VAT nightmare - help

londonstudent

Hello,

I am running a small business as a sole trader and am in need of help regarding my VAT. I am not due to go over the VAT threshold for another month but decided to register voluntarily as from last month in order to be able to charge VAT a month early so as not to get caught in the trap of having gone over the threshold without registering.

However, I registered online and must have mistyped the voluntary registration date, entering a date one year earlier than I intended (when my business was not even trading!). I noticed this about 2 weeks after receiving my notice of vat registration, but before my first return was due. The compulsory registration date is correct, and is over a year after the voluntary date I appear to have mistakenly entered.

I have written to hmrc asking to amend the registration date to that which I intended, but have been advised on the phone that they are unlikely to do so unless I can prove that it was a genuine mistake. This is of course a difficult task, despite the fact that it was, indeed, a completely genuine error!

Has anyone been in this situation themselves or have any tips to resolve it? If I am not allowed to amend the date of registration, my typo on the registration form appears likely to cost me a huge amount of money (more than I have, in fact) as I will need to account for VAT on all invoices I have issued, despite the fact that I have not actually been charging VAT on those invoices.

Any responses will be much appreciated!