Are you getting a VAT visit? If you are, you do not have to worry because such VAT visit is just a routine check-up done by VAT officers to ensure you are paying the right amount of Value Added Tax.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will usually contact you via a telephone call to arrange for a visit and give you a 7 days’ notice. They will tell you about the information they want to see and whether they want to inspect your premises or not. However, if the time of the visit is inconvenient to you, you can ask to postpone the visit and make arrangements for another time.

In case if you have committed any VAT fraud, you should come clean and inform the HMRC immediately.

During the visit

During the visit, it is important that you take note of everything the VAT officer says. This is because you will know exactly what was said and done during the visit. In the meanwhile, you should offer the officer some form of refreshments like a cup of tea or coffee.

If there any decisions made by the officer on how VAT relates to your business, make sure to note them and get them in writing. If you are not clear about them, you can ask questions and get your queries answered. This will help you to implement right advice into your business.

If the officer finds some errors in your calculation while going through the detailed records, they will advise you the right procedures to make it right.

After the visit

After the visit, HMRC will write to you a summary of the visit. The summary will contain all the agreements and recommendations that will help you improve your VAT record keeping. If you need to make corrections in your VAT account, HMRC will provide further information.

If you disagree with any decisions given by the HMRC, you are allowed to appeal to an independent tribunal but, you must do it within 30 days.

If you are still in doubt, get in touch with our expert VAT consultants today and get the benefit of the expertise on your side.