Disability VAT Relief for Disabled Persons

• The customer has to be eligible for VAT relief

• The goods have to be for the personal or domestic use of the customer

• The goods have to be VAT eligible for relief.

• In order to claim VAT relief as an individual you have to be (and we apologise for the brutal Tax Office language) chronically sick or disabled. (If you are a charity please see the section below). This means that you have to have a long term or terminal condition, e.g. you cannot claim VAT relief if you have a broken leg; this is not a long term condition (although it may seem so at the time!).

  The person themselves does not have to sign the declaration, it can be a parent, carer or guardian who can confirm that they meet the criteria.

What does domestic or personal use mean?

• Domestic or personal use’ means that the supply is needed specifically for the use of a disabled individual or series of disabled individuals.

  Goods for general use in a charitable building cannot be zero rated, neither can goods supplied to person who is resident in a nursing home or hospital. They have to be supplied to a person for their personal use in their own home.

Are the goods I’m buying eligible for VAT relief?

• As a rule any equipment that is designed or adapted for use for a person with a disability can be zero rated. This is a decision that is made by the product manufacturer in conjunction with the tax office, which we have no say over. For example a High Seat chair is not deemed to be eligible, as it could quite conceivably be used by someone without a disability.

  Any product eligible for VAT relief is marked as such on the website.

Disability VAT relief for Charities

• Not all goods are available to charities for disability VAT relief. In order for goods to qualify, the goods have to be made available by the charity to a disabled person for their personal or domestic use. There are other situations where VAT relief may be provided, such as when equipment is being donated for medical use.

• Please don’t guess! If you are in any doubt as to whether you, or your organisation are eligible for VAT relief, please visit the links below. There are severe penalties for making a false declaration.

• HMRC Website – ‘VAT Notice 701/7: VAT reliefs for disabled and older people’

• HMRC Website – ‘VAT Notice 701/6: charity funded equipment for medical, uses’

• HMRC Website – ‘VAT Notice 701/1: charities’

• Or contact HMRC by the good old fashioned telephone!

• Or you can even write to them by post! (Remember when we used to get two posts a day?!)

  Charities, Savings and International 2
  HM Revenue and Customs
  BX9 1BU
  United Kingdom

Instructions on how to Claim VAT Relief on our Website

• Firstly add all your products to the cart and navigate to checkout. (YOUR PRICES WILL BE SHOWN INCLUDING VAT)

• Fill in all your details on the left hand side.

• Fill in the details of the person claiming VAT relief on the right hand side

• Wait for the page to refresh

• VAT will be automatically deducted on any items in your cart that are eligible for VAT relief.

• Happy Shopping!