The Value Added Tax Regulations 1995

Records U.K.

31.  —

(1) Every taxable person shall, for the purpose of accounting for VAT, keep the following records—

(a) his business and accounting records,

(b) his VAT account,

(c) copies of all VAT invoices issued by him,

(d) all VAT invoices received by him,

[F1 (da) all certificates—

(i) prepared by him relating to acquisitions by him of goods from other member States, or

(ii) given to him relating to supplies by him of goods or services,

provided that, owing to provisions in force which concern fiscal or other warehousing regimes, [F2 or Northern Ireland fiscal or other Northern Ireland warehousing regimes,] those acquisitions or supplies are either zero-rated or treated for the purposes of the Act as taking place outside the United Kingdom,]

(e) documentation received by him relating to acquisitions by him of any goods from other member States,

(f) copy documentation issued by him relating to the transfer, dispatch or transportation of goods by him to other member States,

(g) documentation received by him relating to the transfer, dispatch or transportation of goods by him to other member States,

(h) documentation relating to importations and exportations by him, F3 ...

[F4 (i) all documents received in accordance with regulation 15C and copies of such documents provided in accordance with that regulation,]

[F5 (j) a copy of any self-billing agreement within regulation 13(3A) to which he is a party;

(k) where he is a customer, party to a self-billing agreement within regulation 13(3A), the name, address and VAT registration number of each supplier with whom he has entered into a self-billing agreement.]

[F6 (l) where the taxable person is subject to the requirements of regulation 32A, the electronic account required by that regulation.]

(2) The Commissioners may—

(a) in relation to a trade or business of a description specified by them, or

(b) for the purposes of any scheme established by, or under, Regulations made under the Act,

supplement the list of records required in paragraph (1) above by a notice published by them for that purpose.

(3) Every person who, at a time when he is not a taxable person, acquires in the United Kingdom from another member State any goods which are subject to a duty of excise or consist of a new means of transport shall, for the purposes of accounting for VAT, keep such records with respect to the acquisition as may be specified in any notice published by the Commissioners in pursuance of this regulation.

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 31(1)(da) inserted (28.4.1996) by The Value Added Tax (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1250), regs. 1(1)(2), 8

F2 Words in reg. 31(1)(da) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Value Added Tax (Miscellaneous Amendments, Northern Ireland Protocol and Savings and Transitional Provisions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1545), regs. 1, 47 (with regs. 109-131); S.I. 2020/1641, reg. 2, Sch.

F3 Word in reg. 31(1)(h) omitted (1.9.2019) by virtue of The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1048), regs. 1, 7(a) (with reg. 2)

F4 Reg. 31(1)(i) substituted (1.9.2019) by The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1048), regs. 1, 7(b) (with reg. 2)

F5 Reg. 31(1)(j)(k) inserted (1.1.2004) by The Value Added Tax (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/3220), regs. 1(1)(b), 11

F6 Reg. 31(1)(l) inserted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/261), regs. 1, 5

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pt. 5 applied (31.12.2020) by The Value Added Tax (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1546), regs. 1, 34 (with reg. 33); S.I. 2020/1641, reg. 2, Sch.

C2 Pt. 5 applied (31.12.2020) by The Value Added Tax (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1546), regs. 1, 16 (with reg. 15); S.I. 2020/1641, reg. 2, Sch.

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 31 in force at 20.10.1995, see reg. 1