New Vat Helpline to help charities save money
A helpline to assist charities mitigate the cost of irrecoverable VAT has been launched through a new partnership between NCVO and the Saffery Champness Charity Vat team.
UK charities pay hundreds of millions a year in Value Added Tax, much of which can be legitimately reclaimed. But the rules on what can and cannot be recovered are numerous and complex.
Who is it for?
The service is available to all voluntary organisations on an annual contract basis but is free to NCVO members with an income of less than £100,000. NCVO members with a greater income benefit from a 50 per cent discount. Voluntary organisations can access the service by phone or email as many times as they wish during the year for advice.
| Turnover | Standard price | NCVO Member price |
| Up to £100k | £100 | Free |
| £100k - £1m | £100 | £50 |
| £1m - £5m | £250 | £125 |
| £5m+ | £500 | £250 |
Prices are for an annual contract and exclude VAT.
This helpline will not only offer guidance in all VAT issues but also any tax and Gift Aid-related matters.
Most charities face a significant VAT burden, despite numerous opportunities for them to reduce the level of irrecoverable VAT that they suffer. Additionally, recent VAT cases have enabled charities to reclaim significant windfalls of VAT previously thought irrecoverable together with an improvement in the rate of future VAT recovery.
"Saffery Champness’ hands-on approach has enabled the charity to secure material refunds of VAT thought lost for ever.”
Andree Hall, finance manager at Tusk
About Saffery Champness
The Saffery Champness Charity VAT team has an enviable track record in improving charities’ VAT positions. Through innovative yet practical advice, the team has assisted numerous voluntary organisations to significantly improve their VAT position.
Saffery Champness has secured VAT repayments in excess of £40m in the last three years alone and it advised The Children's Society on its landmark VAT high court victory in 2005, which is estimated to save the voluntary sector £100m a year.
Further Information
- Learn about VAT recovery (201KB, PDF)
- Read Saffery Champness VAT brochure for charities (352KB PDF)
Contact
Charities wishing to find out more information and/or register for the service should email charityvat@saffery.com.
To find out more about Saffery Champness visit their website.
To enquire about events and further information contact Julia Higginson on 020 7841 4032 or email julia.higginson@saffery.com.
