'Edit' icon in the top right of the screen. If you aren't sure which icon, hover over them to see a tooltip.
        5. Make the changes you wish to make.
        6. Click 'Save'.

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        Archiving VAT codes

        If you have VAT code that you no longer want to use going forward but that have been used on existing projects then you can archive them.

        Steps to archive a VAT code

        1. From the left menu bar click the 'Settings' icon, then click the ‘Accounts’ icon.
        2. Click the ‘VAT Codes’ sub menu.
        3. Find the VAT code that you wish to archive and click on it to view the details. 
        4. Click the 'Archive' icon in the top right of the screen and then click the 'Confirm archive' button that appears. If you aren't sure which icon, hover over them to see a tooltip.
        5. This will leave the VAT code record in the system but hide it from dropdown lists.

        Steps to unarchive a VAT code

        If for some reason you need to reinstate an archived VAT code you can do so with the following steps:

        1. From the left menu bar click the 'Settings' icon, then click the ‘Accounts’ icon.
        2. Click the ‘VAT Codes’ sub menu.
        3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tick the 'Include archived' checkbox.
        4. Find the VAT code that you wish to unarchive and click on it to view the details. 
        5. Click the 'Unarchive' icon in the top right of the screen and then click the 'Confirm unarchive' button that appears. If you aren't sure which icon, hover over them to see a tooltip.
        6. This will reinstate the VAT code record in Chalkstring

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        Deleting VAT codes

        Deleting VAT codes cannot be undone so only proceed if you are absolutely sure that you want to remove the record permanently from your system.

        If you have VAT codes that were created in error and they have not been linked to any other data (such as projects) then you can delete them using the following steps:

        Steps to delete a VAT code

        1. From the left menu bar click the 'Settings' icon, then click the ‘Accounts’ icon.
        2. Click the ‘VAT Codes’ sub menu.
        3. Find the VAT code that you wish to delete and click on it to view the details. 
        4. Click the 'Delete' icon in the top right of the screen and then if you are sure you want to delete the record permanently, click the 'Confirm' button that appears. If you aren't sure which icon, hover over them to see a tooltip.
        5. This will permanently remove the VAT Code record from the system.

        If you receive an error when trying to delete, this means the data is linked to other data in the system. In this instance use the Archive option instead. 

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