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Advice Hub

Our expert VAT consultants are always looking for ways to improve the training and advice they give. This advice hub is packed with the latest articles and news about VAT, hints and tips for accountants and businesses, blogs, infographics and all kinds of other useful content about VAT.

For more information about anything here, or to talk to our expert team, call our free helpline on 0161 477 6600 or use our contact form and we will get back to you.

£247,407 VAT Appeal Allowed Following Assessment

The business operates two websites - financial-advisors-near-me.co.uk and pension-advisers-near-me.co.uk - that collect user data from individuals seeking financial advice. This data is passed on to the company’s independent financial advisor (IFA) clients. Where a deal is concluded between the IFA and the prospective client, the company receives a percentage of the income generated from that introduction.

Some Brief Tips if Considering VAT Registration

It is currently challenging to secure VAT registration due to a combination of EU businesses needing UK VAT numbers and backlogs within HMRC’s registration unit. To avoid unnecessary delays, it is important to ensure your application meets HMRC’s requirements in full.

The Scope of VAT Exemptions for Education

The scope for exemption to apply to education is dependent on a number of factors and these are quite commonly misunderstood. This can lead to errors in VAT accounting due to an organisation either mistakenly believing that its supplies qualify for exemption or more rarely, being unaware that they do.

Does Your Business Exercise Sufficient Diligence With its VAT Affairs?

Having little or no evidence of due diligence being carried out can be sufficient for HMRC to accuse a business of being either knowingly or unknowingly involved in VAT fraud. This can have serious implications if the business is unwittingly being used to “whitewash” a VAT fraud being carried out by associated third parties.

Customs – Determining Commodity Codes

When a business imports or exports goods, a ‘commodity code’ (also known as HS code or Tariff code), which is a means of classifying goods for import/export purposes, is required to be included on the customs paperwork.

What is output and input VAT?

The VAT People can help businesses with all aspects of VAT, including output tax and input tax-related issues. Here, we take a closer look at these concepts, explain the differences between them and discuss what they mean for your business.

Best Software for Making Tax Digital

From April 2022, if you are a VAT registered business, you should be compliant with the MTD scheme. This includes submitting VAT returns using MTD-friendly software. We can help you calculate your VAT and recommend the best digital tax software for making tax digital.

VAT Opportunities for Charities

HMRC are not very charitable when it comes to charities and take the same stance with regards to VAT accounting errors as they do with any other entity. This was demonstrated in a recent HMRC campaign aimed at identifying small charities with a turnover of less than £1,000,000 that had incorrectly recovered input VAT on relevant costs.