Hospitality industry 5% VAT rate to end 30 September – time to book your Christmas party?
15th August 2021 
Tax 
CHW Accounting
Due to the pandemic, on 8 July 2020, the government announced a temporary 5% reduced rate of VAT for certain supplies relating to hospitality, hotel and holiday accommodation and admission to certain attractions.
Read our previous article on this here https://chw-accounting.co.uk/news-and-blog/temporary-reduced-vat-rates-for-the-hospitality-sector/
The 5% rate will expire on 30 September and will change to the new reduced rate of VAT of 12.5%. The normal standard rate of 20% will return on 1 April 2022.
Here, we look at the potential benefits for businesses who are not able to recover all of the VAT they incur, of making bookings such as a Christmas party before the 30 September, and some of the ongoing accounting challenges for the sector.
Advance bookings could create savings for your business
There is no anti-forestalling legislation in place (rules which stop businesses paying for services before a VAT rate change, that are actually supplied after the VAT rate change) and so where payment is made by 30 September 2021 for a qualifying supply, the 5% VAT rate will apply. This means that significant VAT savings could be achieved where payment is made in advance for organisations which cannot recover all of the VAT they pay.
How does this work?
For organisations that can’t recover all of the VAT they incur, it might be worthwhile placing deposits or making payments pre-October 2021 before the VAT rate and therefore potentially the price increases.
It doesn’t matter when the event takes place – output tax is calculated at the VAT rate in place at the time the deposit/payment is received.
Businesses could consider placing deposits for events or hospitality now to get the benefit of the 5% rate. Can you book your staff Christmas party early?
What about businesses which can recover all of the VAT?
Businesses that can recover all of the VAT they incur, may still be blocked from recovering certain VAT that is deemed to be ‘business entertaining’. Examples include director or partner only events, and client or customer entertaining. Hospitality booked now could be cheaper so the actual cost to the business will be lower.
These scenarios do of course assume that the supplier has passed the VAT saving on to the customer which might not always be the case, but it does seem likely that there is scope for some good deals pre-30 September 2021 if the VAT tax point can be triggered on or before that date.
Ongoing accounting considerations for the sector
If your business is within the hospitality sector, the temporary rates have no doubt been a welcome measure – but they have undoubtedly created accounting challenges though and there’s still more to think about.
Businesses should be considering now whether their systems can cope with a brand-new rate of 12.5%.
The table below details the VAT rates and the VAT fractions (used to work out the VAT on a gross or VAT inclusive total) for the duration of the VAT rate change:
| Date | VAT % | VAT fraction |
| 15 July 2020 to 30 September 2021 | 5% | 1/21 |
| 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 | 12.5% | 1/9 |
| 1 April 2022 onwards | 20% | 1/6 |
Have you set up your new 12.5% VAT rate on your software? Don’t forget about pricing on your website, menus, etc.
Can your systems cope with a VAT change in the middle of a VAT quarter? Or deposits raised at a different VAT rate to the main supply?
Will your MTD compliance be compromised?
Are you intending to pass on the saving to customers and if not, are you ensuring that you’re legally able to do that?
If these questions are causing challenges for your business get in touch at hello@chw-accounting.co.uk
This article is for general guidance only. It provides an outline, and may not include points which are important to your situation. You should not depend on this blog without taking advice based on the full facts of your case. The information given was correct at the time of publication.
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