BURHAN SHAMURAD

Yes, you are correct. It appears that when I submitted the application, I set the wrong start date for the VAT registration. Thank you so much for your answer and clarification. I will ask my accountant to follow up on the issue by contacting HMRC. Thanks

I have a startup limited company that was registered three years ago. I haven’t registered for VAT because all of my sales were to customers outside the UK, and the total turnover of my company was below the standard level required for registering for VAT (even < £10K). This year, on 31 July, I decided to apply for VAT registration online. After two weeks, before I received my VAT number, I received a series of posts including charges, penalties, and claims for paying a huge amount of VAT for the last two years. The claimed amounts are high and exceed all the money in and out during those years. Can anyone help me solve this problem? Also, are exports and sales outside the UK zero-rated for VAT or not?