HMRC has published updated guidance for agents registering business for VAT. Broadly, the new document covers what information agents require, which may be summarised as:
- the agent’s Government Gateway user ID and password for either agent services account or HMRC Online services
- agent’s name
- agent’s phone number
- agent’s email address
- the client’s name
- client’s date of birth
- details of client’s turnover and nature of business
- client’s bank account details
- client’s National Insurance number
- a form of ID from the client, eg: passport or driving licence
- client’s Corporation Tax Payments, PAYE, Self-Assessment Return, recent payslip or P60
Limited companies
If an agent is registering a limited company client, they must have a Company Registration Number and a Corporation Tax Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) to complete the VAT registration process.
Individuals and partnerships
These applications do not need to have a Self-Assessment UTR to register for VAT, but if they do, it must be supplied.
An agent will be asked to verify the entity it is registering, therefore it is prudent to obtain the basic history and background of the applicant’s business before starting the process. Cleary this is good practice generally!