Understanding Charity VAT
It's easier than you think to get your head around charity VAT
Understanding the world of charity VAT no longer needs to be complicated or tiresome. We now have not one, but two ways for you to get on top of what can be (but doesn’t have to be) a complex subject.
1.Grab a copy of The Complete Charity VAT Handbook
If you’re looking for clarity on this subject then look no further. This book is authored by Kate Sayer, partner at the charity accountants firm Sayer Vincent, and Alastair Hardman, author and advisor on charity taxation and accounting.
What is covered in the book?
- How VAT operates for both registered and unregistered charities
- When you need to charge VAT and how to decide
- Recovering the VAT on purchases and handling VAT on overhead costs
- Obtaining exemptions from paying VAT and maximising reliefs
- Dealing with international transactions and group structures
Press play to see what advice Kate Sayer, co-author of the handbook, has to offer on understanding Charity VAT exemptions and working with local authorities:
To get more information on charity VAT order your copy of The Complete Charity VAT Handbook.
2. Attend this year’s Charity Accountants’ Conference
Our Charity Accountants’ Conference in partnership with charity accountants Sayer Vincent, has been running for 25 years now and provides a variety of sessions on all things relating to charities and finance, including charity VAT.
Sessions on the subject of VAT at the conference include:
- VAT made simple-An overview on charity areas such as non-business activities, the VAT status of various types of income and VAT recovery
- Preparing VAT returns and partial exemption calculations -A practical training session explaining how to get information out of your system to prepare the VAT return.
- VAT update -A review of the exciting new changes for certain types of charities
- International aspects of VAT -If you buy services from abroad or work internationally, this walks you through how transactions should be handled for VAT.
Kate Sayer
Kate Sayer has specialised in charities since 1984. As a chartered accountant and partner in Sayer Vincent, she advises charities and social enterprises on a wide range of finance, tax, governance and management issues. Kate particularly enjoys training trustees and staff in charities to make finance and risk subjects more accessible. Kate teaches charity finance at Cass Business School and contributes to the leadership development programme for finance professionals.
Kate has authored or co-authored several popular books on charity finance, including A Practical Guide to Charity Accounting, A Practical Guide to Financial Management, A Practical Guide to Managing in a Downturn and The Complete Charity VAT Handbook all for Directory of Social Change.
Kate will be delivering a lunchtime panel session, alongside DSC’s CEO Debra Allcock Tyler, which looks back over the last 25 years of the voluntary sector and discusses what the future may hold.
