Maintain complete vat books for trouble free accounting

Once you have converted into a vat registered trader in the UK or even in any other country that follows vat you then should maintain complete vat books for hassle free accounting. These books of accounts have to record and display each vat transaction in greater detail, and can be of great help if you’re subjected to a vat audit.

In the UK you will have to opt for vat registration upon completing 70,000 sterling pounds of taxable sales in the previous twelve months of your business, although you can still do this before reaching that vat threshold limit. Once you have become a vat registered trader in the UK then you will need to obey all applicable vat rules framed by HM Revenue and Customs department or hmrc vat department. While there is no set way of maintaining books of accounts specifically for vat, you still vatverification have to be sure you store all details of vat paid and collected including invoice numbers, dates, vat rates, vat amounts, names and addresses of your respective dealings with various parties even though these were conducted abroad, etc.

These records should also be summarized whenever you file regular vat returns on a yearly, quarterly or monthly basis, as decided by hmrc vat department. Your vat invoice too will specifically have to display your vat number, vat rate for each product or service, and also the total vat amount collected against that sales invoice. All of this data should also be mentioned in your sales books even as all purchase invoices will need to be summarized in your purchase books. Moreover, maintaining bank and cash books is mandatory for vat registered traders.

Maintaining such vat books on an up-to-date basis is extremely important since vat officers at hmrc might compare your vat returns or even your vat refunds and may choose to conduct a vat audit of your business. In such a case, vat officers might call at your business premises and would want to look at all your books of accounts to verify certain doubts lingering in their minds. They may cross check vat invoices with all your sales books or request certain confirmations on specific vat transactions only to confirm if they were indeed genuine ones. If all of your books of accounts pertaining to vat are typically in order then that would make a favourable impression with those vat officers and also prevent any penalties from striking down your business as well as your reputation.

If you have any problems in understanding what exactly is vat then you should go looking for the services of a capable vat agent that can assist you to create and keep all books of accounts associated with vat in a clear and methodical manner. You will need to maintain books of accounts related to vat for a period of 6 years. Various vat schemes require different kinds of books and your vat agent would be able to guide you about the right format for your business based on your scheme and vat classifications of the services and goods.

Maintaining proper books of accounts can help you to conduct your business in a clear and seamless manner. If you too have adopted vat in the UK then you will definitely need to maintain complete vat books for hassle free accounting and auditing.