How To Find Your Company Vat Number

How to detect a business's VAT number

All of your business's VAT-registered suppliers volition accept a unique registration number. If your business is also VAT registered, you lot'll need your own supplier's VAT number in order to reclaim any VAT yous've paid to your suppliers.

This handy guide will assistance you empathize what a VAT registration number is, why information technology'due south important and how to observe it.

What is a VAT registration number?

A VAT number is a unique ID that HMRC provides to businesses when they annals for VAT. In the UK, VAT numbers are nine digits long and e'er accept the prefix 'GB'.

If you're dealing with a supplier in another Eu country then its VAT number will follow a unlike format, with its own unique country code. HMRC provides a list of ID formats from European Spousal relationship member states on its website.

Why is it important?

If you reclaim VAT without a valid VAT number from your supplier, information technology could lead to HMRC rejecting your claim. If this happens, you could be left footing the neb or dealing with a severe amount of admin to rectify the situation!

Where can I discover it?

When you lot're looking for the VAT number of another business, your first port of call should be any invoice information technology has supplied to you. If the business is registered for VAT and then its unique ID should be listed on all of their invoices.

If yous pay VAT to a supplier but in that location is no registration number on the invoice they provide y'all should contact them immediately – you'll demand to have a valid VAT invoice from them in order to reclaim whatsoever VAT they've charged you.

Checking a VAT number is valid

There are a couple of ways to check that a VAT registration number is valid:

Calling the HMRC VAT helpline

HMRC has a complete database of VAT-registered businesses, then if you lot're in whatsoever dubiousness about a registration number you should telephone call their VAT helpline on 0300 200 3700.

Checking the VIES website

Y'all can employ the European Wedlock'south VAT Information Exchange System (VIES) to check the validity of both U.k. VAT numbers and VAT numbers from the wider Eu. By entering the registration numbers and relevant state codes into the fields provided, y'all tin bank check if a supplier'southward VAT number is valid.

If the supplier's VAT registration is shown as invalid past VIES, you should contact them to get the correct VAT number as soon as you can.

Your business's VAT number in FreeAgent

If your concern is VAT registered, FreeAgent will automatically add your VAT number to any invoices you send from the software. Y'all can likewise submit MTD-uniform VAT returns directly to HMRC from your account.

Notice out more well-nigh how FreeAgent tackles the complexities of the United kingdom VAT organization to calculate what y'all owe.

Disclaimer: The content included in this guide is based on our understanding of tax law at the time of publication. It may be subject to change and may not be applicative to your circumstances, and so should not exist relied upon. Yous are responsible for complying with taxation law and should seek independent advice if you require further information about the content included in this guide. If you don't have an auditor, take a look at our directory to find a FreeAgent Practice Partner based in your local area.