HMRC VAT letter for shops and takeaways

Has HMRC written to your shop about VAT, and do you know what the letter means?

The letter sits by the till for a week while you ring an accountant who does not call back.

A VAT check you answer late, or answer badly, turns into an assessment and penalties you then have to argue about.

Start the check

Or read on to see how it works.

What happens when nobody deals with the letter

  1. HMRC letter arrives
  2. Nobody reads it properly
  3. Deadline passes
  4. HMRC estimates your takings
  5. Assessment and penalties
  6. You pay to appeal

HMRC does not drop a VAT check because you were busy behind the counter.

When you miss the date, HMRC works out the VAT itself from till data, card machine records and supplier invoices. Then the figure is yours to disprove.

The questions you cannot answer right now

Most owners who ring us about a VAT letter are stuck on the same five things.

  • What is HMRC actually asking me for here?
  • Which till and card records do they want?
  • Are my last four VAT returns even right?
  • What happens if I miss their reply date?
  • Will my accountant charge me for this call?

Every week the letter sits there, the answer gets more expensive.

CashPenaltiesInterestStockTimeSecond shop
Start the check

How it goes when we handle the letter for you

You send us the letter, we read it and we write back to HMRC as your agent.

We pull your till takings, card machine records and purchase invoices into order first, so the figures we give HMRC hold up.

  1. Same daywe reply to you
  2. We read the letter
  3. We rebuild the records
  4. We answer HMRC
  5. You know where you stand

You keep serving customers and we take the paperwork as well.

Start the check

Every HMRC investigation we have handled, we have won.

Cover included, free.

What the first ninety days with us look like

This is the same run for a corner shop, a takeaway or a franchise owner with five stores.

  1. Before you join

    You know the fee before we touch anything

    You answer a few questions, Mudassir replies the same working day, and we agree your fixed fee in writing.

  2. Week one

    HMRC authorises us to speak for you

    We complete your ID checks, write to your current accountant for your records, and get authorised as your agent with HMRC and Companies House.

  3. First month

    We go back through your VAT and HMRC history

    We review past returns, accounts and HMRC records, which is where unclaimed reliefs and penalties worth appealing turn up.

  4. By ninety days

    Every deadline for the year is mapped

    We sit down with you on your bookkeeping set-up and how you pay yourself, and you know what is coming up.

Start the check

Tax investigation cover is included, free

If HMRC opens an enquiry into your shop, we deal with it and you do not pay us extra. You send us the letter and we take it from there.

Joining also includes the handover, done for you.

We contact your current accountant for your records, your first month is free, we move you to Xero free if you want to switch, and we do your Companies House ID verification free.

An add-onsold separately each year by other firms, £300 to £1,000
Includedfree for every client here

Calls, meetings and emails are never charged on top.

Who we take on, and who we turn away

We say so straight when we are not the right firm for you.

A good fit

  • You run a corner shop, convenience store or takeaway in South Wales.
  • HMRC has written to you about VAT and you want someone to answer it.
  • Your paperwork is behind the till in a box and needs sorting.
  • You are a franchise owner opening a second or third store.
  • You want Urdu or Hindi spoken when we talk things through.

Not a fit

  • You are a CIS construction subcontractor.
  • You are a charity looking for charity accounts.
  • You are already late in an HMRC investigation that started months ago.
  • You want one Self Assessment return and nothing ongoing.
  • You want to haggle over the fee before we have spoken.
Start the check

A few questions. Mudassir replies the same working day.

£10,000

of business rates relief found in a first meeting

A Spar franchise owner with several stores was still paying full business rates from the Covid years, and Cardiff Council only gave the relief to businesses that applied. We spotted it in the first meeting and it saved him £10,000.

Thank you Mud, your help and support with my VAT return is greatly appreciated. Always a prompt response and my difficult VAT return was quickly submitted and resolved. Would definitely recommend.
Matthew George · Google review

Send us the letter and we will tell you what it means

  • A fixed fee agreed first
  • A reply the same working day
  • Investigation cover included free
  • We take the paperwork too

We are AAT licensed, based at Titan House in Cardiff Bay, and over 90% of our clients are in South Wales.

Answer a few questions and we will tell you if we are the right fit for your shop.

Start the check

If we cannot help, we will say so that day.

Check we’re the right fit

A few questions about your shop, your VAT and the letter you have had. Mudassir reads every answer and replies the same working day.

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