VAT services

A systematic approach to VAT advice

If you run a business with an annual turnover in excess of the VAT registration threshold – £85,000 in 2019/20 – you’ll have to register for VAT and will benefit from our VAT services.

VAT-registered businesses are also required to prepare returns, usually quarterly, and maintain a VAT ledger in their accounts. We also offer VAT return services.

How our VAT accounting services work

We can advise you on whether it’s compulsory for your business to be VAT registered or whether it’s worth registering voluntarily even if your turnover is below the registration threshold. We can also register your business for you.

Likewise, we can advise on particular approaches to VAT that might benefit your business, such as cash accounting, flat rate, or margin schemes.

At the end of each VAT quarter, once all bookkeeping tasks have been completed, either by you or by Alchemy, we’ll carry out an audit of the bookkeeping records, including the underlying transactions, debtors and creditors.

We want to make sure you’ve claimed VAT on every purchase it should have been claimed on, that it hasn’t been claimed incorrectly on purchases where it shouldn’t and that you have proper VAT invoices as part of your accounting records to support any claims you do make.

Once we are happy with that, we will reconcile the VAT account, to ensure that the VAT on the return corresponds to that on the balance sheet. This means we can pick up any discrepancies from previous quarters and ensure that the correct balance is carried forward.

Audit completed, we’ll then prepare the return for your approval (all submissions to HMRC must be approved by a director) and, once it’s all signed off, submit your VAT returns to HMRC every quarter.

The benefits of a specialist VAT accountant

Alchemy will make sure your VAT claims are rigorous, reasonable and hold up to scrutiny.

And if HMRC has any questions or quibbles about the returns we’ve put together, we’ll help you deal with them, explaining the thinking behind each decision, with background notes and evidence.

Next steps

Our VAT services are offered to businesses in Preston, Lancashire and as an online service to clients across the UK. Read our VAT guide, call us on 01772 965550 or use the form on our contact page.

VAT return services

  • General VAT advice
  • Audit of VAT claims
  • Quarterly VAT returns to HMRC
  • Assistance with VAT queries
  • VAT arrears advice

Get in touch

Let's talk about how Alchemy can help your business.