Insurance law firms undertaking defence work for clients under a delegated-authority agreement could face higher VAT bills and potential disputes with clients, accountants have warned.
Insurance law firms undertaking defence work for clients under a delegated-authority agreement could face higher VAT bills and potential disputes with clients, accountants have warned.
Insurers typically contract out claims-handling work to law firms, especially motoring defence work, under what is known as defendant delegated authority.
Accountancy firm RSM say that following a review of the VAT applicable to these contracts, HMRC has now updated its guidance and clarified that it will regard pre-litigation work as exempt. Post-litigation work, on the other hand, will now be taxable.
As VAT rules stand, insurers cannot recover the VAT appli...