Since 31st January 2011, many Royal Mail services became liable to VAT, meaning extra money was charged for a franked mail item. This meant that if your did not own a smart meter franking machine you could not access any VAT liable services. Smart Meter technology is still new and very beneficial to use and it is available in almost all modern franking machines that are smart meter enabled.
Smart Meter Enabled
A smart meter enabled franking machine will use something called ‘data capture’ which will transfer your franking data to the Royal Mail when a specific service or product is used. This will then generate a VAT invoice / statement that allows VAT to be reclaimed.
Without a smart meter franking machine businesses will not be able to access all of the Royal Mail’s VAT liable services, hindering what can and cannot be franked. There are a wide range of franking machines available that are smart meter enabled, many of which are listed below.
Mailcoms | Pitney Bowes | Neopost | Frama |
---|---|---|---|
Mailstart Plus | DM50 / DM60 | IS240 / IS280c | Ecomail / Accessmail |
Mailbase Lite | DM110i | IS330 / IS350c | Mailmax |
Mailbase | DM100 – DM200 Series | IS420 | Matrix F12 |
Mailbase Pro | DM160i / DM220i | IS440 | Matrix F22 |
Mailbase Plus | DM300c / DM400c / DM475c | IS480 | Matrix F32 |
Mailbase Speed | DM400 – DM500 Series | IS5000 | Matrix F42 |
Mailcentre | DM800 – DM1000 Series | IS6000 | Matrix F62 |
Mailpoint Connect / Plus | Connect+ Series | Matrix F82 |
Find out more about Smart Franking Machines here.
Reclaim VAT
If you use VAT services and products then a smart meter enabled franking machine is mandatory for you to use. A smart franking machine will capture any Royal Mail service used. This will then automatically generate a VAT invoice from Royal Mail which will allow you to reclaim paid VAT back from HMRC. As well as this you will be able to continue using the VAT services.
Smart Blue Franking
Smart meter technology will allow your franking machine to frank mail in improved SMART BLUE ink. This ink is more readable than the traditional red impression and this can mean faster delivery speeds of mail items. View our range of franking machines here and start using smart meter technology today.