Businesses over £90,000 turnover must register for VAT, but HMRC may grant exceptions if the increase is temporary.
A business must register for VAT if either of the following applies:
- At the end of any month, its taxable turnover in the previous 12 months has exceeded £90,000; or
- At any point, it is reasonable to expect that taxable turnover in the next 30 days alone will exceed £90,000.
If a business temporarily exceeds the VAT registration threshold, they may be able to apply for an exception from VAT registration with HMRC. This applies if their taxable turnover has gone over the threshold in the last 12 months, but the business can show it will not go over the deregistration threshold (£88,000) in the next 12 months. This exception must be applied for by contacting HMRC to request and complete forms VAT1 and VAT5EXC. It’s important to note that this is different from a full VAT exemption.
Once an application is submitted, HMRC will respond within 40 working days to confirm approval or refusal. If approved, the business will not be registered for VAT at that time but will remain required to monitor their turnover monthly in case their circumstances change, and VAT registration is required. If the exception is denied, HMRC will register a business based on the information provided, and the business will be required to account for VAT from the date their liability began.
