Online Services - VAT and Dard Online Services
Doing business online is becoming increasingly important for both the private sector and Government. Reducing red tape, reducing costs and increasing access to services is important to all businesses.
HMRC and DARD have been at the forefront of offering online services and are encouraging farmers to fill in their animal registrations and Single Farm Payment applications online and do VAT returns online.
HMRC will from 01 April 2012 require all businesses filing VAT returns to do so online, and to pay any VAT due electronically.
To help farm businesses comply with this requirement and encourage use of all online services, DARD and HMRC, with help from the Ulster Farmers Union, have put together a series of awareness events to highlight the benefits of doing business with government online and allow farmers to sign up for online services and understand what they need to do to get online.
All businesses will receive a letter from HMRC in early February highlighting what they need to do to get online.
This letter highlights the five known facts that you need to sign up to HMRC’s VAT Online services, following which you will be able to file your VAT return online
The known facts are:
- The date your business first registered for VAT (this will be shown in the letter you will receive from HMRC in February)
- Your VAT registration number
- Your business address postcode
- The final month of the last VAT return you submitted
- The figure in Box Five of the last VAT return you submitted (the amount you reclaimed or had to pay)
Come to one of the venues listed below, between 6.30 and 9.30 pm on the date shown and a specialist adviser from CAFRE and HMRC will be there to show you how to register for Online Services and complete a VAT Return online.
IMPORTANT: You won’t be able to sign up to VAT Online services UNLESS you bring the five pieces of information above with you to your event. DON’T FORGET!
The venues and times are as follows:
| Venue | Address | |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 28 February | Greenmount Campus | Cafre, Greenmount Campus, 45 Tirgracy Road, Antrim BT41 4PS |
| Thur 1 March | Enniskillen Campus | Cafre, Enniskillen Campus, Levaghy, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, BT74 4GF |
| Tue 6 March | Comber | Comber Learning Centre, 1 Park Way, Comber, Newtownards, County Down BT23 5AR |
| Thur 8 March | Ballymoney Community Resource Centre | Unit 1, Doltone Business Park, 25 Ballymena Road, Ballymoney, BT53 7EX |
| Tue 13 March | Newry (Whitegates Community Centre) | Whitegate Community Business Centre, Killeavy Rd, College Gardens Newry, County Down, BT35 6EP |
| Thur 15 March | Omagh (Enterprise Centre) | Great Northern Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, BT78 5LU |
| Tue 20 March | Benedy Community Centre | Benedy Community Centre, 72 Corick Road, Dungiven, Co Londonderry,BT47 4SG |
| Thur 22 March | Markethill Courtrooms | Old Courtrooms, 7 Main Street, Markethill, BT60 1PH |
| Tue 27 March | Strabane (NWRC Strabane) | North West Regional College, Strabane Campus, Derry Road, Strabane, BT82 8DX |
| Thur 29 March | Loughry Campus | Cafre Loughry Campus, 76 Dungannon Road, Cookstown, BT80 9AA |
All events will take place from 6.30 – 9.30 pm on the date shown.
If you need any more details about the events, please contact the DARD Online Services helpdesk on 028 94426699
Discussing how to help farmers sign up for Online Services
From left: Ciaran Hamill, Senior Information Technologist, CAFRE, Jonathan McFerran, DARD Online Services Manager, CAFRE, Tony Douglas, Senior Online Business Development Officer, HMRC and Leanne Wilson, Policy Officer, Ulster Farmers Union
