All the businesses that are VAT registered have a unique VAT (value-added tax) number. If you’re operating a VAT-registered business, you need to know the VAT registration number of other businesses (suppliers) to reclaim any VAT you have paid. If you struggle to find VAT number, we have written the whole process in this article.
Without VAT number, you can’t make a claim that leads to a large sum of money on your head, or your valuable time is wasted dealing with the situation.
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Finding a business’s VAT number can be complicated and time-consuming, especially for businesses working outside the EU. However, it is important to verify any VAT number before submitting any official documents.
This quick post will help you know what a VAT registration number is, why it is essential, and how to find a VAT number. Let’s explore!
What is a VAT Registration Number?
It is a unique code provided by HMRC to businesses at the time of registration for VAT. This number contains nine digits with the prefix GB (in the UK). Keep in mind that the VAT numbers of other EU countries are different.
| Country | Country code | Format | Characters |
| United Kingdom | GB | 123456789 | 9 |
Why VAT Number is Important?
If you reclaim the VAT from HMRC of your supplier with an invalid VAT code, HMRC would most probably reject your claim. In this situation, you will need to pay for it or you need to spend time rectifying the situation.
How to Get your VAT Number?
After registering for VAT with HMRC, you’ll get a certificate of your VAT registration number. This number will be used for all future dealings of your business. So, you need to keep it safe. Moreover, you can get the certificate on the HMRC business account.
Where to Find a VAT Number?
The first document to get the VAT number of another business is to look at the invoices that are supplied to you. If the business you’re dealing with is VAT-registered, you can easily find its VAT ID on its invoices. On the other hand, if you have paid VAT to a supplier but there is no VAT number available, then you should contact them right away. A valid VAT ID is needed to reclaim any VAT you’ve paid.
Still, if you’re unable to find out the VAT number, you must have this information: the full name of the business, its official name and the address of its headquarters. You can provide this information to Companies House to get one or search for the stock price of the company.
Finding VAT Registration Number of EU Companies
To get the VAT number of an EU company, you first need to find the country’s VAT code. The country code is the two-letter code corresponding to the country’s ISO code. For instance, the VAT number of the UK begins with GB, Germany’s country code starts with DE and France’s starts with FR.
Bear in mind that the country code can vary based on the language used. The VAT code of Italy is IT in English but it’s IVA in Italian. Therefore, you need to use the correct VAT code based on the receiver of the information.
How to Verify a VAT Number in the UK?
To make a reclaim, you need to have a valid VAT number as an incorrect VAT number can be a costly and time-consuming error to correct. Therefore, it is best practice to validate it before submitting the documents. The EU’s VIES website can be helpful to verify the VAT number of the corresponding company.
Moreover, if you are unable to validate it with VIES, you can contact the country’s customs agency or business bureau by phone to get an authenticating tool to verify the VAT number. Some countries don’t publish their VAT numbers publicly. If you’re in the UK, you can call the HMRC VAT helpline on 0300 200 3700.
How To Reclaim VAT?
To reclaim VAT in the UK, you need to submit a VAT return for it. There are two ways to send your VAT returns: manually or via an online account or accounting software to make the process easier.
Quick Sum Up
So we do hope that you have got enough information on how to find VAT number, why it is essential, where to find your VTA number and how to verify it. An accurate VAT number is important to reclaim the VAT that you pay. By putting an incorrect VAT number in your return, you can’t get a refund from HMRC. Therefore, validating the VAT registration number through the above-mentioned ways is important.
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Disclaimer: All the information provided in this article on How to Find a Business’s VAT Number? including all the texts and graphics, is general in nature. It does not intend to disregard any of the professional advice.
