If you are concerned that you may be missing an opportunity or overlooking a potential risk, or have a particular VAT issue on your mind, our team of VAT specialists are able help. We can consider any VAT issues arising from your commercial plans to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises. We can also help you with implementation of any new VAT arrangements to support your commercial plans. 

All businesses must deal with HMRC from time to time and there are a number of ways we can help to relieve the pressure this puts on your organisation. Where a difficult VAT matter arises between VAT inspections, you can instruct us to discuss the situation with HMRC on your behalf to negotiate an acceptable solution. 

Our team can also be available to help you on the day of a VAT inspection - either on site or at the end of a telephone- to assist with any questions raised by HMRC. If you prefer, we can carry out a risk assessment of the VAT position prior to their visit and advise on how to deal with any problems this highlights. We can also help with any VAT issue or investigation that arises after the visit.

The starting point for our work with you is helping you manage your VAT compliance. We can complete your VAT returns for you either at your premises or at our own, freeing up your people to focus on activities that add more value. You can also rely on us to handle the complex process of making a VAT refund claim to recover VAT incurred elsewhere in the EU. If you wish to keep the completion of returns in-house, we can advise on streamlining and automating your processes as well as providing review services to audit and validate your VAT returns.

Our VAT experts have industries or sectors of the economy they specialise in. These industries often have specific VAT-related challenges.  

Financial Services 

Our FS VAT team works with a diverse range of clients of all sizes and types across the financial services sector (including banks, Fintechs, funds, asset management, wealth management, insurance and crypto). 

In the UK, some financial and insurance services are exempt from VAT, but these exemptions can be complex and often contested, especially as financial products change, and tax regulations struggle to keep up. The rules for recovering VAT on related costs can also be tricky leading many businesses to face partial exemptions and additional complications. We help our clients navigate these complexities by understanding market practices and how legislation, case law, tax policy impact them, while also anticipating future changes to manage risks and seize opportunities. 

Our services include: 

• Tax structuring  
• VAT “Health Checks”  
• VAT liability review  
• Optimising VAT recoveries on costs (including modelling and advising on appropriate methodology for partial exemption) 
• VAT training 
• Advising clients during VAT inspection 
• Due diligence   
• Negotiation and mediation with tax authorities 
• Litigation support services 
• IPT advisory services 

Not for Profit 

Our Not-For-Profit (NFP) team provides you with expert, practical, strategic advice tailored to your needs. 

Many of the most complicated VAT issues arise for Not-For-Profit organisations such as charities, educational establishments and registered providers of social housing. Typically, these entities will have issues with complex VAT liabilities, the application of the VAT reliefs, as well as business/non business calculations and the traditional partial exemption matters. 

While navigating these VAT issues, Not-For-Profit organisations also face the familiar challenges of maximising the use of their assets, value creation through fund raising and the protection of both income and reputation. At the same time the VAT landscape for these entities changes at a ferocious pace, with new case law or a change in the views of HMRC on a weekly basis. 

As part of the broader Not-for-Profit team, we provide guidance on: 

• VAT liabilities related to sponsorships, fundraising, or land/property 
• International issues within and outside the EU 
• Business/non-business VAT recovery issues 
• Partial exemption issues, from attribution to aiding organisations with special methods 
• Maximising the use of VAT reliefs on advertising and land/property 
• Assistance with dealing with HMRC dealings, from initial inspections to dispute resolution 
• Operational support, from governance reviews to day-to-day VAT advice. 

Real Estate and Construction 

We act for many of the UK’s largest privately owned property companies as well as UK REITs, real estate funds, global investors, SMEs and entrepreneurial businesses. As well as commercial and residential clients, we advise on specialist situations such as student accommodation, care homes and hotels. 

We guide clients when buying, selling, developing and asset managing property portfolios. Our VAT services are provided in collaboration with our colleagues that specialise in other relevant taxes. 

As part of the broader Real Estate and Construction team, we provide guidance on: 

• Transaction and pre transaction support (VAT “Health Checks”) for all type of real estate investment 
• The VAT treatment of complex supplies, including liability and place of supply considerations, throughout the construction cycle of all types of real estate and transactions involving real estate and the vehicles that hold the assets.  
• VAT recovery issues, including partial exemption and business/non business adjustments 
• Assistance with dealing with HMRC, from initial inspections to dispute resolution 
• VAT compliance and process improvement