VAT evidence to HMRC

[newhome]

36 minutes ago, Moonshine said:

Can i claim the VAT back on tools and other things (e.g. sheds) other than just materials for the build?

Also have a read here. The first few posts cover most of your queries so far.
 

 

 

I loved @Bitpipe’s post but would just add at the end.

 

Find another invoice you forgot about after you have sent the claim off and feel aggrieved about the £25 you didn’t claim back rather than celebrate the £25k that was paid out. 
 

Personally I didn’t scan the whole lot but I did copy the invoices that were worth the most money, not every tiny Screwfix purchase. Also keep copies of any invoices you may need to refer to while they are missing in action at HMRC. It was 20 weeks before I saw mine again. 
 

 

[TomFurtherField]

On 22/03/2021 at 10:46, joe90 said:

I am not the best at paperwork and wanted to focus on the build so engaged a VAT tax man that does this for a living, was well worth the couple of hundred quid as he contacted suppliers whose receipts were not right (that I had not noticed) recovered money paid to my builder in error. He got me more money back than he cost me. I can recommend him and others on this forum have used him.

Can you share the name of the company that you used? I would be interested in enquiring 

 

thanks 

[joe90]

@TomFurtherField several here have used them and found them good, he even claimed stuff I did not know I could, more than covered his reasonable costs and easy to deal with https://www.vat431.co.uk

[Joanna Susskind]

On 22/03/2021 at 10:46, joe90 said:

I am not the best at paperwork and wanted to focus on the build so engaged a VAT tax man that does this for a living, was well worth the couple of hundred quid as he contacted suppliers whose receipts were not right (that I had not noticed) recovered money paid to my builder in error. He got me more money back than he cost me. I can recommend him and others on this forum have used him.

Hello! Would love the details of this magic man!

[joe90]

7 minutes ago, Joanna Susskind said:

Hello! Would love the details of this magic man!

https://www.vat431.co.uk   ?he could not be more helpful.

[Joanna Susskind]

1 minute ago, joe90 said:

https://www.vat431.co.uk   ?he could not be more helpful.

Perfect! Thanks so much.

Quick question, in case you know, but I'll make a separate post too... most of our purchases are via Jewson, Screwfix and Toolstation. We have online accounts with all three where all our statements and invoices live. Once printed, these count as originals, surely? There is nothing more original than them! ?

[joe90]

3 minutes ago, Joanna Susskind said:

Perfect! Thanks so much.

Quick question, in case you know, but I'll make a separate post too... most of our purchases are via Jewson, Screwfix and Toolstation. We have online accounts with all three where all our statements and invoices live. Once printed, these count as originals, surely? There is nothing more original than them! ?

I believe so, but several receipts I sent to Andrew were the wrong sort and he contacted the retailer fir me to arrange the proper sort of receipt, another reason to use him.

[jamieled]

6 minutes ago, Joanna Susskind said:

Perfect! Thanks so much.

Quick question, in case you know, but I'll make a separate post too... most of our purchases are via Jewson, Screwfix and Toolstation. We have online accounts with all three where all our statements and invoices live. Once printed, these count as originals, surely? There is nothing more original than them! ?

Yep, I was similar and they were accepted. 

[Joanna Susskind]

17 minutes ago, jamieled said:

Yep, I was similar and they were accepted. 

Ok, that's great to know. Did you print out each individual Screwfix invoice, or is the statement, plus a spreadsheet entry sufficient? Thank you! I just spoke to Andrew @joe90 - So helpful! he said there are 200 claims going in a week at the moment, and its taking around 16 weeks for them to process. Crazy.

 

[joe90]

1 minute ago, Joanna Susskind said:

Did you print out each individual Screwfix invoice,

Yes, 

[jamieled]

1 hour ago, Joanna Susskind said:

Ok, that's great to know. Did you print out each individual Screwfix invoice, or is the statement, plus a spreadsheet entry sufficient? Thank you! I just spoke to Andrew @joe90 - So helpful! he said there are 200 claims going in a week at the moment, and its taking around 16 weeks for them to process. 

They typically want to see stuff itemised to check you're not reclaiming the vat on stuff you shouldn't,  like tools.

 

We submitted our VAT return end of July 2021. Had a letter re a successfull claim about 2 weeks ago, money hopefully coming soon.

[Joanna Susskind]

49 minutes ago, jamieled said:

They typically want to see stuff itemised to check you're not reclaiming the vat on stuff you shouldn't,  like tools.

 

We submitted our VAT return end of July 2021. Had a letter re a successfull claim about 2 weeks ago, money hopefully coming soon.

Oh my goodness. What a long time... were they in touch at all in between? CONGRATS!

[jamieled]

Yep, they sent 3-4 weeks after sending it in to confirm they had received it and a letter about 2 months later noting it was a valid claim.

[Joanna Susskind]

If delivery is included on the invoice, do we claim for the total, or take delivery out then calculate the VAT? Also... if invoices are in euros, do we make the conversion before entering to spreadsheet? Thanks all!

[jack]

1 hour ago, Joanna Susskind said:

If delivery is included on the invoice, do we claim for the total, or take delivery out then calculate the VAT? Also... if invoices are in euros, do we make the conversion before entering to spreadsheet? Thanks all!

 

Claim for the total if delivery is on the same invoice.

 

We converted to GBP using the historic daily exchange rates on xe.com. Might have perhaps been able to show the actual amount paid in GBP by digging through credit card statements, but that seemed like far too much faff for the amount it would return.

[Susie]

I have a till receipt from B&Q then they email me a copy receipt that I file digitally, getting both stops the panic when you think you lost the till receipt. I would like to know if they are both ‘originals’ as neither are photo copies.

Thanks

 

[Temp]

18 minutes ago, Susie said:

I have a till receipt from B&Q then they email me a copy receipt that I file digitally, getting both stops the panic when you think you lost the till receipt. I would like to know if they are both ‘originals’ as neither are photo copies.

Thanks

 

 

When we did ours some years ago you could ask the till staff for a VAT receipt and they would write one on a pad for you. 

 

Others have just sent till receipts sometimes stapled to a sheet of paper with the companies VAT number on it. 

 

I think I would print out emailed receipts if you have them and staple the till receipt to that. Send both.

[joe90]

I thought all my receipts were the correct ones as I checked they all had the suppliers VAT number on them, however letting Andrew the VAT man do my claim fir me found some were wrong and he contacted the seller to get a proper copy, another reason I was glad he did it.

Edited February 3, 2022 by joe90

[Joanna Susskind]

So I'm going through my mountain of Screwfix and Tool station invoices. Does anyone know if you can just use the last 4 digits, like the stores themselves do, on our spreadsheets?

 

So for order no: A6973253874.... can I just type the last 4 letters? Will HMRC accept this?

 

Thanks all!

 

Joanna

[jamieled]

You can use any numbering system, as long as it's unique and clear. You don't need to use the invoice numbers at all if you don't want to. I just started at 1 and numbered them all sequentially which was accepted and easier for me to keep track.

[Russdl]

+1 to the above. 1, 2, 3, etc. 
 

Also, if you happen to have a defunct smart phone laying around (and who doesn’t?) take a photo of each invoice after you’ve numbered it, saves a lot of scanning. 

[Joanna Susskind]

Haha oh dear I've entered every invoice number on to the spreadsheet.... I'm nearly done now! All my invoices are digital and I've printed them, so will send the hard copies.

[Joanna Susskind]

Still going with all this... almost there though!

 

We do not have completion so will need to provide some other evidence. Did anyone use a letter from their mortgage company? This is ours:

 

This is to certify that ********** released, on 27/01/2021, the last instalment of its loan secured on the building at Plot 4 ********** because the final valuation completed on 25/01/2021 confirmed a sufficient property value to support this release.

 

The HMRC VAT return notes state that they need to know the building is complete... do you think this letter will suffice or not?

 

Confusing! Glasgow City Council won't give us temporary habitation...only the full thing.

[Russdl]

@Joanna Susskind, If I recall correctly, on the form where it asks for the completion certificate there is a a yes/no option and then a text box underneath to explain why you said 'no' if you didn't have a completion certificate.

 

I don't recall any request for evidence of 'completion'?