If you have recently formed a LTD company or an LLP and are awaiting a VAT registration number you may experience a delay in receiving this.

According to sources, HMRC have received an additional 150,000 registrations than they would have normally predicted. As a result HMRC are now struggling to cope with the backlog and do not expect to clear these registrations until early autumn.

Our current experience of this situation is that VAT registration numbers are taking up to 12 weeks to be issued.

If you are experiencing these problems then you are still able to invoice to your customers without a registration number but you need to inform your customer that you will provide them with your VAT number as soon as this has been issued.

Royal mail workers have already taken part in 2 24 hour strikes over their pay and jobs. There are further concerns that the strike action will continue for a significant period of time causing further disruption to businesses across the UK .

As a result Acas, the employment relations conciliation service has now been asked to offer its interpretation of the national dispute between Royal Mail and the postal workers to avoid further strikes from taking place.

If the strikes continue there is a strong concern for the knock on effect the postal strike will have on small businesses whose livelihoods and jobs rely on receiving post.

Small businesses are being urged to plan their activity around further strike days by the Royal Mail. It is advisable to post business mail earlier and to also make allowances in the businesses cash flow predictions for the late arrival of cheques.