Most businesses make what are known as ‘taxable supplies’. You have to register for VAT in certain circumstances, usually when your income above a particular level. You can also decide whether to voluntarily register your business. In this guide, I’ll answer the question ‘when should I register for VAT?’.
Aside from the small number of businesses that are VAT exempt and so cannot register for VAT. For the vast amount of businesses there are three scenarios to consider:
- When you must register for VAT;
- When you don’t have to register, but it makes commercial sense; and
- When your turnover is approaching the VAT threshold and you have to decide whether to register to be compliant with the law, or make less money to keep your business below the VAT registration limit.
Not all supplies are ‘taxable’ – insurance commissions and medical services, for example, fall outside of the scope of VAT and some are ‘exempt’. Some supplies are ‘taxable’ but charged at a lower rate. For example, the supply of domestic heating has VAT charged at 5%. VAT is charged on books and magazines but at 0% (zero rated supplies).
When You Must Register for VAT
If your taxable supplies are more than the VAT registration threshold of £85,000 (from 1 April 2017) you are required to register for VAT and account for tax on your supplies. The £85,000 threshold applies over a twelve month rolling period. This is not a fixed period like the tax year, calendar year or even your accounting year, it is any period of twelve consecutive months. The ‘standard rate’ of VAT is 20%. There is a ‘deregistration threshold’ of £83,000.
VAT is compulsuary if you make taxable supplies over this threshold, so if you are getting close to it, it is a good idea to keep a ‘rolling total’ of your turnover. You need to it up for each twelve month period, for example January to December, then February to January, and so on. Once required to register, you have 30 days to notify HMRC of your need for VAT registration.
VAT is either added to, or forms a part of your turnover, and you pay this over to HMRC after deducting VAT you yourself have been charged on business supplies. If your customer is a business, they can usually reclaim this VAT, and so neither you nor they are any better or worse off. If your customer is the end consumer, they can’t reclaim this VAT. This VAT becomes a cost to your business; you become a tax collector for the government.
HMRC operate ‘shadow economy’ teams and analyse information from your personal and corporation tax returns in an effort to counteract VAT evasion. The penalties for failure to register can be high, in excess of the ‘culpable tax’, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of your turnover figures. You must apply for registration as soon as it appears likely you’ll be over the registration threshold in the next 30 days.
When You Don’t Have To Register For VAT But It Makes Commercial Sense
When you charge VAT to your customers, they can only reclaim this VAT against their supplies if they themselves are a VAT registered business. This means that if your customers are consumers, for example the general public, or ‘exempt’ businesses, like doctors, the VAT you charge will be a cost to your customer.
What this means is that when you become VAT registered, either you, your customer, or both of you, will be bearing the burden of the tax. If you can pass this cost on without pricing yourself out of the market, your business will not be affected by this decision. If, as is likely, you won’t be able to pass this full cost on, then you’ll need to change your prices to reflect this.
When it makes no sense to register for VAT
Suppose you are a mobile hairdresser who turns over £15,000 a year. If you are not VAT registered, then that turnover all belongs to you (apart from the tax and national insurance on your profits).
The effect of registering for VAT is that this £15,000 is treated as being inclusive of VAT that has been charged at 20%, meaning one sixth (yes, one sixth) of the £15,000, or £2,500, is ‘output tax’ which you have to hand over to HMRC. Your income is therefore £15,000 less the £2,500 which is £12,500.
As your customer is the consumer, or end user, they cannot reclaim this VAT themselves so you cannot put up your prices to compensate for this. Although you can reclaim the VAT on your costs, for example hair dressing supplies and accountancy, the amount of VAT you can reclaim (that you have been charged by other businesses) is going to be insignificant.
Thus, for small businesses where your customer is not a business that can reclaim VAT, voluntary VAT registration can damage your business’s health.
When it makes sense to register for VAT
As you can reclaim the ‘input tax’ on expenses, it is often a good idea to register for VAT if your customer base comprises other VAT registered businesses. You can pass on the VAT you have to charge to your customers, who will themselves reclaim it, and you in turn can reclaim the VAT you are charged.
On a commercial note, your being VAT registered can lead the customer to believe your business is bigger than it Is in reality. Being established is an important way to win confidence. VAT registration will show the customer you’re above board and established.
If your business is ‘zero rated’ for example you earn your income from sales of printed materials or food (not hot take-away food, which is subject to different rules) there is VAT to pass on to the customer. The benefit is that you will be able to reclaim the VAT on your costs, which improves your bottom line.
When You Have To Make Less To Earn More
Imagine you have a business selling clothes to the public, and your turnover for the last eleven months is £84,000. If you take just £1,000 more, you will be liable to register for VAT and have to charge VAT from the time you were required to register. You can only deregister if your turnover in the twelve month rolling period is less than £83,000, so registration and a quick deregistration may not be a viable option. What does this mean for you?
As you sell to the general public, you cannot pass on the VAT you have to pay to your customers, because you price competitively. Although you are charged VAT by your suppliers, you make enough profit on what you sell to make say a 50% profit margin while you are not VAT registered. The effect of having to register for VAT means you have to pay over more VAT than you can reclaim.
This means you will have to ‘absorb’ the VAT yourself and, in this example, your business is £7,083 worse off. If your turnover had no related supplies to offset your VAT, the cost to you could be £14,166. Ouch.
The lesson to take from this is there are circumstances where you may have to think carefully about what you are doing with your business and whether avoiding VAT registration through a self-imposed hiatus is something you may wish to consider; if your income falls below the threshold, you don’t have to register.
In Summary…
- When your turnover is more than £85,000 in a twelve month rolling period, you are obliged to register for VAT. You have 30 days to notify HMRC of this;
- Watch your turnover, if you go above the VAT registration threshold, registration is compulsory. There may be occasions when you wish to avoid going over the registration threshold, because if your customer base is the public you will end up footing the bill;
- If you are a business that makes supplies to other businesses or are a business that makes ‘zero rated’ supplies, consider voluntary registration. Consider how VAT registration affects the perception of your business to your customers;
- If you are a small standard rated business serving the general public, VAT registration should be avoided unless your turnover is at or above the compulsuary registration threshold.
This is a general overview of a complex area. Nothing in here constitutes advice although the information in here is to our best knowledge and belief. If you have any questions you’re welcome to drop me an email Miranda@MJY-CA.com.