VAT Compliance and Advisory Services

VAT compliance services

Whether transactions are routine, daily business purchases and sales, or larger one-off deals, they need to be correctly treated for VAT. This not only ensures compliance, but also correctly manages a significant element of turnover. We will provide you with assistance with compliance and can prepare and submit VAT returns along with other VAT claims on your behalf.

VAT advisory services

Our experienced team of VAT specialists can provide clear advice and solutions for any VAT issues your business faces to ensure that your business is treating VAT correctly. Our expert VAT advisory services aims to minimise risks of unforeseen liabilities to VAT, penalties and interest. We will also ensure you are optimising your VAT position by advising on VAT recovery and potential structuring (including Group VAT reporting opportunities) to minimise VAT liabilities and manage cashflow.

New business activities
Changes to your business activities or organisational structure are likely to result in changes in how you account for VAT. For example, an expansion into new markets may require overseas VAT registration or you might have a new product offering and need to know what the rate of VAT should be.

Our team finds solutions to clients’ problems. We can advise on the VAT implications of any transaction and on the right to input tax recovery. This need might arise due to an acquisition, disposal, or business restructuring, or when changes in VAT law occur. We can review past compliance and undertake the relevant due diligence on the acquisition of a target.

HMRC VAT enquiries

Our team can help you navigate HMRC VAT enquiries and resolve any VAT disputes with HMRC. If you have a forthcoming VAT inspection or have received a challenge or unfavourable decision from HMRC on VAT, we can liaise with HMRC on your behalf with the aim of achieving the optimum outcome.

VAT partial exemption advisory

If you are a VAT partially exempt business, there are a myriad of VAT issues you can face in calculating your business’ VAT recovery.

Our team can review and advise of your right to recovery of VAT and perform your VAT partial exemption calculations. In addition, it can assess whether it would be beneficial to agree a partial exemption special method with HMRC and make any such applications to HMRC on your behalf.

International VAT Advisory Services

Businesses which undertake international trade in goods or services must comply with the rules in the relevant jurisdictions. These rules typically establish the place where VAT falls due, the amount of tax and who has the liability to account for it. This may also involve a requirement to be registered for VAT outside the UK. In some cases, there are schemes that can be utilised to eliminate or minimise a requirement to be registered for VAT overseas.

Land and Property VAT Advisory

The VAT rules for supplies of land and property are complex and an area where businesses frequently inadvertently make mistakes, often with negative irreversible VAT consequences. As such, careful planning is needed to ensure both compliance with the relevant VAT rules and so that the VAT position can be optimised.

Given the frequently high transaction values, any mistakes or oversights can be expensive. Common issues include determining whether it is beneficial to opt to tax land or buildings, whether conditions for a transfer of a going concern exist, and ascertaining the VAT treatment of transactions between landlords and tenants.