HM Revenue & Customs have released a new tool designed to help businesses find out what VAT registration would mean for their business.
VAT registration becomes mandatory if:
-your total taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 over the previous 12 months.
-you expect your taxable turnover to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days.
-you're based outside the UK and supply goods and services to the UK.
Taxable turnover refers to the total value of everything you sell except for anything that is exempt from VAT.
It is also possible to register for VAT voluntarily even if your annual taxable turnover is below £90,000.
If the majority of customers for your business are VAT registered then there is no increase in costs for them, and so voluntary VAT registration can be worthwhile so that you can claim VAT back on the purchases you make.
The new HMRC tool can help you to estimate what VAT might be owed or reclaimed by your business if you were to register for VAT. You are free to use the tool to explore multiple ‘what-if’ scenarios so that you can compare various situations and how you might be affected.
To use the tool, please see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-what-registering-for-vat-may-mean-for-your-business
If you're a sole trader or landlord with annual income over £50,000, a major change is coming your way. From 6 April 2026, you may be required to keep digital business records and submit quarterly updates to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax.
At Autumn Budget 2024, we were promised a consultation on the tax treatment of predevelopment costs. However, following the Court of Appeal’s decision on a recent case, the government is postponing publication of the consultation while it considers the implications of the decision.