Time limited opportunity: BDO Customs training fully reimbursed by HMRC

HMRC offer grants allowing UK traders to fully recover costs for formal customs training.  West London Business member BDO have recently been successful in helping a client obtaining 100% funding for training provided by BDO.  Time is of essence, however: Applications will close on Friday 31 January 2020 (or earlier if funding is fully allocated). Once you have received the grant offer, HMRC allow a window of two months for BDO to perform the training and for West London businesses to submit BDO’s invoice as proof of payment. It is at that point your business will be reimbursed the amount quoted on your grant offer.

You can read full details of the scheme and BDO’s offering here: https://www.bdo.co.uk/en-gb/insights/tax/vat-and-indirect-taxes/bespoke-bdo-customs-training-at-zero-cost-to-your-business

The training will be for a full day, at your offices or BDO’s officer – whichever you prefer.  BDO can offer group sessions for 3-11 participants or classroom-style training for a larger group.

Note that the training will be relevant regardless of the Brexit outcome: If we have a No Deal, you will need to arrange for customs declarations to be submitted and put in place compliance controls already on 1 February 2020. If instead the Withdrawal Agreement comes into force on 31 January 2020 you will have additional time to prepare but customs declarations will eventually be required nevertheless (post the envisioned transition period).

Also note HMRC are currently undertaking a robust UK-wide programme of customs audits to identify traders with inadequate customs knowledge. This programme is partially driven by HMRC’s recent recruitment drive of customs officers in anticipation of Brexit.