Where they were
Robbie came to us running a small ecology consultancy, before project sizes and grant funded work pushed him toward VAT registration.
What we did
We handle Robbie's bookkeeping, payroll, and year end accounts, and hold regular tax planning sessions with him. We guided him through VAT registration as his projects grew, and worked through the VAT treatment of his grant funded work, including cases where the grant is issued to a third party like a farm rather than to him directly, which changes how the VAT position needs to be treated. We've also advised him on Employment Allowance as he's taken on his first employees, and on the tax considerations of buying a residential property through the company.
Where they are now
Robbie Phillips Ecology has grown from a small consultancy into a VAT registered business taking on its first employees, with grant funded and larger commissioned projects now a regular part of the work.
Industry insights
Ecology and environmental consultancies often work on grant funded projects, and the VAT treatment of that funding isn't always straightforward, genuine grant funding is usually outside the scope of VAT, but who the grant is actually paid to, and any conditions attached to it, can change that. Getting this right matters more as a consultancy takes on bigger, more complex funded projects and starts to grow its team.