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Q. I have been on the VAT flat rate scheme for several years. I have two business activities that fall into different categories with differing FRS percentages. I have apportioned VAT between the rates, but a chance conversation with a friend leads me to believe this is incorrect. What do I need to do?

A: Under the flat rate scheme (FRS), you should not apportion VAT where you have multiple activities. Instead, you should use the FRS percentage that corresponds to the activity with the greater percentage of turnover. 

As an example, consider a firm that offers property management services (current VAT flat rate 12%) and also provides financial services (current VAT flat rate 13.5%). If the turnover from the property management activities exceeds that from financial services work, they would use 12%. 

To rectify the situation with HRMC you will need to go back and correct your calculations for the last four years. This might result in an additional liability or a refund depending on the circumstances. If the net error is less than £10,000 you can include it on your next VAT return, otherwise you will need to make a standalone disclosure to HMRC using form VAT 652.

The VAT flat rate percentages for a range of business types can be found on the gov.uk site here

The information provided in this blog is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. As far as we are aware, the content is accurate at time of publication. Torgersens assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the content or for any actions taken based on the information provided.

About the Author

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Paul Newbold

Partner
After qualifying with KPMG where he gained significant audit experience, Paul joined Torgersens in 1991 and became the firm’s audit partner in 2000. Paul employs his broad range of financial skills to provide commercial and accounting advice to a range of owner-managed businesses in the independent retail, education and professional services sectors. He also has extensive experience dealing with charities, Registered Social Landlords and not-for-profit organisations and co-operatives.   Outside of work, Paul likes to visit Eastern France and South-West German and read novels by David Morrell, Michael Blake and Harper Lee. He also likes watching films, his favourite is The Shawshank Redemption.

To get in touch please e-mail paul.newbold@torgersens.com.

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