How To Find a VAT Number: Business VAT Number Check - Accounting Firms in UK

 If you are the owner of a company, you owe it to yourself to perform the necessary research on any other business with which you might be considering collaborating.

To learn about the history of a company or to read testimonials from people who have done business with them in the past, all one needs to do is conduct a speedy search on Google

However, regardless of how much research you have conducted, it is absolutely necessary for you to confirm the VAT number of any VAT registered business with which you are conducting business.

However, what precisely is a VAT number, and how does one go about locating the VAT number of a particular company? We're going to take a more in-depth look.

What Exactly Is a VAT Number, Anyway?

When a company registers for the Value-Added Tax (VAT) for the first time, the HMRC assigns that company a unique identification number known as the VAT number.

In the United Kingdom, a VAT number will always begin with the letters GB and will have a total length of nine digits. This makes it simple to recognise the number. On the other hand, the format of VAT numbers will take on a different style if you are transacting business with companies based in European countries.

On their website, HMRC provides a list of the ID formats used by the various countries that are members of the European Union. This allows you to easily check the requirements of the country with which you are dealing.

Why Is It Necessary to Have VAT Numbers?

It is of the utmost importance that you obtain the VAT number from any company or supplier with whom you do business.

Because of this, if you try to reclaim VAT without a valid VAT number, HMRC may end up rejecting your tax claim. This is due to the fact that HMRC is required to keep accurate records. This may result in you being responsible for paying the tax bill or having to deal with a significant amount of additional administrative work to rectify the situation.

Errors relating to VAT are almost always the result of simple carelessness. However, there are situations in which some individuals may attempt to commit fraud by using the VAT number of another company.

Where Can I Look to Obtain a VAT Number?

A company can locate their unique number on the VAT registration certificate that they will have received from HMRC. This certificate will be in their possession.

If you are looking for the VAT code of another company, you should be able to find it on any custom invoice that was provided to you. It is standard practise in this sector to include your one-of-a-kind VAT ID number on any and all invoices that are distributed.

It is imperative that you get in touch with a vendor as soon as possible if you pay VAT to them but the invoice that they send you does not contain a registration number.

Keep in mind that in order to successfully file a claim with HMRC, you will need to possess a valid VAT invoice from the businesses with which you are transacting.

How Can I Determine If the VAT Number That I Have Been Given Is Valid?

There are currently two distinct methods available to check the legality and validity of a VAT registration number that you have been provided with, and they are as follows:

Calling the VAT Helpline provided by HMRC

Checking with HMRC is the primary method for determining whether or not a registration number is legitimate. Because they maintain a comprehensive database of every company that is registered for VAT, they are able to quickly verify the legitimacy of the number that has been provided to you.

You can get in touch with their VAT helpline bureau by dialling 0300 200 3700 on the telephone.

Taking a look at the VIES website.

You can use the VAT Information Exchange System (also known as VIES), which is operated by the European Union, to verify the VAT number of a company that is located in the EU.

Using this database, one can determine whether or not a given VAT number is legitimate. It is suitable for use with VAT numbers originating from the EU as well as from the UK. To make use of the system, all that is required is to enter the registration number along with the relevant country code into the database. From there, it is simple to determine whether or not the number is legitimate.