Terms of use.

Last updated 11 November 2026

These terms cover Custom Launch Tax, the part of the Custom Launch client portal that prepares VAT returns from spreadsheets and sends them to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) under Making Tax Digital. They sit alongside the agreement between Custom Launch Limited and the business that runs your portal. Where the two differ, that agreement wins.

Not yet recognised by HMRC

Custom Launch Tax is not yet on HMRC's list of recognised software for Making Tax Digital. Until HMRC grants that, it connects only to HMRC's test service, and nothing it does reaches your real tax account. We'll update this page when that changes.

What it does

• Reads the nine VAT return figures from cells you choose in your spreadsheet, keeping a link to each cell.
• Shows the VAT periods HMRC holds for you, when each return is due, what HMRC says is owed and the payments it has received.
• For an accountant filing for a client: lets the client approve the figures before they are sent.
• Sends the return to HMRC once the declaration is made, and keeps HMRC's receipt.

Your part

• The figures are yours. You, or your accountant, are responsible for the figures and for checking them before they are sent. When a return is sent, the person sending it makes HMRC's legal declaration that it is true and complete.
• Connect with the right HMRC login. For your own business, use the business's own HMRC login. Accountants use their agent services login, and each client must have authorised them for VAT with HMRC.
• Keep your sign-in safe. Use two-step sign-in, don't share your login, and tell the business that runs your portal straight away if you think someone else has used it.
• Pay HMRC yourself. The portal shows what HMRC says is owed and how to pay. It doesn't take or send payments.
• Keep your records. The portal keeps returns and their spreadsheets for six years. You remain responsible for keeping the records the law requires.

What we don't do

We don't give tax or accounting advice, and nothing in the portal is advice. Reminders are a help, not a guarantee: deadlines and penalties are between you and HMRC. If HMRC's service is down, or HMRC refuses a return, the portal shows what HMRC said. It can't send the return any other way.

Fraud prevention data

The law requires the portal to send HMRC information about your connection, device and sign-in with every call. Our Custom Launch Tax privacy notice lists it. Using the portal to send information to HMRC means agreeing to this.

Availability

We aim to keep the portal available at all times, but we may need to take it offline for maintenance or security, usually out of hours. HMRC also has planned downtime. Send returns in good time before the due date.

Liability

We take care to make the portal correct, and we test it against HMRC's test service. Our responsibility to the business that runs your portal is as set out in its agreement with us. Nothing in these terms limits liability that the law doesn't allow to be limited.

Ending

You can disconnect from HMRC at any time on the VAT returns page. The business that runs your portal can remove your access. Records of returns sent are kept for six years, as the law requires.

Law and contact

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Questions: contact-us@customlaunch.co.uk, Custom Launch Limited, 22 Mitchell Way, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 4NQ, company number 15637771.