You can use VAT1 if you are starting a new business, registering your existing business or acquiring an existing business.

For all standard registration applications, send your completed form to:

For applications to register a VAT group, or if you wish to keep the previous owner’s VAT Registration Number, send your completed form to:

Related forms and guidance

Log in to use VAT online services
It may be faster, easier, more secure and more reliable to apply for your VAT registration online.

VAT: application for registration – distance selling (VAT1A)
Use form VAT1A to register your business for distance selling into the UK.

VAT: application for registration – acquisitions (VAT1B)
Use form VAT 1B to register for UK VAT if you make acquisitions of goods from other EU states and bring those goods into the UK.

VAT: registration notification (VAT1C)
Use form VAT 1C to register for VAT if you are making supplies of 8th or 13th Directive goods.

VAT: appointment of tax representative (VAT1TR)
Use form VAT 1TR if you engage in distance selling into the UK and want to appoint a UK tax representative.

VAT: partnership details (VAT2)
Use form VAT2 to provide details of partners when you register a partnership for VAT.

VAT: application for VAT group treatment (VAT50)
Use form VAT50 to apply for VAT group treatment or to add companies to an existing VAT group.

VAT: application for VAT group treatment – company details (VAT51)
When registering or amending a VAT group using form VAT50 use form VAT51 to give details of each company in the group.

Overview

From 1 January 2015 the VAT rules for place of supply changed in the EU for sales of digital services from businesses to consumers. The change doesn’t affect business to business sales.

For cross border supplies of digital services there’s no registration threshold, and VAT is charged at the rate due in the consumer’s country.

If your sales aren’t being made as a business (for example, as a hobby activity with occasional sales, rather than a commercial activity) the changes don’t apply to you and you don’t need to register for VAT or use VAT MOSS.

Guidance on what you need to consider when deciding whether your activity is ‘business’ is in the VAT Business/Non-Business Manual.

To pay the VAT due on sales you can either:

• register for VAT in each EU country where you supply digital services to consumers
• use the VAT MOSS scheme in one EU country

How the VAT MOSS scheme works

There are 2 types of scheme:

• Union VAT MOSS – for businesses based in the EU, including the UK
• Non-Union VAT MOSS – for businesses based outside of the EU

Union VAT MOSS

To use the Union VAT MOSS scheme in the UK, your business must:

• be based in the UK, or be a non-EU business with a fixed establishment in the UK
• be registered for UK VAT
• supply digital services to consumers in the EU

If your business turnover is below the UK VAT threshold you still need to register for UK VAT to use the Union VAT MOSS scheme.

Non-Union VAT MOSS

To use the Non-Union VAT MOSS scheme in the UK, your business must:

• be based outside of the EU
• have no fixed or business establishments in the EU
• supply digital services to consumers in the EU

How UK VAT MOSS works

Once you register your business for the scheme, you must account for the VAT due on any qualifying sales by sending HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) a VAT MOSS Return and payment each calendar quarter.

This means you only need to send a single VAT MOSS Return each calendar quarter. You don’t have to declare the VAT due separately in each EU member state.

HMRC will send the relevant parts of your return and payment to the tax authority of the country where your customers are based.

How to register

How you register depends on which type of scheme you need to use.

You must register for the scheme yourself, if you have an agent they won’t be able to register for you.

Once you have registered you can authorise an agent to submit your VAT MOSS Returns.

Your agent will need to sign up for the VAT MOSS for Agents online service.

Register for Union VAT MOSS

You must be registered for UK VAT before you can apply for the Union VAT MOSS scheme.

If you’re already registered for UK VAT you can log in to HMRC Online Services to register for Union VAT MOSS. You need to sign in with your existing Government Gateway user ID and password, this will be the same one you use to submit your VAT Return. Make sure your user ID and password was set up for an organisation.

If you don’t already have a Government Gateway account user ID and password, you can set this up when you register for UK VAT through HMRC Online Services.

If you have any fixed establishments in other EU member states you must tell HMRC about these when you register for Union VAT MOSS.

If you’re already registered you’ll need to tell HMRC about any new fixed establishments through your VAT MOSS account, in HMRC Online Services.

If your business turnover is below the UK VAT threshold

If you’re in business but your turnover is below the UK VAT threshold you’ll need to:

• register for VAT before you can register for Union VAT MOSS
• enter ‘Digital Services’ and select ‘Supplies of Digital Services (below UK VAT threshold) under VAT MOSS arrangements’ – when asked to search for a business activity as part of VAT registration

If you only register for UK VAT so you can use the VAT MOSS scheme, you’ll only need to submit nil VAT Returns.

Register for Non-Union VAT MOSS

To register for the Non-Union VAT MOSS scheme you need to create a Government Gateway account.

Once you have your user ID and password you can log in to HMRC Online Services to register for Non-Union VAT MOSS.

VAT groups

If your business is part of a VAT group the group can register for UK VAT MOSS if any member of the group qualifies for the scheme. The representative member must register using the group’s UK VAT number.

If you’re a VAT group’s representative member, when you register for VAT MOSS you must:

• state you’re the representative member
• quote your group’s UK VAT registration number

Enter ‘no’ when asked if there are any fixed establishments in other member states. Any ties with establishments outside the UK are considered to be broken for VAT MOSS purposes.

A group registered for VAT MOSS in the UK can only use it to declare sales of digital services to consumers outside the UK that are made by the group’s UK establishments and it should be used for all those sales, whether or not the group has fixed establishments outside the UK.

A VAT group shouldn’t enter details of any fixed establishments outside the UK when registering for VAT MOSS.

If any of your group members have fixed establishments in,or are based in other member states, they should register for VAT MOSS in the member state where they’re established.

Get help from HMRC if you need further information on VAT groups within VAT MOSS.

Registration deadlines

You must register for VAT MOSS by the 10th day of the month after your first digital service sale.

For example, if your first sale of digital services is on 8 January 2017, you must register by 10 February 2017. Your VAT MOSS registration will be backdated to 8 January, the date of your first sale.

Get help from HMRC if you have not been able to register by the deadline.

If you want to leave the scheme

VAT MOSS is optional, so you can deregister your business if you no longer want to use the scheme.

Log in to HMRC Online Services and go to the VAT MOSS ‘change registration details’ section from the ‘services you can use’ page to deregister.

As the scheme runs on a quarterly basis, you’ll need to tell HMRC you want to leave the scheme at least 15 days before the end of the quarter you want to leave. For example, if you want to deregister from 1 July, you must tell HMRC before 15 June.

Once you have deregistered you won’t be able to rejoin scheme in any member state for 2 calendar quarters. You’ll need to wait until the first day of the calendar quarter after this period before you can join the scheme again.

VAT MOSS Returns

HMRC will automatically set you up for the online VAT MOSS Return service when you register .

You need to log in to HMRC Online Services to send HMRC your VAT MOSS quarterly return. The deadlines for the returns are:

• 20 April – for first quarter ending 31 March
• 20 July – for second quarter ending 30 June
• 20 October – for third quarter ending 30 September
• 20 January – for fourth quarter ending 31 December

Union VAT MOSS Return

Use this return to declare VAT due on sales of digital services to consumers in EU member states where you have no place of business. Don’t include UK sales, as they must be declared on your UK VAT Return.

To submit a Union Return you can either:

• complete it online
• upload a completed Union VAT MOSS Return template

The VAT MOSS: Union Return guide tells you how to do this.

If you have fixed establishments in other EU member states, any digital sales you make to consumers there must be declared in those countries.

You can only use the Union VAT MOSS scheme to declare sales to consumers in member states where you have no fixed or business establishments.

If your business turnover is below the UK VAT threshold

As well as a VAT MOSS Return, you’ll need to complete a nil UK VAT Return.

If you need to reclaim VAT paid on business expenses or purchases, use your UK VAT Return to do this instead of submitting a nil return. You can’t reclaim these on your VAT MOSS Return.

If your business turnover goes over the UK VAT threshold

It’s important that you monitor your UK taxable turnover. If you go over the VAT registration threshold, you’ll need to start accounting for VAT on UK sales.

If you don’t start to account for UK VAT at the right time, HMRC may assess the tax due.

Non-Union VAT MOSS Return

Use this return to declare VAT due on sales of digital services to consumers in the EU. This includes sales to UK consumers.

To submit the Non-Union Return you can either:

• complete it online
• upload a completed Non-Union VAT MOSS Return template

The VAT MOSS: Non-Union Return guide tells you how to do this.

How to calculate the VAT element of a VAT inclusive price

If you charge customers a flat rate VAT inclusive (or gross) price then you need to calculate what proportion of that price is VAT to be able to complete your VAT MOSS Return.

For example, you may sell an ebook and charge all your customers £10 including VAT, regardless of where the customer is based. The amount of VAT in that £10 will vary, depending on the VAT rate of the country where the customer is based.

To calculate the VAT you should use what is known as the VAT fraction for the country. If you divide the total sales by the VAT fraction the result is the amount of VAT contained within your total sales.

The VAT fraction is calculated as:

(100 + VAT rate) ÷ VAT rate = VAT fraction

So for Sweden (VAT rate 25%) the VAT fraction would be (100 + 25) ÷ 25 = 5.

If you sell 12 ebooks costing £10 to customers in Sweden (VAT rate 25%), the total sales value is £120 and the VAT would be £120 ÷ 5 = £24.

As the VAT is £24, this means the VAT exclusive (or net) value of sales is £120 – £24 = £96.

How to account for sales to a member state territory

Taxable sales of digital services to consumers based in territories of certain member states may attract special VAT rates. Add these sales to your VAT MOSS Return on a separate line, against the relevant parent member state (and add the appropriate VAT rate).

Member state VAT rates

If you need to look up VAT rates to complete your return, the European Commission publishes current and historical VAT rates for each EU member state.

You can also find changes to the UK and other member state VAT rates in HMRC’s VAT Information Sheets.

If the VAT rate of a member state changes part way through a tax period, record the sales for the old and new rates on separate lines of your VAT MOSS Return.

Exchange rates

If you charge non-UK consumers in a currency other than pound sterling and record that currency in your business accounts, you must convert the amount into sterling when you enter the sale on your quarterly return.

You must use the European Central Bank conversion rates which are published on the on the last working day of each calendar quarter to do this.

You can find the conversion rates for each quarter in HMRC’s VAT Information Sheets.

If you automatically convert the foreign currency into sterling on your business accounts (using an agreed daily or other periodic rate) you can use the figures from your accounts to complete your quarterly VAT MOSS Return.

European Community (EC) Sales Lists

You must not complete EC Sales Lists for sales you declare on your VAT MOSS Return.

If your business turnover is below the UK VAT threshold and you have only registered for UK VAT so you can use VAT MOSS, you won’t need to complete EC Sales Lists at all.

How to correct a VAT MOSS Return

If you need to make a change to a return you have already submitted, log in to HMRC Online Services, go to your VAT MOSS account, then:

1. On the ‘at a glance’ screen, select ‘view VAT Mini One Stop Shop periods’.
2. Find the return you need to correct from the list of tax periods shown and select ‘view or amend return’.
3. Select the value on the return you want to change and enter the correct amount – don’t enter minus values.

To change an incorrect VAT rate (or VAT rate format) for a member state:

1. Change the ‘total value of taxable supplies excluding VAT (£)’ to ‘0’ (zero).
2. Add a new line, using the relevant ‘Add taxable supplies’ link, with the correct VAT rate or VAT rate format.
3. Repeat for all incorrect entries.

You can make changes to your VAT MOSS Return up to 3 years and 20 days after the end of the relevant period.

If you need to make a change that will mean you’re owed a refund, make sure your bank details are up to date in your VAT MOSS account before you correct the return.

How to pay your VAT MOSS bill

You must pay HMRC the VAT due once you have submitted each quarterly VAT MOSS Return. The deadlines for the quarterly payments are the same as the return deadlines.

Your payment must reach HMRC on the last working day before the weekend or a bank holiday. The time you need to allow depends on how you pay.

The guide on how to pay your MOSS VAT bill explains where to send payments for Union and Non-Union schemes.

If you use the Union scheme, make sure you pay your bill into the correct account and quote the payment reference. You can find your payment reference:

• on the acknowledgement screen when you submit your VAT MOSS Return
• by going to the ‘customer communications’ section of your VAT MOSS account in HMRC Online Services

You can’t pay Union VAT MOSS along with your UK VAT bill. You must pay your VAT MOSS bill into HMRC’s VAT MOSS account.

If you overpay

If you overpay VAT through the VAT MOSS scheme, the tax authority of the country where you made the sales to consumers will repay the amount you overpaid to them. Countries will make any repayment to you in their own currency.

If you use the Union scheme you’ll also get a proportion of your refund from the tax authority of the country whose VAT MOSS scheme you used.

This is because the VAT MOSS tax authority keeps an administrative fee before sending the balance on to the country where the VAT is due.

So if you have overpaid through UK VAT MOSS, the tax authority in the country of your consumer and HMRC will make separate refunds to you.

Your refund can only be sent to the bank account you have entered in the VAT MOSS system, so you must make sure this is up to date.

If you underpay

If you haven’t paid your VAT MOSS bill, or don’t pay the full amount, HMRC will send you an email reminder 10 days after the payment is due.

If you don’t pay after the reminder has been sent, you may have to make any further payments direct to the tax authority of the country concerned.

Records you need to keep

If you use the VAT MOSS scheme, for each sale, you must keep records of:

• the member state where you made the sales – known as the member state of consumption
• the date you supplied a service
• the taxable amount, including the currency used
• any increase or decrease of the taxable amount
• the VAT rate you applied
• the amount of VAT due and the currency used
• payments your business received – the dates and amounts
• any payments on account your business received for services before you supplied them
• the information shown on any invoices you issued
• your customers names – where known
• the information you used to work out where a customer is based

You must keep this information for 10 years and be able to send it to HMRC electronically if asked.

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

If you use the UK VAT MOSS scheme it doesn’t mean you’ll need to register as a data controller with the ICO. The ICO rules have an exemption for accounts and records which cover the basic customer information you need for VAT MOSS.

If you hold more information than this you may want to check if you do need to register. You can find more information on the ICO website.

If you do need to register this will be based on your place of business and not the location of your customers – as a UK business you will only need to register with the ICO in the UK.

How to reclaim VAT on business expenses and purchases

You can reclaim VAT you pay on business expenses and purchases relating to VAT MOSS qualifying sales, but you can’t use your VAT MOSS Return to do this. How you reclaim the VAT depends on your circumstances.

If you charge UK VAT

Use your UK VAT Return to reclaim any UK VAT you have paid on business expenses and purchases, including those for VAT MOSS qualifying sales.

If you don’t charge UK VAT

If you have registered for UK VAT to use the VAT MOSS scheme only, and are under the UK VAT threshold, you can:

• reclaim VAT you have paid on business expenses and purchases relating to your VAT MOSS qualifying sales
• use your UK VAT Return to make the claim, instead of submitting a nil return

If you have expenses and purchases that

• fully relate to qualifying sales you can reclaim the full amount of VAT you paid on these.
• partly relate to VAT MOSS qualifying sales, you can only reclaim the proportion of VAT that relates to those sales.

You’ll need to work out the proportion of your VAT MOSS qualifying sales. For example, if you buy a computer and use it to make sales which are made up of:

• 60% UK sales
• 40% sales of digital services to consumers in other EU member states

You can recover 40% of the VAT charged on the purchase of the computer if the computer is only used for business purposes.

If you have paid VAT on business expenses in other EU member states

If you pay VAT on business expenses in other EU member states, you can reclaim the VAT as long as the expenses directly relate to your VAT MOSS qualifying sales. You’ll need to complete a cross-border VAT refund application to do this.

Compliance: audit and penalties

HMRC may carry out checks on your business to make sure you’re following VAT MOSS rules and keeping records correctly. If you regularly don’t follow the rules you may be removed from the scheme.

If HMRC decides to do this, you’ll be sent a message through the online service and won’t be able to use the scheme anywhere in the EU for up to 2 years.

If you receive a VAT MOSS penalty or fine from the EU member state where your VAT is due, you must pay or resolve any disputes with that tax authority. You’ll need to pay any penalty or fine in the currency of that country.

If you’re registered for VAT MOSS, the tax authority of the member state where you make digital sales to consumers has the legal right to audit your VAT MOSS Return.

Normally the tax authority of your home member state will co-ordinate any audit request and contact you about this.

VAT on e-Services scheme

From 1 January 2015, the VAT on e-Services (VoeS) scheme was replaced by the Non-Union VAT MOSS scheme. The VoeS website will remain open to businesses already registered for VoeS so they can submit any missing returns.

Records relating to VoeS returns are subject to VoeS rules and not VAT MOSS rules. You can only use the VoeS scheme to declare sales made before 1 January 2015.

Existing UK VoeS registered businesses can choose to register for the non-Union MOSS scheme for sales after this date.

Get help

You can contact HMRC to get with help with VAT MOSS questions:

• for registration or returns problems email: vat2015.contact@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
• if you have a question about payments email: paymentteam.moss@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

You can also ask the VAT Online Services Helpdesk.

There are 2 tax credits, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. This leaflet explains in detail:

• what they are
• who is eligible
• how to claim

Use the Local Test Service tool to test your software against HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) rules within your own environment.

Download the Local Test Service tool and save to an appropriate location.

Once downloaded locate the file, right click it and choose option ‘Extract all’ (Note: if you have Winzip installed then the ‘Extract all’ option may not show up, you will have an option to ‘Extract to’ instead.

Version 7 of the Java Software Development Kit (SDK) needs to be installed and working.

You must apply to HMRC for verification under the Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme if you manufacture a Geographical Indication spirit drink in the UK.

This collection brings together all documents about the national minimum wage (NMW). NMW is the least pay per hour most workers are entitled to by law.

This publication presents the yearly totals and breakdowns of Stamp Taxes collected by HMRC for the two main categories of ‘Land and property’ and ‘Stocks and shares and other liable securities’. There was also a third category of ‘Other Stamp Taxes’ which ceased to be applicable after the tax year 2003 to 2004.

Investments in Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) are notified to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), but not in a form suitable for data capture. Therefore, information on the number of VCTs and funds raised are obtained from publicly available internet sources.

As a result, these figures are outside the managerial control of HMRC and are not considered National Statistics. However, they are published annually by HMRC as our current best indicators of the number of VCT funds and the amounts they raise.

Overview

You’re a share fisherman if you work in the fishing industry and you:

• aren’t employed under a contract of service
• are a master or a crew-member of a British fishing boat manned by more than one person
• get all or part of your pay by sharing the profits or gross earnings of the fishing boat

You also count as a shared fisherman if you used to work on a British fishing boat, but now work ashore in Great Britain. This could be making and mending gear or any other work for a British fishing boat.

Fishermen employed under a contract of service aren’t share fishermen.

Self Assessment

A share fisherman is classed as self-employed. You must register as self-employed with HM Revenue and Customs within 3 months of when you first started fishing.

Fill in a Self Assessment tax return

You must fill in a Self Assessment tax return each year. This is so that you can declare all of your income from any source, for example, self-employment, employment and Jobseeker’s Allowance, and claim any business expenses. You must keep business records to support information you put in your tax return.

Don’t record any tax that’s been deducted by your settling agent on your tax return.

Pay Class 2 National Insurance

When you register as self-employed, you’re also registering to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions. The rate you pay in the tax year 2017 to 2018 is £3.50 a week. This contributes towards the basic State Pension, the normal range of benefits for self-employed people, and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).

Claiming JSA

If your JSA claim date is between the first Sunday in January and 31 January, you’ll need to pay all the Class 2 National Insurance contributions asked for in your self-assessment tax return as soon as you can, if you haven’t done so already.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) must receive the payment for these National Insurance contributions by no later than 31 January. This is to avoid a delay in getting the contribution-based JSA you may be entitled to.

If you can only pay your Class 2 National Insurance and owe HMRC any other money, please contact us first before making the payment. We’ll normally apply payments to your oldest debts first.

Budget for your Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance contributions

As a share fisherman, you can join a voluntary tax budgeting scheme to help you pay your Income Tax and National Insurance contributions.

How the scheme works

Authorise your settling agent (payer) to deduct a minimum of 20% each time you’re paid. They’ll put this money into a dedicated, interest bearing bank account in your name (your fishing account). It will stay in that account until your tax and NICs become due.

Fill in a Direct Debit mandate, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will take money from your fishing account, usually in January and July. They’ll use the money to clear your outstanding Income Tax and Class 4 NICs – settling the oldest liabilities first.

Join the scheme

Register with HMRC as self-employed within 3 months of when you first started fishing.

Contact HMRC to ask for a Tax Savings Scheme form and a Direct Debit mandate.

Fill in the Tax Savings Scheme form and the Direct Debit mandate. Ask your boat owner or settling agent (payer) to witness and sign the savings scheme form. They will send both forms to HMRC’s Fishing Unit.

Your boat owner or settling agent will deduct the percentage you’ve agreed and pay it into your dedicated fishing account.

Deduction rates to use

The minimum deduction is 20%. But, if you’ve tax arrears or you earn more than £28,000 (gross) in a year, you must increase your percentage deduction. Do this in multiples of 5%.

To increase your percentage deduction you must fill in an additional Direct Debit mandate.

Claim sea kit expenses

If you join the scheme, you can claim an allowance for sea kit expenses. This is to cover things like:

• protective clothing
• oilskins
• boots
• gloves
• stones
• bedding

You won’t normally be asked for proof of this expense as long as it falls below the agreed figure of £700.

If you aren’t fishing for a full year, you can only claim a proportion of this allowance. For example, if you’ve only been fishing for 6 months of the year, you can only claim a maximum of £350.

Get more help

If you need more help or want to speak to an adviser, please use the contact details below:

Fishing Units

For fishermen registered in Scotland.

For fishermen registered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Find out about call charges