Request for VAT inspection

[tim123]

Sit tight and wait for them to get in touch. If they refuse to do it by post or on Saturday, speak to your Accountant, have a meeting with them and then arrange to meet the VAT man and say that you plan to invoice them for loss of business. I can't really suggest anything else to be honest.

Having a VAT inspection is a cost of doing business. If you don't want to suffer that cost the solution is easy, don't register.

The idea that you can bill them for lost time (and that they would pay) is ridiculous.

tim

[BolshieBastard]

Change your accountant!

I had an inspection about 7 years ago. They sent a lady to my home who went through all the docs I supplied. She told me I'd over paid £200+ and said to claim it back on the next return. And I wasnt on the FRS.

If you're on the FRS, I dont see what you're bothered about unless you've been putting through stuff you shouldnt have.

[lexington_spurs]

tim - interesting tangent regarding inviting vat people to a client!

other views like "change your accountant" because he suggested trying to resolve it by post - excellent, thanks.

[tim123]

tim - interesting tangent regarding inviting vat people to a client!

other views like "change your accountant" because he suggested trying to resolve it by post - excellent, thanks.

I made that suggestion because he said "don't let them see your bank statements"

It is pretty obvious he has never encountered a VAT inspection before if he thinks that is the slightest bit possible.

Do you really want to be using an accountant who knows zip all about the VAT process?

As to visiting you at the client, well I suppose that this might just be possible is it is within the same general area (but then you wouldn't be losing enough hours to worry about, would you ). But if you are working away from home there is no chance.

I had to take two days off for the last one because the bugger only worked Tuesday to Thursday and I was on a Mon-Fri Commute.

tim

[lexington_spurs]

My reply seems ruder than was intended - cuk is getting to me.

His advice was to query if they really wanted to come on site to look at a handful of invoices when they could do it by post.

[Flopsy]

Have had 2 VAT inspections over a large number of years. 2 different companies. All straight forward and OK. Low key.

I didn't feel put under a looking glass and they didn't look too closely. Nothing to hide anyway. I just mean that they weren't too officious or "jobs worthy".

Good luck.

[tim123]

His advice was to query if they really wanted to come on site to look at a handful of invoices when they could do it by post.

They don't want to look at a handful of invoices.

They spend 2-3 hours totalling everything up, looking at whatever documents they think necessary (at my first they wanted to see my "contracts" to make sure that the payments in matched the contracted amounts) to check that you are:

a) not making school-boy errors.

b) not running a fiddle.

tim

[TykeMerc]

I've had a couple of VAT inspections over the years, both were straight forward and friendly visits.

I was given useful advice by the inspector on the first visit that my Accountant had missed.

[xoggoth]

Had one, no probs. VAT is pretty straightforward for a contractor. No real grey areas and little scope for major errors.

[Archangel]

Just to add to the other comments, mine was at my home, pretty straightforward, showed them (as far as I can remember):

Invoices raised
Receipts kept
Spreadsheet on which I kept the "current picture" of the business and calculated the vat (before FRS).

They pointed out that I could claim some VAT back on the mileage expenses.

They ate some hob-nobs and left.

Don't worry too much.