VAT & Customs Duty

Find an office
Find an office
Talk to our team

You can spend time grappling with VAT rules and calculating VAT returns – or you can get our specialist VAT advice and get back to running your business.

Our experts around the country will take care of all your VAT needs. Often this leads to better cashflow and sometimes even a hefty rebate where you’ve overpaid your VAT.

Whether you’re a business owner, a property developer, or a charity, our VAT expert’s aim is always to help you reduce the burden of dealing with VAT. We have helped businesses with registering for VAT, advice on avoiding penalties, mitigation of penalties, and ensuring that VAT reliefs/opportunities are maximised wherever possible. 

Our experts can help

We have a superb name in the market for VAT advice. Many of our VAT experts have worked at senior management level in HMRC, so they’re strong technically and really know their way around the jungle that is value added tax.

VAT registration

We will register your business for VAT and make necessary monthly or quarterly VAT returns on your behalf.

Customs duties

VAT Advice on setting up warehouse regimes to defer custom duties and value added tax on imports.

Partial exemption

Maximising your VAT recovery, whilst limiting your costs.

VAT disputes & appeals

Challenging unjustified VAT assessments, negotiating settlements and representing you at a VAT & Duties Tribunal

VAT planning & structuring VAT transactions

Structuring transactions to avoid unnecessary VAT and helping you deal with central government or local authorities on issues.

International issues

Rationalising your VAT registrations worldwide, managing the cashflow implications of VAT and securing VAT repayments from other countries.

Talk to our experts

It's not just about VAT returns

Need to argue that your product should be zero rated? Want help disputing an assessment? Or represent a specific business sector and want to challenge a value added tax rule? We're the people to have in your corner.

Our VAT experts have worked on many high profile cases, claiming back literally thousands for our clients in backdated VAT refunds.

Find out how we can help

Further Information

We provide a comprehensive range of services tailored for transactions involving land and buildings. 

We advise a diverse range of clients including real estate developers, private housing firms, subcontractors, residential care organisations and local councils. 

Land and property is a complex area of VAT where the values are material and so an understanding of the VAT position is imperative to ensure the avoidance of unexpected VAT and SDLT costs. 

We can provide advice in relation to:

  • Structuring property transactions to mitigate irrecoverable VAT costs.
  • The VAT liability of land transactions and associated supplies.
  • Identifying opportunities to apply the reduced rate and zero rate of VAT to supplies of construction and conversion services.
  • Evaluating the potential to opt to tax (OTT) and the OTT dis-application rules.
  • Treating transactions as a transfer of a going concern (TOGC).
  • Navigating the complexities of partial exemption and the VAT capital goods scheme. 
  • The VAT domestic reverse charge (DRC) for construction services.

VAT is a critical element of international supply chains. Our focus is to ensure our clients arrangements are operationally efficient and overseas VAT compliance burdens are understood and minimised. 

We also have access to an overseas network of VAT experts who can provide country specific VAT advice. 

Our international VAT services include:

  • Providing guidance on the VAT place of supply rules for cross-border supplies of services.
  • Advice on import and export procedures for seamless trade across borders emphasising the significance of incoterms and the effects of trading under DAP or DDP terms.
  • Assessing VAT procedures, Postponed VAT Accounting schemes, and guiding freight forwarders.
  • Optimising supply chain design to implement the most cost-effective strategies, reducing compliance burdens and avoiding superfluous VAT registrations overseas.
  • Guiding online retailers through the intricacies of Online Marketplace regulations, including the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) and One Stop Shop (OSS) schemes.
  • Engaging with international tax authorities to rectify VAT practices and navigate audits.
  • Managing foreign VAT filings and ensuring accurate VAT return submissions.

We understand that charities and not-for-profit organisations undertake a variety of activities including VAT exempt and non-business activities and that VAT can be a complex area.

We can advise charities and not-for-profit organisations in relation to:

  • Reviewing the VAT implications associated with new and existing activities and initiatives.
  • Advising on partial exemption including developing and proposing partial exemption special methods and securing approval from HMRC.
  • Reviewing partial exemption calculations and annual adjustments.
  • Advising on and reviewing business/non business methods of apportionment.
  • Securing zero-rating for relevant residential purpose (RRP) and relevant charitable purposes (RCP) new buildings.
  • Assistance with the rectification and disclosure of VAT errors.

A VAT Health Check is a comprehensive review of a business’s VAT processes, aimed at ensuring accurate VAT accounting in accordance with current VAT legislation practice thereby reducing the risk of potentially costly mistakes.

The key components of our VAT health checks are: 

VAT Registration and Special Schemes:

  • Verify that the business is correctly registered for VAT under the appropriate type of VAT registration.
  • Assess whether any special VAT schemes (such as the Flat Rate Scheme or Cash Accounting Scheme) apply to the specific business.

Partial Input VAT Recovery:

  • Review partial exemption calculations to ensure accurate recovery of input VAT.
  • This is particularly relevant when a business deals with both taxable and exempt supplies.

Risk Areas and Concerns:

  • Delve into specific risk areas identified by the business.
  • Address any potential issues related to VAT compliance.

Sample Transaction Review:

  • Examine a sample of transactions to ensure they align with applicable VAT rules.
  • Identify any discrepancies or errors in VAT treatment.

Flagging Issues and Recommendations:

  • Highlight any identified VAT issues.
  • Provide recommendations for addressing these issues effectively.

Cost Savings and Planning Opportunities:

  • Identify potential VAT cost savings.
  • Explore planning opportunities to optimise VAT management.

Industry-Specific Considerations:

  • Ensure that industry-specific VAT matters are handled correctly.
  • Prepare for industry specific scrutiny during VAT inspections or investigations by HMRC.

Our team has extensive expertise in working in collaboration with HMRC to ensure optimal results for our clients. Our services encompass: 

  • Confirming the VAT treatment of transactions where there is legal uncertainty by obtaining a Non-Statutory Clearance. 
  • Managing VAT assurance visits, VAT repayment queries and compliance checks.
  • Assisting with the correction of errors by submitting comprehensive voluntary disclosures.
  • Mitigating potential penalties.

Our VAT team also has extensive experience in VAT disputes. We are perfectly placed to recommend a variety of strategies to bring a VAT dispute to a close as quickly and as cost effectively as possible. Our services include:

  • Managing VAT investigations.
  • Requesting and drafting Statutory Review requests. 
  • Representation at Alternative Dispute Resolution.
  • Successful representation at VAT Tribunals in collaboration with expert VAT barristers.

Our aim is to provide strategic guidance to navigate the complexities of VAT in transactions, ensuring compliance and efficiency.

Our transaction support service encompasses the following: 

  • VAT analysis of contractual documents: We conduct thorough reviews of Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) and other related contracts to ascertain the VAT implications.
  • Assessment of TOGC status: We evaluate transactions to determine if they qualify as a Transfer of a Going Concern (TOGC), ensuring all criteria are met.
  • VAT Due Diligence: We conduct VAT due diligence for the sale and acquisition of businesses ensuring full compliance with HMRC regulations and identifying potential VAT-related risks.
  • Real Estate VAT considerations: We address VAT matters in land and property transactions, including the implications of opting to tax and the capital goods scheme.
  • VAT Grouping advantages and drawbacks: We advise on VAT structures, highlighting the pros and cons of forming a VAT group.

Related Blogs

Find An Office

Loading...