VAT

[Ding]

I need to see Vat records for past two years. Would accts have them or should I apply directly to HMRC's?

Thanks in advance.

[paulears]

If you are registered with HMRC on-line, then you can see them - but if you use paper, only you know where they are. Second draw in the filing cabinet, third file in?

Seriously though, my accountant keeps all electronic data I give him, he returns all my paper.

[Ding]

Thanks Paul. I asked as I can't get access to office at present.

[Ding]

I'm sure you can get it from HMRC but it may raise few eyebrows. I suggest putting in a formal request to the accountant.

What is the actual purpose of asking for previous years?

Going through divorce with business partner H. He stopped paying vat when he met new woman, didn't pay for nine months, and emailed me to announce it.

Don't know the current situation. Takings in accounts show £26,000 drop on previous year. H thought he would be paying me half of business value, so lower the better for him. ie, huge debts, less turnover. Accts didn't know we even had a partnership agreement, they know now!

I am double checking figures, so thought vat may show something.

When presenting takings to accts, is that before or after vat, do you know?

The more I can do, the less paid to solicitor and barrister.

I am not going for half the business as he thought, but the whole thing as I need an income. So him reducing the value is working in my favour. He has three other businesses which I won't touch.
He has told the staff what I want, and has proclaimed I don't stand a chance.
It's an almost cert, I will get it. Courts hate maintenance and so do I. I want to work for my living, even though I'm past retirement!

Not good at this but have turned up £60,000 going into his private accounts, not £42,000 as declared to court.

Are you wishing you'd never asked the reason now?:D

[David Griffiths]

All that HMRC would have would be the figures shown on the returns, not the actual VAT records or working papers. If you ask them for copies of the returns, it can provoke a snotty response that it's up to you to keep the records.

As to the original workings papers, that depends on who prepared the returns (if they were done) If the accountants did the work, then they'd have working papers to back that up, but that might simply be totals extracted from the books or computer records.

If the business did its own returns, the original VAT records would be with the business. I wouldn't necessarily expect the accountants to have copies. Perhaps they'll have copies of the returns, or at least will have summarised the figures in their working papers, but not copies of the detail. It depends what and how they were given it but we wouldn't scan in reams of VAT working papers for accounts work.

Of course, that will only relate to the accounts that they've prepared. They probably won't have anything for any later periods