VAT – Accountants Bury https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk Small Business Accounts | Northwood Thu, 21 Dec 2023 13:01:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.5 The VAT Flat Rate Scheme: What you need to know https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/the-vat-flat-rate-scheme-what-you-need-to-know/ https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/the-vat-flat-rate-scheme-what-you-need-to-know/#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2023 12:55:12 +0000 http://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/?p=853 The VAT Flat Rate Scheme (FRS) is a simplified way of calculating VAT for small businesses. It was introduced by HMRC to make VAT calculations quicker and easier for businesses with a turnover of less than £150,000.

Under the FRS, businesses pay a fixed percentage of their gross turnover to HMRC instead of calculating the VAT on their sales and purchases. This fixed percentage is generally lower than the standard rate of 20%, meaning businesses may pay less VAT overall.

To be eligible for the FRS, businesses must have an annual turnover (excluding VAT) of less than £150,000 and be registered for VAT. Businesses must also check their eligibility based on their trade sector, as some sectors have specific rates.

There are several advantages to using the FRS. First, it simplifies VAT calculations and reduces administration time. Second, businesses may save money on their VAT bill, as the fixed percentage is often lower than the standard rate. Finally, businesses with high levels of expenditure on goods may benefit from the FRS as they can still reclaim VAT on goods purchased.

However, there are some drawbacks to the FRS. As businesses pay a fixed percentage, they cannot reclaim VAT on most purchases. This could be a disadvantage for businesses that regularly incur significant amounts of VAT on expenses. In addition, the FRS may not be the best option for businesses that regularly issue VAT invoices to customers, as they may incur higher VAT costs.

It is also important to note that the FRS only applies to businesses registered for VAT in the UK. Businesses that sell goods or services outside of the UK may have different VAT obligations and should seek advice from a tax professional.

Before deciding to use the FRS, businesses should carefully consider their circumstances and whether it is the most appropriate option for them. It is advisable to seek professional tax advice to ensure that businesses understand the implications of joining the FRS and can make an informed decision.

In conclusion, the FRS is a simplified way of calculating VAT for small businesses. While it has advantages, it may not be the best option for all businesses. Careful consideration should be given to the specific circumstances of each business before deciding to use the FRS.

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Business After Brexit – How Vat Will Change https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/business-after-brexit-how-vat-will-change/ https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/business-after-brexit-how-vat-will-change/#respond Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:48:15 +0000 http://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/?p=687 The UK left the European Union on 31st January 2020. After this exit, business continued as usual during this transition period until 1st January 2021 when new rules and regulations were put in place. Once these changes were put into effect, businesses had to make significant adjustments when it came to imports and exports, as the UK does not operate within the EU customs and VAT systems. Here is what you need to know about business after Brexit – how vat will change.

Value added tax is a tax that is charged on consumption of services and goods. Businesses charge customers the tax during sales and then remit it to the government. Before Brexit, the UK was within the EU tax system, so the United Kingdom did not have to apply for VAT in each EU country, but after Brexit, the United Kingdom has to treat countries in the EU the same way they treat non EU countries.

Some of the changes in terminologies include the use of the term export and import. Before the change, the terms used were dispatches and acquisitions. This tax is paid when importing. The government has introduced the postponed tax system, whereby goods that are imported into the country are accounted for in the next returns. This is to prevent a disruption in cash flow for businesses.

When it comes to provision of services, there shall be no need to distinguish customers resident in the EU and those who are non-EU residents. Billing shall be done in the same way, which shall make the work of businesses easier. Billing of professional services, such as legal service and consultancy shall be outside the scope of value added tax.

For digital services, it shall no longer be possible to account for the tax through the MOSS tax return. Businesses in the United Kingdom shall have to register for tax in each of the EU countries. Alternatively, they can apply to be part of the non-MOSS scheme through registering for tax in the EU. Any country outside the EU that was using UK moss registration shall have to register for MOSS again in the UK and register also in the UK separately.

It shall be necessary for any business that is registered for tax in an EU country where they do not reside to appoint a fiscal representative. This shall raise compliance costs, since the fiscal representative has to be paid. Besides, a bank guarantee has also to be provided since the representative shall be jointly liable with the business for any tax debts.

To move goods between the UK and EU, businesses will need to have two EORI numbers. You will not be able to do import/export business without these numbers.

It shall still be necessary to make custom declarations whenever you are importing and exporting goods. However, you shall now need to make separate declarations for each transaction.

Conclusion

The impact of Brexit has affected businesses differently, based on which industry you are in and your supply chain. That is why it is important that you understand how this change shall affect your business. If you require further help, hire a professional to help you understand and comply with the new tax terms.

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What Is Flat Rate VAT And How It Can Benefit Your Business https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/what-is-flat-rate-vat-and-how-it-can-benefit-your-business/ https://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/what-is-flat-rate-vat-and-how-it-can-benefit-your-business/#comments Fri, 13 Jul 2018 10:38:54 +0000 http://northwoodaccountancy.co.uk/?p=515 If you’re the proud owner of a small business, then you already know that paying taxes can be one of the most complicated aspects of keeping your operations afloat. This is why the government has introduced the flat rate VAT. With this, company owners can easily calculate how much they owe and can avoid a lot of unnecessary conversion. If you have ever wondered, “What is flat rate VAT?”, then the information that follows is guaranteed to help.

This scheme is sometimes referred to as the VAT FRS. It is an alternative method that many small businesses are able to use for determining how much VAT they will have to remit the HMRC per quarter. Without the flat rate VAT, companies will have to pay an amount to the HMRC that represents the difference between the VAT that has been charged to their clients and the amount that they are able to claim from their supplier receipts.

When using this particular scheme, customers are charged the regular VAT as normal. You, however, will only need to pay a percentage of your company’s sales. This percentage is not a set amount, however, given that it can vary according to the industry in which a business exists. The good news is that there are plenty of online charts and graphs that list the percentage for each industry or trade for this very purpose.

You might think that this system is designed to save small-sized companies extra money. While this may be the case in certain instances, however, it is really focused on saving these entities time instead. Due to this fact, the percentages are set to vary according to individual trades given that some businesses are naturally prone to buying more supplies than others and can therefore claim significant higher amounts than others.

There are, however, opportunities to earn more from these efforts. A lot of companies have actually been able to generate thousands of additional pounds annually. This is because the FRS is easy for the government to manage and companies that use this system are actually acting and individual tax collectors.

Another benefit of this scheme is the ability to limit the amount of paperwork that you must generate, handle and retain. There is no need to submit any of your company’s input costs when filing quarterly with the HMRC. You will simply need to retain the receipts that you receive when making purchases.

There is an added benefit for new, small business owners. If this is your first year of using this particular scheme, you will be given an added incentive for doing so. This is an additional one percent decrease on the total tax percentage that must be paid by your company quarterly.

You should note, however, that depending upon the construct, industry and volume of your business, there may be an important drawback in using this scheme. For instance, if you have relatively high, chargeable VAT expenses, you will miss out on reclaiming these. This is also true if you happen to be purchasing a considerable amount of stock throughout the current tax year.

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