Statistics give us a not very pleasant fact: a deal with every 20 organization usually ends in losses just because the counterparty company did not check it for reliability. How to study the reputation of the company and come to honest cooperation? Let's try to figure it out.
When should contractors be checked?
Verification of counterparties is usually carried out either by experienced businessmen or experienced lawyers. Do you know why? Because they have already understood that you need to work only with trustworthy companies and, moreover, only you are responsible for checking this trustworthiness.
In order to avoid unpleasant situations when working with a counterparty, it is customary to “drive” new partners through a whole list of checks. Moreover, there are a number of cases when such checks are required:
- If you decide to work with a new partner for the first time. Checking will help to avoid possible errors.
- If you are aware that a potential counterparty is a new company that has recently registered. Of course, a new company in itself cannot bear risks, however, working with it is still possible.
- If you know that a potential counterparty is not very flattering. Of course, no one has canceled the evil tongues of competition, but still the old proverb says "trust, but verify."
- If a potential counterparty works exclusively on prepaid basis. By checking the company for reliability, you can protect yourself from underdelivery of goods, or from the provision of low-quality services.
Company verification is a separate service that many organizations provide, however, with due skill and free time, you can do it yourself.
The relevance of the company due diligence for different business areas should not be questioned. Even in such a seemingly undeniably reliable activity as leasing, there are not entirely honest “players”.
What information can be obtained about a potential partner
So, let's look at exactly what information can be obtained about a company using simple Internet access. The easiest way is to go to the website of the tax service and use the search to find all the information you need there, or use the services of third-party resources, which, by the way, are sometimes paid.
Checking the TIN
The first thing that characterizes a company as a company that really works and works honestly is the TIN. If you have an organization's TIN, then you can easily check how real it is. TIN, or individual tax number, is a cipher built according to a special algorithm. If the company took it out of their heads, then checking by this number through any service convenient for you will not give any result.
The easiest way to check the TIN is to use the verification service on the website of the tax service (more on this at the end of the article).
We request a certificate of state registration
Requesting a certificate of registration is a sure way to find out how real the activities of a potential counterparty are. In this way, we will find out whether the company actually exists, that is, whether it is accounted for by the Federal Tax Service as a taxpayer.
Of course, the presence of evidence does not yet tell us that the company is very trustworthy. Maybe she just stopped her activities, or maybe she does not submit reports, or even a tax debtor.
You can request a copy of the state registration certificate directly from the company, or again use the services of third-party resources.
We receive an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities / EGRIP
If you can get a fresh statement for the counterparty from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities / EGRIP, then this means that the organization is still afloat. Moreover, the extract contains all the necessary information to verify the honesty of the organization: its owner, place of registration, licenses and other data.
The extract can be downloaded on the official website of the tax service of the Russian Federation (which is much easier) or requested from a potential partner. If you need a certified extract from the register, you can apply for it at any branch of the Tax Service of Russia.
Analyzing financial statements
An excellent tool for analyzing an organization is the analysis of its financial statements. Request a balance sheet from the counterparty, or use third-party services.
With the help of the balance, you can check several types of data at once:
- the company successfully closes quarters and submits reports;
- the company conducts business;
- What assets does the firm own?
The company's assets are, first of all, its authorized and other types of capital and liabilities. If the company has practically no assets, then this is an occasion for you to think about whether it is worth linking your business with it.
Also, if you know that you are planning a major deal with a company, and its assets or turnover are very small compared to the amount of the deal, then this is also a reason to think: most likely it hides part of the income, which also does not show it on the positive side.
Based on the balance sheet, you can make a full-fledged financial analysis, which will not only be able to demonstrate the vector of the company's development, but also understand how stable it is on its feet. If you need a reliable partner, then this is one of the main indicators.
We check the registration address for "mass character"
What do you know about bulk registration address? Most likely nothing. However, this is one of the most basic features of the so-called one-day firms. If you are afraid that your counterparty may turn out to be just such a company, then just check it at the address.
This can be done on the tax service website at service.nalog.ru/addrfind.do.
Most companies are registered at one address, however, in fact, they are located in a completely different one. We also advise you to check the actual address of the company's location - whether the partner's office actually exists and what it is like. If you have not previously worked with this partner and the amount of the planned transaction is high, then such a check will not be superfluous.
Checking tax arrears and reporting
If you doubt that your counterparty is playing fair, just in case, ask the Federal Tax Service for information about the payment of taxes by this company.
What is it for? Everything is simple. If the case between you and your counterparty comes to arbitration, then your appeal to the Federal Tax Service for additional information will be a huge plus. In order to record the fact of the appeal, the request must be submitted personally, and the office of the Federal Tax Service must mark the receipt of the request (or send the request by registered mail with notification).
Knowing his TIN, you can conduct such a verification of the counterparty on the website of the tax service - service.nalog.ru/zd.do.
Given that this online service is working in test mode, you need to understand that the information received cannot be considered 100% reliable.
Government contracts
Government contracts are a great way to check all the details about a prospective partner. Contracting companies for such transactions are selected very strictly. So, for example, a firm that has debts cannot be a contractor. If a company sometimes concludes government contracts, then this is an indicator of its reliability and a stable position in the market.
You can check the company for participation in public procurement on the website zakupki.gov.ru, or on other electronic trading platforms.
People Data
What kind of people are we talking about in this case? First of all, about the management and founders. So, along with mass registration, there is such a thing as "mass leader". If a person is a director in several companies at once, then you have every reason to believe that a potential counterparty is a one-day business.
In addition to the fact that you will see how many companies a person manages, you will also have access to data on all the companies that he previously managed. If you become aware that many of the firms run by a person went bankrupt, then this is a reason to think: most likely, you are dealing with an unscrupulous company, which may not be tomorrow.
It will not be superfluous to check whether the head is listed in the register of disqualified persons. You can do this on the website of the tax service - service.nalog.ru/disqualified.do.
Checking the organization by TIN on the website of the Tax Service of Russia
Let's try to figure out how to find and check a counterparty by TIN on the website of the tax service. To do this, follow the link egrul.nalog.ru, or open the main page of the resource and in the "Electronic Services" section select "Business risks: check yourself and the counterparty".
You already know by what parameters you can check a company through the resource of the tax service of the Russian Federation, so now we will consider the most frequent of the necessary checks - checking by TIN.
For example, we will check the TIN of PJSC GAZPROM. Do not forget that in addition to checking legal entities, verification of individual entrepreneurs is also available there.
As you can see, everything is extremely simple. We enter the individual tax number in the required window and enter the captcha to confirm that we are not a robot.
The result is pleasing: the tax office immediately provides the address of the company's location, its OGRN, TIN, KPP, as well as the date the OGRN was assigned:
conclusions
To avoid misunderstandings when working with a new counterparty, it is necessary to check it for reliability. Such a check can be easily carried out on the official website of the tax service of Russia or use other services.
Based on the results of the audit, conclusions can be drawn - whether to start cooperation with a new company, or whether it is necessary to cut off all ties right now.
Video - why it is important to check counterparties before concluding a deal:
