VAT Threshold - Top VAT Tips | Goringe Accountants

What is the VAT threshold

Different countries have different VAT thresholds. However, if you are trading in the UK the VAT registration threshold is currently £77,000 of taxable sales. This means that if you have sales that would be subject to zero or standard VAT you need to the check the level of sales in a 12 month period to see if it is under or over the VAT threshold.

What if I have a variety of sales?

If you have a mixture of sales, some of which would be exempt from VAT and some that are subject to VAT then you just calculate if you have reached the VAT threshold by measuring the amount of sales that are subject to VAT. Zero and standard rated goods or services are considered taxable supplies, however, exempt goods or services are non-taxable supplies.

VAT Threshold Example

Helen has a sole trader business providing beautician services and also trains other beauticians. If the training/education Helen is provided by a sole proprietor (which in this case it is) the tuition is exempt for VAT purposes, however, the beautician services are taxable supplies. Her total sales for the last month is £80,000 so she is concerned that she should have been VAT registered, however, upon analysis of the sales, £65,000 of the sales relate to beautician services and £15,000 relate to training, therefore only the £65,000 counts towards the threshold, so she is still within the VAT threshold, and does not have to compulsorily register for VAT.

Can I split my businesses?

If you genuinely have a variety of trades then you could incorporate the separate businesses, for example you might have a coffee shop and a consultancy business. Please note that you shouldn’t artificially separate your trades to avoid being over the VAT threshold, if HMRC decide that you have done this they can decide that the entire business is a single taxable person and therefore must be registered for VAT.

Top VAT Tips

Review your business to see if it is more suitable for cash or accrual VAT accounting.
If your business is under £150,000 revenue consider whether the Flat Rate VAT scheme may be best for you.
If you are at the cusp of being near the VAT threshold make sure you check your figures every month, as HMRC can look at any 12 month period, not just your usual tax year.
If your business has shrunk recently, review whether it is still appropriate to be VAT registered. If your business is to the general public your prices may be more attractive if you don’t have to charge VAT.
Make sure you have a good system for calculating VAT, unless you have a very low number of transactions we would recommend that you use a basic accounting system, such as Sage One, QuickBooks or KashFlow.

Nicky Larkin

Nicky Goringe Larkin is a Chartered Management Accountant who founded Goringe Accountants Ltd.

http://www.taylorrobertsaccountants.com Ian
How different do your businesses have to be then, to count as seperate entities?
http://goringeaccountants.co.uk/ Nicky Larkin
HMRC give various examples/rules in section 13.5 of the following link : http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000086&propertyType=document#P556_61743
A good example i recently had was a hotel which had setup a cafe within it, if the cafe had been setup separately it would have been considered an artificial separation as it was in the same location and had the same owners.
Hema Patel
It has become quite common to buy and sell products among the EU countries and the rest of the world. When you register for VAT it is important to be aware of the VAT regulations relating to movement of these goods.