New venture start up ???
Discussion
I'm in the process of starting up a buisness but am looking for a little advice of those who have been there before.
I have quite a few questions if you can bear with me for the moment.
Initially I expect my turnover to be small, however my purchases will include VAT and my clients will predominantly be VAT registered. Is it a good idea to register for VAT from the start? Is it hard or expensive to do?
Basically the buisness is taking raw materials and using these to manufacture goods for prospective clients. I will need workshop premises and will also need to purchase specific tooling (I already have the small stuff) as well as stock materials. Now for this I am obviously going to need some form of capital. Which leads me to my next question are grants easy to gain or would I be better off just going for some kind of set up buisness loan, as I will need to cover overheads for at least the first few months if buisness is slow to start.
That's it for the moment seeing as it's pretty early and i've just come off shift.
I have quite a few questions if you can bear with me for the moment.
Initially I expect my turnover to be small, however my purchases will include VAT and my clients will predominantly be VAT registered. Is it a good idea to register for VAT from the start? Is it hard or expensive to do?
Basically the buisness is taking raw materials and using these to manufacture goods for prospective clients. I will need workshop premises and will also need to purchase specific tooling (I already have the small stuff) as well as stock materials. Now for this I am obviously going to need some form of capital. Which leads me to my next question are grants easy to gain or would I be better off just going for some kind of set up buisness loan, as I will need to cover overheads for at least the first few months if buisness is slow to start.
That's it for the moment seeing as it's pretty early and i've just come off shift.
Not that clued up on the grant situation - although a lot of the government grant schemes appear to be dictated by the geographical location of the business. Try the DTI's website and you might get some details there.
As for VAT, it may be worth your while registering straight away. If your customers are all registered themselves, then the VAT you charge will not be an extra cost to them as they will be claiming the VAT back. If you register now, you should be able to get the VAT back on any large items of capital expenditure which you may have to spend out on in setting up the business.
As for VAT, it may be worth your while registering straight away. If your customers are all registered themselves, then the VAT you charge will not be an extra cost to them as they will be claiming the VAT back. If you register now, you should be able to get the VAT back on any large items of capital expenditure which you may have to spend out on in setting up the business.
I've been told VAT applications must be backed by substantiated proof of needing the exemption. Is this true ?
What can be used, and to what extent must you be trading already ? As it would seem you would already have to have a bag of invoices to provide, before applying ?
(Same situation here, but the company I've set up is more intellectual property).
What can be used, and to what extent must you be trading already ? As it would seem you would already have to have a bag of invoices to provide, before applying ?
(Same situation here, but the company I've set up is more intellectual property).
Raks - exemption from what?
The basic rules state that if your turnover/sales of VATable items (this includes goods or services which are standard rated or zero rated - but not exempt or outside the scope)exceed the mandatory threshold (currently £58,000 per annum) you MUST register for VAT. If your turnover is below this threshold you can, if you want to, voluntarily register for VAT if it is to the benefit of your business. The only criteria is that you are running a bona fide business.
The basic rules state that if your turnover/sales of VATable items (this includes goods or services which are standard rated or zero rated - but not exempt or outside the scope)exceed the mandatory threshold (currently £58,000 per annum) you MUST register for VAT. If your turnover is below this threshold you can, if you want to, voluntarily register for VAT if it is to the benefit of your business. The only criteria is that you are running a bona fide business.
Thanks for info eric.
Now the next one! After trawling through some of the threads here i'm wondering if it's in my best interest to set up the compamy as a Ltd company? The reason behind it is if it doesn't work out i don't want to loose my house (not worth that much anyway but it still home) What are the implications of going limited? Is it any more expensive?
Any advice is greatly apreciated as this is all new to me. (i'm self employed at moment but it's just sub contracting a service so not exactly rocket science!)
Now the next one! After trawling through some of the threads here i'm wondering if it's in my best interest to set up the compamy as a Ltd company? The reason behind it is if it doesn't work out i don't want to loose my house (not worth that much anyway but it still home) What are the implications of going limited? Is it any more expensive?
Any advice is greatly apreciated as this is all new to me. (i'm self employed at moment but it's just sub contracting a service so not exactly rocket science!)
The main benefit of a limited company is as the name implies - limited liability if things go belly up. There can be some tax advantages through judicious juggling of profits, dividends and/or salaries although Gordon Brown hads been playing with the rules of late to try and minimise these advantages.
There is no doubt that running a limited company is more involved than a sole tradership - even if the trade is of equal size and complexity.
Like individuals, companies have to prepare trading accounts - but they are much more complex in nature due to the requirements of the Companies Act and accounting/audit regulations. Companies also have to complete their own tax returns, prepare their own tax computations and pay their own form of tax on the company profits - called Corporation Tax. The submission of accounts and tax returns to the Inland Revenue is subject to strict filing deadlines - with associated penalties if late.
Companies usually have to register for PAYE too so that the directors (at least) can be paid salaries and the associated PAYE deducted and paid over at the appropriate times. PAYE also brings with it another set of deadlines and penalties.
A company also has to file various documents at Companies House every year - usually the Annual Return form and the annual accounts. These have filing deadlines too with penalties for being late in some instances.
As a result of this, the bureaucracy associated with companies is quite a bit heavier than with simple sole traders - even though the trading activity may be of a similar size. Increased paperwork usually brings greater costs - whether through more time being spent by the directors in dealing with it themselves or, more usually, more time spent by their accountant in doing all this "stuff" on the company's behalf.
There is also the dreaded IR35 lurking in the wings if a company acts as a sub-contractor for certain types of work.
There is no doubt that running a limited company is more involved than a sole tradership - even if the trade is of equal size and complexity.
Like individuals, companies have to prepare trading accounts - but they are much more complex in nature due to the requirements of the Companies Act and accounting/audit regulations. Companies also have to complete their own tax returns, prepare their own tax computations and pay their own form of tax on the company profits - called Corporation Tax. The submission of accounts and tax returns to the Inland Revenue is subject to strict filing deadlines - with associated penalties if late.
Companies usually have to register for PAYE too so that the directors (at least) can be paid salaries and the associated PAYE deducted and paid over at the appropriate times. PAYE also brings with it another set of deadlines and penalties.
A company also has to file various documents at Companies House every year - usually the Annual Return form and the annual accounts. These have filing deadlines too with penalties for being late in some instances.
As a result of this, the bureaucracy associated with companies is quite a bit heavier than with simple sole traders - even though the trading activity may be of a similar size. Increased paperwork usually brings greater costs - whether through more time being spent by the directors in dealing with it themselves or, more usually, more time spent by their accountant in doing all this "stuff" on the company's behalf.
There is also the dreaded IR35 lurking in the wings if a company acts as a sub-contractor for certain types of work.
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