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GuidesBlogAboutContact Start the checkVAT returns filed on time for South Wales retailers
VAT returns are what most Cardiff shop and takeaway owners ring us about first. We prepare them, check them against your till and bank records, and file them on a fixed fee agreed before we start.
HMRC is checking more VAT returns from small retailers, and the letter tends to land in your busiest week. Every client we take on gets tax investigation cover included free, and we have won every HMRC investigation we have handled.
In one lineSupreme Consultants is an AAT licensed accountancy practice at Titan House in Cardiff Bay that prepares and files VAT returns for retailers and other owner-managed businesses across South Wales. Fees are fixed and agreed before work starts, and tax investigation cover is included for every client.
Check we’re the right fit
A few questions about your business. Mudassir replies the same working day.
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.
5.0 on Google from 14 reviewsReply the same working dayFee fixed before we startEnglish, Urdu, Hindi and Farsi spokenIs your VAT in good hands? Three questions.
Answer the three below with the buttons, no email address needed.
Question 1 of 3
Does your accountant reply the same working day?
Do you know your fee will not change this year?
If HMRC queried your VAT return tomorrow, would they deal with it at no extra cost?
On all three counts you are carrying something an accountant should be carrying for you. Run the check and we will tell you what we would do differently.
Start the checkYou are in a reasonable position, and one of those gaps is worth a conversation before the next quarter. The check takes a couple of minutes and gives us enough to be useful.
Start the checkYou are well served and there is no reason to move. Read the guides if you want to sanity check how your returns are being put together.
Read the guidesWhat you get
Investigation cover at no extra cost
If HMRC opens a check into your VAT, we deal with them and you get no bill for the work. Every HMRC investigation we have handled, we have won.
A fee you know before we start
We agree it in writing. Calls, emails and meetings are never added to it, so you can ring us the day the till roll stops adding up.
Every quarter filed before the deadline
We chase the records, not you. You see the figure and know what to put aside before anything goes to HMRC.
What shop owners say when they first call us
Three things we hear most often from retailers across Cardiff, Newport and Barry.
“I’ve had a letter from HMRC about my VAT return and I can’t work out what it’s asking for.”
He left it three weeks because his accountant charged for calls. The date on the letter had passed before anyone replied.
“The receipts are in a carrier bag behind the till and the quarter ends on Friday.”
The return went in on rough figures. Correcting it later took longer and cost more than doing it properly first time.
“Nobody has ever told me what a shop like mine can actually claim.”
A Spar franchisee came to us still paying full business rates through Covid, because Cardiff Council required an application nobody had mentioned. We recovered £10,000.
What changes once we take on your VAT
Your records come to us through the quarter instead of in one pile at the end. We reconcile the till, the card machine and the bank, then send you the figure to approve before filing. You know the number and the payment date with time to plan for both.
How this compares with the arrangement most retailers already have
Plenty of firms file VAT returns competently. The difference shows up in the weeks around an HMRC letter.
A typical high street arrangement
Records go over once a quarter, usually late.
Investigation cover sold on as a yearly add-on.
A phone call can appear on the next invoice.
Replies come back in a few working days.
With Supreme Consultants
Records come in through the quarter and get reconciled as they do.
Investigation cover included free for every client.
Calls, emails and meetings are never charged for.
A reply the same working day, every time.
Eight things worth checking about your VAT set-up
Work through these before your next quarter ends.
Do your till takings reconcile to your bank each week?
Weekly reconciliation is how under-declarations get caught before HMRC catches them.
Are card machine fees recorded gross?
Netting them off understates takings and the correction lands later.
Do you know which of your stock lines are zero rated?
Mixed retail stock is where most small shop errors start.
Are purchase invoices kept, not just card receipts?
HMRC can disallow input tax where there is no valid VAT invoice.
Is your bookkeeping software linked to HMRC for Making Tax Digital?
Returns have to be filed from compatible software with a digital trail.
Do you see the return figure before it is filed?
Approving the number yourself is the last chance to spot a missing month.
Is the VAT money set aside when it comes in?
Retailers who hold it separately rarely end up on a payment plan.
Would somebody answer today if HMRC wrote?
The reply time on an HMRC letter decides how much of it you can still influence.
- Quarterly returns prepared and filed
- We reconcile takings, purchases and bank, prepare the return and file it once you have approved the figure.
- Retail scheme and rate checks
- We check how your stock lines are treated and which scheme suits a shop of your size.
- HMRC letters answered
- Queries, checks and investigations are handled by us, with the cover included free for every client.
- Making Tax Digital set-up
- We connect your records to compatible software and keep the digital trail HMRC expects.
- Late returns brought up to date
- We rebuild neglected records, file what is outstanding and sort out what is genuinely owed.
What we found for a retailer facing a £20,000 HMRC bill
A shop owner came to us with an HMRC demand he could not account for and filings running behind. We were appointed as his agent and went through the whole record.
Clients described by type. Names withheld.
- How it was found
- We reviewed his VAT filings, his payments on account and his HMRC statement line by line in the first month.
- What happened
- The debt was unpicked, the overdue filings were brought up to date and he knew what he actually owed and when.
Reviews from clients
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.
I just want to say a big thank you to Mudassir for all the advice, guidance and help he has provided whilst dealing with my accounts and tax returns. From start to finish the service has been excellent and professional. Unlike other accountancy firms they provide a friendly personalised service, I was very clear on the process and was even provided with additional guidance where needed. Highly recommended!
Friendly, nice 👌 , helpful and great all around
Difficult to describe as there are too many words that can be expressed for a wonderful accountant and their firm.
Definitely 🔝 and highly recommended in Wales 🏴 and throughout the UK for Accountancy and Tax Services
Shaz Khan
How switching to us works
You tell us where things stand and we do the rest of the moving.
- Before you join
A free introductory chat
Tell us how your VAT is handled now. If we cannot genuinely improve on it, we will say so.
- Week one
Fee agreed and handover started
We complete your ID checks, put the fixed fee in writing and write to your current accountant for the records. You do not have that conversation.
- First month
Your HMRC position reviewed
We get authorised as your agent and go through past returns and HMRC records. This is where missed reliefs and appealable penalties turn up.
- By ninety days
Every VAT deadline diarised
Your quarters, payment dates and other filings are mapped for the year. You stop being the one chasing us.
Who we are not right for
We do not act for CIS construction subcontractors.
We do not take on charities.
We do not take on businesses already well into an HMRC investigation.
If none of those is you, the three questions above are the quickest way to see where you stand.
VAT returns: questions people ask
How much do VAT returns cost with an accountant in Cardiff?
We work on a fixed fee agreed in writing before we start, covering your VAT alongside the rest of your compliance. The figure depends on turnover, transaction volume and how tidy your records are, so we quote after the introductory chat rather than guess. Calls, emails and meetings are never charged on top.
How do I switch accountants partway through a VAT quarter?
You can switch at any point in the quarter. We write to your current accountant for professional clearance and your records, complete your ID checks and get authorised as your agent with HMRC. From your side it is mostly saying yes. The handover, the first month and migration to Xero cost nothing.
What happens if HMRC checks my VAT return?
You send us the letter and we take it from there, including the correspondence and the information HMRC asks for. Tax investigation cover is included free for every client we act for, so there is no separate bill for that work. Every HMRC investigation we have handled, we have won.
Do I have to change my bookkeeping software to work with you?
No. We work with what you already use, provided it files under Making Tax Digital. If you would rather move to Xero, we migrate you free as part of joining. If your records are on paper or spreadsheets, we will tell you honestly what needs to change and what can stay.
Can you file VAT returns for a shop with mixed zero rated and standard rated stock?
Yes. Mixed retail stock is one of the most common places small errors build up, so we check how each line is treated and which retail scheme fits your takings. You see the figure before we file, with the split explained in plain terms rather than a bare total.
Will you do a one-off VAT return for me?
We take on clients for the year rather than for single pieces of work, so one-off returns are not something we offer. VAT usually sits with bookkeeping, payroll and year-end accounts under one fixed monthly fee. That is also how we spot the reliefs and errors a single return would never show.
Three ways to take the next step
Run the check
A few questions about your returns and your current set-up, and we come back the same working day with what we would do.
Start the checkGot one question about a VAT letter?
Send it to Mudassir and get an answer, with no charge for the call.
Ask Mudassir a questionStill deciding
The guides walk through how a retail VAT return is put together and where the common errors sit.
Read the guides