Agency wants to see VAT Certificate...

[Peter Loew]

The agency wants to see VAT Certificate...

As if my VAT registration number is not enough for HAYS.

Is this a normal request from an agency or shall I tell them to f*** off as my VAT number should be sufficient?

P

[KevinS]

IME, this is a fairly normal procedure. When I sign a contract with a new agency, I send them a copy as a matter of course..

[Troll]

normal - same with company reg
hth

[Peter Loew]

Cheers,

P

[FCSimmo]

Cheers,

P

Make sure you send a copy though as they will lose an original if you send that to them!!!

[poser]

i just scan any important document like that an archive it

[Bluebird]

ask them for a copy of theirs as well

[Ardesco]

ask them for a copy of theirs as well

You aren't paying them anything so you have no reason to see thiers. I belive they made some changes at the tail end of last year shifting liability so that you have to do basic checks to make sure your supplier is VAT registered before throwing them a chunk of extra money that you claim back from HMRC.

[scaramanga]

I had the same request from my agency a couple of weeks ago. I phoned up HMRC to ask whether they had any right to ask for it and they said no, an invoice with a VAT number is sufficient.

If a company isn't VAT registered, but charges VAT on an invoice, then it is that company who are breaking the law, not the company who paid the invoice.

I had a pleb from the agency try to convince me otherwise but I told him where to go. He initially said they wouldn't pay any VAT until I send a copy of the certificate. I pointed out the legality of this on their part, quoting the call reference number Hector gave me when I called to ask whether they had any right to see the certificate.

So I would tell them to **** off. Pisses me off when agencies try to obtain information they have no need to see.

Can you imagine if every company who bought anything off another company could refuse to pay until they saw a VAT certificate?

[crack_ho]

Hays are dodgy as hell with respect to VAT.
They made all contractors sign a new contract at one place so they could pull some VAT dodge after bending the ear of the IB. The new contract was a big 'spank me please HMCR', suffice to say one of their staff had to have the contract removed surgically.