Open kavina-systems opened 5 years ago
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) Why is this free? A) I have written the application for my own use rather than spend money on a commercial product (I only used the existing programming tools I have so did not cost anything other than my time < 100 hrs development ) and happy to share it with anyone
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) How long will it be supported? A) I will continue to support (improve / bug fix etc.) until spreadsheets become impractical for my accounting purposes
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) What spreadsheets are supported? A) By default Microsoft Excel is used, other supported spreadsheets are; WPS Office Open Office Libre Office
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) How do I uninstall KVAT? A) KVAT does not require any installation it is a standalone executable, there are no changes made to Windows registry or hidden files. Delete the KVAT.exe
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) Does the Spreadsheet template contain any macros? A) No, the template contains a plain worksheet and just requires copying into your accounts workbook (the worksheet must not be renamed)
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) Whats happens if it messes up my VAT return? A) I have tested on the HMRC sandbox and carried out my own VAT return. I would suggest that before pressing the submit button check whats displayed on the screen. During the soft landing period you can make a manual return.
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) Does KVAT store any personal information about my company? A) No, the spreadsheet template requires a valid VAT number and optional company address etc.
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) The HMRC requires fraud protection data, what does KVAT provide the HMRC? A) KVAT complies with the fraud prevention guide https://developer.service.hmrc.gov.uk/api-documentation/docs/fraud-prevention. You can view the fraud protection header information by using the terminal tab then select Diag>FPH
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) When I first ran the software there is a firewall warning, why is this? A) KVAT does not link to any other web sites other than the HMRC https://api.service.hmrc.gov.uk as part of the authorisation KVAT uses its own built web server on port 8080
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) Why do I have to logon each time to make a VAT submission and not to retrieve obligations? A) This is my personal choice for added security. The authorisation uses access keys (tokens) each time you access the HMRC portal (these are stored in the spreadsheet). The logon for the submission is to ensure that no random key presses (by you or someone else) submit a return, remember you are effectively giving HMRC permission to take money out of your account !!, not to mention you are making a legal deceleration.
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) When I try to download KVAT I get a unsafe error A) I am not sure if this is because this is an unzipped executable or it does not trust github
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) Why is KVAT not listed by the HMRC software list compatible with Making Tax Digital for VAT? A) I am not sure why, the product was approved on the 1st March 2019
As from the 4th April 2019 KVAT appears on the HMRC software listed as 'Kavina Systems Ltd.'
kavina-systems
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5 years ago Q) How do I get the latest version? A) It can be download from this site, the software will auto check on startup and download any updates
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) What will happen to KVAT after the soft landing period? A) KVAT will continue to work with a spreadsheet, the manual data entry on the VAT submission form will be disabled.
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) I am using Open Office / Libre Office, when I use KVAT it tries to look for .xls files
A) By default Excel (and WPS office) is used, to force KVAT to use Open Office / Libre Office the application requires starting using a command line option -oo. To do this create a KVAT short cut and set the command line option.
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) The spreadsheet shows 12 periods, how are they used? A) The period number is not particularly important (rename if you wish), if you submit your returns quarterly and keep a spreadsheet on a yearly bases you could use periods 1 - 4. If you keep a separate spreadsheet for each quarter then use period 1 only, or you could use all 12 for 3 years of accounts. KVAT does not look at the period number it searches for a to/from date that matches the selected obligation (the date format is important use as shown in the template).
FYI the HMRC test data uses dates To > 01-04-2017 / From > 30-06-2017 hence the template has these dates in period 2 (although could have been in period 1).
Do not change the template layout (including the worksheet name) as the search is based on fixed positions for the dates and the box numbers
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) After using KVAT why does the spreadsheet prompt me to save before closing? A) KVAT updates the access keys and if you have made a submission the submission reference fields, changes are only made on the MTD-VAT worksheet.
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) Something is not working, what should I do? A) I do not expect the code to be bug free, if you are having a problem raise it as an issue. Try to provide as much information as possible i.e. windows version, spreadsheet version and screen shots of the problem (note ensure you do not display personal / company information) a copy or screen shot from the terminal form (the http error code will be useful)
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) I get an error reading from spreadsheet even though the spreadsheet is open
A) This is could be due to either;
1) More than one spreadsheet open, close all spreadsheets except the one KVAT requires (i.e. your accounts spreadsheet with the MTD-VAT tab).
2) The spreadsheet is in 'Edit' mode and a cell is being edited, this prevents the automation link from working, exist the cell from being edited. There is a status in the bottom left hand corner (on my version of Excel, this may change with different versions and spreadsheets).
It could possibly say 'Ready' (or be blank), 'Enter' or 'Edit', 'Edit' and 'Enter' can prevent KVAT from making changes (it stops OLE Automation from working, the mechanism KVAT uses). The spreadsheet selects these modes when the user is changing a cell. To exit these modes click onto another cell
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) I see that the tokens are stored in my spreadsheet, is this a security risk? A) Yes, if somebody gets these keys they could by using KVAT on another computer carry out a retrieval (obligations, liabilities and payments). However as these are stored in the spreadsheet (your accounts spreadsheet) they already have access to your data. The tokens will not allow anyone to make a submission unless they have your password and logon. I have considered storing the keys encrypted with the computer hardware and may do that a later date, although the information they can retrieve is limited. This something worth considering if you are using other vendors software, particularly the cloud based applications (how secure is the data) as it appears many of these do not force a logon for submissions.
kavina-systems
commented
5 years ago Q) Why does this file appear 'KVAT.diag.log' in the application directory? A) It is a debugging and error trapping log file, in and ideal world there should not be any errors. It does not contain any personal data and not very useful although it does show me an error has occurred. This can be deleted
Q) Why develope MTD VAT software? A) Originally when I looked on the HMRC 'compatible with Making Tax Digital for VAT' (xmas 2018) there did not appear to be any free spreadsheet bridging software, so I decided to write my own. Please note I am NOT an accountant, so please don't ask for accounting advise.