UK invoicing software with a ledger: VAT invoices and MTD records
Guliel is accounting and finance-operations software that runs invoicing, expenses, purchasing, payroll, reporting and a double-entry general ledger on one engine. For a UK business it issues VAT invoices and credit notes as PDF in the UK VAT format, posts sales and purchase VAT to the ledger, and keeps the digital records that Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT asks for. It does not submit VAT returns to HMRC. MTD submission is not built, so the return goes through your accountant or MTD bridging software.
Guliel for a UK business, at a glance
| You need | Guliel today |
|---|---|
| VAT invoices and credit notes | PDF in the UK VAT format, numbered in sequence at issue (live) |
| VAT rate | 20% when the organisation is VAT-registered, none when it isn't; one rate per invoice (live) |
| Your VAT number | Checked against the GB format (9 or 12 digits) and printed on each invoice (live) |
| Double-entry books | General ledger, journal entries, trial balance, balance sheet, income statement, cash flow (live) |
| MTD digital records | Every invoice, credit note and approved expense, with its VAT, in one data model (live) |
| VAT return to HMRC | Not built. VAT return preparation is planned |
| PAYE payroll and RTI | Not built. A basic payroll profile with payslips is live |
| Bank feeds | Not built |
| Structured e-invoices | Not emitted today. Peppol output is planned |
UK VAT and MTD, in short
VAT is administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under the VAT Act 1994 and the VAT Regulations 1995. The standard rate is 20%, with a reduced rate of 5% and zero-rated supplies. Registration is compulsory once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months.
Making Tax Digital for VAT has applied to every VAT-registered business since April 2022. It asks for three things:
- Digital records of sales, purchases and the VAT on each.
- Digital links wherever data moves between programs. Retyping figures breaks the chain. A CSV export and import, an API transfer or linked spreadsheet cells keep it.
- Returns submitted through MTD-compatible software, not typed into HMRC's portal.
MTD for Income Tax started on 6 April 2026 for sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000, falling to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Guliel does not send those quarterly updates either.
No B2B e-invoicing mandate is in force. At the Autumn Budget 2025 the government announced that VAT invoices must be e-invoices from April 2029, with an implementation roadmap promised for Budget 2026. Until that roadmap is out, the required format and delivery model are not set.
What a UK VAT invoice must show, and what Guliel prints
You must issue a full VAT invoice when you sell to another VAT-registered business. Here is HMRC's field list against Guliel's UK layout today:
| HMRC field | On Guliel's UK VAT invoice |
|---|---|
| Unique, sequential invoice number | Yes |
| Your business name and address | Yes |
| Your VAT registration number | Yes, when VAT-registered |
| Invoice date | Yes |
| Tax point, if different from the invoice date | Printed as the issue date. A separate tax point can't be set yet |
| Customer name and address | Yes |
| Description, quantity and unit price excluding VAT | Yes |
| VAT rate and VAT amount | Yes, one rate per invoice |
| Total excluding VAT and total payable | Yes |
| VAT total in sterling on a foreign-currency invoice | Not automatic yet |
| Zero-rated or exempt items shown separately | Put them on their own invoice |
Your Companies House number and the customer's VAT number print when you enter them, and the bank page labels the sort code. Record a payment against an invoice and Guliel can issue a receipt for it.
Not built yet: simplified invoices for retail sales up to £250 including VAT, modified invoices, invoices that mix VAT rates, and automatic reverse-charge wording. Add reverse-charge text in the invoice notes for now. More on documents at /invoicing.
How Guliel fits MTD for VAT
Digital records (live). Every invoice, credit note and expense carries its VAT. Output VAT posts to a tax-payable account and input VAT on approved expenses to a tax-receivable account, so the trial balance shows your VAT position for any period.
Digital links (live). Export the general ledger as CSV, or read documents and reports through the REST API. Both count as digital links under HMRC's rules. Report downloads are PDF, which is fine for reading but is not a digital link.
Reports (live). The tax report gives VAT on sales by rate for a month, quarter or year. The tax transactions report lists each taxed document. The expense report lists the amount before VAT, the VAT and the total for each purchase. None of them is laid out as the nine boxes of a VAT return.
Submission (not built). Guliel has no connection to HMRC. Your accountant or MTD bridging software files the return from Guliel's records. GST and VAT return preparation is planned.
The rest of the books
- Ledger (live). Double-entry general ledger on a fixed chart of accounts, manual journal entries that must balance, trial balance, balance sheet, general ledger report, income statement and cash flow. A manager sets the books lock date. Custom accounts are planned. See /product/accounting.
- Expenses (live). Scan receipts and bills with OCR, or capture them from Gmail, Outlook, IMAP or POP3. A person approves each captured expense before it reaches the ledger. See /product/expenses.
- Purchasing (live). Purchase orders and supplier records. Invite a supplier by email; if it accepts with its own Guliel organisation, it sees the purchase orders you send it and invoices against them.
- Payroll (live, basic). HR records and a generic payroll profile: gross pay, adjustments and payslip PDFs, posted to the ledger. It does not calculate PAYE income tax or National Insurance, and RTI submission to HMRC is not built. See /product/payroll.
- Automations (live). 14 triggers, from invoice and payment events to overdue invoices and schedules. Actions are any API operation, such as sending an invoice, or an outbound webhook.
- AI (live). Any MCP client, such as Claude or ChatGPT, connects through OAuth 2.1 and acts within your role and scopes. The built-in AI companion uses the same API, so the same VAT and double-entry rules apply. See /mcp.
Working with your accountant
Guliel prepares the records and your accountant reviews them, with a manager, contributor or viewer role in your organisation. Captured expenses wait for a person's approval, and the books lock date blocks changes dated on or before it, so a filed quarter stays closed. At year end your accountant takes the trial balance and the ledger CSV. Statutory accounts, Companies House filing and the Corporation Tax return stay with them: Guliel does not file tax returns. A sign-off queue where an accountant approves AI work is planned.
Moving from Xero or QuickBooks
Guliel has no Xero or QuickBooks importer. Connectors for both are planned. The path today:
- Run Guliel beside your current tool for new invoices and expenses, and export Guliel's ledger as CSV for your accountant.
- Import customers with Guliel's spreadsheet template (name, tax ID, email, phone, address, city). Each import is checked and staged for your review before anything is saved.
- Your accountant posts opening balances as one journal entry at your start date.
- Let automations take over routine steps, and move fully when you're ready. Old invoices stay in the old tool or in its exports.
Step by step: /migrate/from-xero and /migrate/from-quickbooks.
Groups with EU entities
One login can hold several organisations, so a UK company and a German subsidiary each issue their own country's format, from the 39 countries Guliel supports. Documents are PDF today. Guliel's own Peppol access point is built and awaiting OpenPeppol certification; it is not connected to the app yet, and Peppol BIS Billing output is planned.
Pricing
Per organisation, not per seat. The published Free plan is $0 a month for 200 invoices, 100 expense scans, 10 reports and 5 automations. Standard ($20 a month) and Premium ($99 a month) are published prices; paid plans are not on sale yet. Details at /pricing.
FAQ
Does Guliel submit my VAT return to HMRC under MTD?
No. MTD submission is not built and Guliel has no connection to HMRC. Guliel keeps the digital records and exports the ledger as CSV, and your accountant or MTD bridging software files the return. VAT return preparation is planned.
Is Guliel accounting software or an invoicing tool?
Accounting software. Guliel has a double-entry general ledger with journal entries, a trial balance, a balance sheet, an income statement and a books lock date. Invoicing, expenses, purchasing, payroll and reporting run on the same engine.
Is there a UK e-invoicing mandate?
Not in force yet. At the Autumn Budget 2025 the government announced that VAT invoices must be e-invoices from April 2029, with a roadmap due at Budget 2026. Guliel issues PDF documents today, and Peppol output is planned.
What VAT rate does Guliel apply?
20% when your organisation is VAT-registered, and none when it isn't. One rate applies per invoice, so 5% and zero-rated supplies go on their own invoice.
Can I invoice in euros or dollars?
Yes. Documents can be issued in other currencies, with the exchange rate stored. Showing the VAT total in sterling, which HMRC requires on a foreign-currency VAT invoice, is not automatic yet. Add it in the notes, or invoice in GBP.
Does Guliel run UK payroll?
Partly. The generic payroll profile produces payslips and posts payroll to the ledger, but it does not calculate PAYE or National Insurance, and RTI submission is not built.
Can I move from Xero or QuickBooks?
Yes, in stages. Customers come across by spreadsheet template and opening balances by journal entry. There is no Xero or QuickBooks importer yet, and connectors are planned. You can run Guliel beside your current tool first.
Start free at /pricing: UK VAT invoices, MTD records and a double-entry ledger on one engine.
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