CherryMoney University Training: accounting, invoices, VAT, expenses and AI finance workflows
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Module 8

VAT, Cherry Tax And Compliance Checks

Prepare VAT reviews, inspect Cherry Tax calculation inputs, understand current MTD/HMRC boundaries and use compliance prompts.

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Learning Goals

By the end of this module, learners should be able to complete the workflow in CherryMoney and explain the accounting reason behind each important step.

  • Explain VAT Boxes 1-9 at a practical level.
  • Check VAT breakdown source records before HMRC submission.
  • Identify correct treatment for standard UK sales and EU goods sales.
  • Use compliance due dates and plain-English filing explanations.
  • Review Cherry Tax examples such as property income and Rent a Room treatment without treating sandbox calculations as filed returns.

Lesson Plan

Use these lesson blocks for lecture delivery, live demo and class discussion.

VAT breakdown before submission

VAT breakdown lets learners trace each VAT box to invoices, purchases, expenses and credit notes before HMRC submission.

EU goods sale treatment

Qualifying EU goods sales should be zero-rated on the invoice and feed Box 8 rather than adding VAT to the customer total.

Compliance checklist

The checklist explains filing tasks such as VAT, CT600, accounts and confirmation statements in plain English.

Step-By-Step Lab

This is the student-facing sequence for the practical class. Complete the steps in order, then capture the evidence listed below.

  1. Confirm the organisation VAT registration number and VAT period dates.
  2. Create or review source records for UK sales, EU goods sales, purchases and credit notes.
  3. Open the VAT breakdown for the exact period and check whether source records appear.
  4. Trace Box 1, Box 4, Box 6, Box 7 and Box 8 back to individual records.
  5. Correct any wrong VAT type before preparing the draft return.
  6. Export or screenshot the VAT breakdown and write a plain-English explanation.
  7. Keep live HMRC submission disabled in the student simulator.

Classroom Run Sheet

Use this structure to teach the module in a repeatable classroom or lab session.

Explain
Explain this module Introduce the accounting concept first: customer, invoice, VAT, expense, fund, role or audit trail.
Demonstrate
Demonstrate this module Trainer performs the workflow once in CherryMoney using a projected simulator account.
Practise
Practise this module Students complete the same workflow in their own VM tenant using seeded records.
Review
Review this module Students compare system outputs with expected accounting treatment and discuss errors.
Evidence
Evidence this module Students submit screenshots, exports, PDFs or short explanations for assessment.

Simulator Practice

These are the VM practice tasks for this module. They are written as student-facing tasks and can later be wired into a guided simulator checklist.

Practice Brief

  1. Create a standard UK sale invoice and check it appears in Box 1 and Box 6.
  2. Create an EU goods sale invoice and check it appears in Box 8 with no VAT charged.
  3. Enter a VATable purchase and confirm Box 4 and Box 7 impact.
  4. Create a credit note and confirm it reverses the expected boxes.
  5. Complete a mock VAT period review without submitting to live HMRC.
  6. Run a fictional property-income example and compare normal property profit with a valid Rent a Room scenario.

Knowledge Check

Use these questions for in-class review, a short quiz or a reflective workbook entry. Answers are hidden by default — open each one to check your work.

  1. Q1 Which VAT box should an EU goods sale affect? Answer

    Box 8 — the sale should be zero-rated on the invoice, not have VAT added to the customer total.

  2. Q2 Why must the date range be checked before calculating VAT breakdown? Answer

    Records outside the exact VAT period simply won't appear in the breakdown, which is a common cause of a return that looks incomplete.

  3. Q3 What should be reviewed before submitting anything to HMRC? Answer

    The VAT breakdown traced back to source invoices, expenses, purchases and credit notes, with live HMRC submission kept disabled or sandboxed in training.

Assessment And Evidence

Students should submit proof that the workflow was completed and a short explanation of the decisions made.

Student Evidence

  • Submit a VAT breakdown screenshot or export showing source records.
  • Explain why an EU goods sale should not add VAT to the invoice total.

Trainer Notes

  • Keep HMRC submission disabled or sandboxed in university environments.
  • Use deliberate date range mistakes so students learn why records can be missing from a period.

Continue The Course

Move through the modules in order for a complete accounting, invoicing, compliance and AI finance workflow.

Module 6 4 hours

Expenses, Purchases, Receipts And Data Intake

Capture expense and purchase records through manual entry, receipt capture, CSV import and review controls.
Module 7 3 hours

AI-Assisted Bookkeeping And Review

Use AI suggestions to classify records while keeping review, correction and audit controls.
Module 9 2 hours

Payroll Summary Packs

Prepare payroll review packs where the plan includes payroll features.
Module 10 4 hours

Charity, VCSE, Grants And Restricted Funds

Teach fund accounting concepts through charity and VCSE workflows.