Hard2 marksMultiple Choice

ACCA · Question 18 · Value added tax (VAT)

Section B - Case 1: Nimbus SaaS Ltd

Nimbus SaaS Ltd is a UK-based tech startup providing cloud software subscriptions. The company supplies digital services to both B2B (business) and B2C (consumer) clients globally.

Nimbus also provides some exempt financial software services. In the current VAT quarter, its total input VAT is £20,000. Of this, £18,500 relates to taxable supplies, £1,000 relates to exempt supplies, and £500 is residual. The residual input VAT is apportioned 60% to taxable supplies. Can Nimbus recover the input VAT related to its exempt supplies under the de minimis rules?

Answer options:

A.

No, because any exempt input VAT is strictly irrecoverable.

B.

No, because the total exempt input VAT exceeds £625 per month.

C.

Yes, because the total exempt input VAT is not more than £1,875 per quarter and is not more than 50% of total input VAT.

D.

Yes, because the residual input VAT is mostly taxable.

How to approach this question

Calculate total exempt input VAT (directly attributable + exempt portion of residual). Compare against the de minimis limits (£625/month and 50% of total input VAT).

Full Answer

C.Yes, because the total exempt input VAT is not more than £1,875 per quarter and is not more than 50% of total input VAT.✓ Correct
Total exempt input VAT = £1,000 (direct) + £200 (40% of £500 residual) = £1,200. The de minimis limit is £625 per month (£1,875 per quarter) AND not more than 50% of total input VAT. Since £1,200 is less than £1,875 and less than 50% of £20,000, Nimbus passes the de minimis test and can recover all its input VAT, including the exempt portion.

Common mistakes

Forgetting to add the exempt portion of the residual input VAT to the directly attributable exempt input VAT.

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