In this section:
Some goods and services are exempt from VAT, such as insurance and finance, education and training, and charitable fund-raising events.
If all of the goods and services you sell are exempt, your business is exempt and you won't be able to register for VAT. This means you won't be able to reclaim any VAT on your business purchases.
If you are VAT-registered and incur any input tax that will be used to make exempt supplies, you are classed as partly exempt. This guide provides information on exempt and partly exempt businesses. It shows you what you need to do to reclaim VAT if your business is partly exempt.
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There are some goods and services on which VAT is not charged. These are exempt from VAT. Items that are exempt from VAT include the following:
Exempt supplies are not taxable for VAT. So you do not include sales of exempt goods or services in your taxable turnover for VAT purposes. If you buy exempt items, there is no VAT to reclaim.
This is different to zero-rated supplies. In both cases VAT is not added to the selling price, but zero-rated goods or services are taxable for VAT - at 0 per cent.
Find out what goods and services are exempt from VAT
If you only sell or otherwise supply goods or services that are exempt from VAT then your business is an exempt business and:
This is in contrast to the situation if you sell or otherwise supply zero-rated goods or services, where you can reclaim the VAT on any purchases that relate to those sales. In addition, if you sell mainly or only zero-rated items, you may apply for an exemption from VAT registration, but then you can't claim back your input tax.
Find out more about registering for VAT and VAT thresholds
Get details about the different VAT rates
Find out what goods and services are exempt from VAT
Your business is partly exempt if your business has incurred VAT on purchases that relate to exempt supplies. This is known as exempt input tax.
Generally, you won't be able to reclaim exempt input tax. However, provided the amount of exempt input tax is below a certain amount, it can be recovered in full.
See the sections in this guide on reclaiming VAT in a partly exempt business.
If your business is partly exempt, and you want to reclaim input tax - the VAT you incur on purchases that relate to your business activities - you must make two calculations each time you complete your VAT Return. You add the results of these two calculations together - this is the amount of input tax you can reclaim.
These calculations are based on the use you make or intend to make of your purchases - whether that use is:
If the amount of VAT incurred relating to exempt supplies is below a certain amount, the VAT can be recovered in full. See the section in this guide on calculations to reclaim VAT.
Once a year - usually at the end of your VAT tax year - you must review how much VAT you've reclaimed throughout the year and make an annual adjustment. See the section in this guide on making your annual adjustments.
Each time you complete a VAT Return you need to look at all of your business purchases to identify:
You can generally reclaim all the input tax you've paid on purchases that relate entirely to your taxable supplies, but none of the input tax on your purchases that relate entirely to exempt supplies.
Next you'll need to identify your business purchases that relate both to your taxable supplies and to your exempt supplies - for example, phone bills or accountancy fees.
You'll only be able to reclaim the input tax on the proportion that relates to your taxable supplies.
You can work out the percentage you can reclaim in one of two ways:
This calculation method is suitable for most smaller businesses. You
do not need to get HMRC approval to use the standard method.
For each VAT Return period:
1. Work out how much input tax relates to your taxable supplies.
2. Work out how much input tax relates to your exempt supplies.
3. Work out how much input tax relates to both your taxable and exempt
supplies.
4. Calculate your taxable percentage. Do this by dividing the value
of your taxable supplies by your total supplies. This can normally be
rounded to next whole number.
5. Apportion your input tax relating to taxable and exempt supplies.
a) multiply the result at 3 by the result at 4 to get your taxable input
tax
b) the remaining input tax is your exempt input tax
6. Add together the result from 1 and the result from 5a. This is the
total taxable input tax you can claim.
7. Add together the result from 2 and the result from 5b. This is your
total exempt input tax
8. Apply the de-minimis test to check if you can recover your exempt
input tax. See step 8 in the example later in this guide.
You then repeat this process for the annual adjustment at your tax
year end. See the section later in this guide on annual adjustments.
On 1 April 2009 changes were introduced to make the standard method simpler. One of these changes - known as widening the scope of the standard method - is compulsory and affects businesses that make:
Read more about changes to the standard method in VAT Information sheet 04/09 (Opens new window)
| Step 1 | Input tax relating to taxable supplies |
|---|---|
| Input tax relating entirely to taxable supplies | £12,500 |
| Step 2 | Input tax relating to exempt supplies |
|---|---|
| Input tax relating entirely to exempt supplies | £7,500 |
| Step 3 | Input tax relating to taxable and exempt supplies |
|---|---|
| Input tax relating to both taxable and exempt supplies | £5,000 |
| Step 4 | Calculate your taxable percentage |
|---|---|
| Exempt sales | £50,000 |
| Taxable sales (excluding VAT) | £80,000 |
| Total sales | £130,000 |
| Divide your taxable sales by your
total sales and multiply the result by 100 Your taxable percentage = 80,000 / 130,000 × 100 = 61.53% 61.53% is rounded up to the next whole number. Your
taxable percentage = 62% |
|
| Step 5 | Apportion your input tax relating to taxable and exempt supplies |
|---|---|
| Part a
Taxable input tax = step 3 × step 4 = £5,000 × 62% = |
£3,100 |
| Part b
Exempt input tax = £5,000 × 38% = |
£1,900 |
| Step 6 | The total taxable input tax that you can claim |
|---|---|
| Total taxable input tax = step 1 + step 5a = £12,500 + £3,100 = | £15,600 |
| Step 7 | The total exempt input tax that you can’t claim |
|---|---|
| Total exempt input tax = step 2 + step 5b = £7,500 + £1,900 = | £9,400 |
| Step 8 | Check if you can claim any of your exempt input tax - de-minimis test |
|---|---|
| Is your exempt input tax not more than £625 per month, or £1,875 per quarter? | No - £9,400 |
| Is your exempt input tax not more than 50% of your total input tax in the quarter? | Yes |
If the answer to both questions is yes
you can claim back your exempt input tax. In this case the answer
to the first question is no, so you can’t claim back your exempt
input tax. |
|
| Step 9 | Overall result |
|---|---|
| Taxable input tax that you can claim | £15,600 |
| Exempt input tax that you can't claim | £9,400 |
| Total input tax for the period | £25,000 |
If you can show that you have paid only a relatively small amount of input tax on your purchases that relate to your exempt sales or other supplies you may be able to reclaim all of that input tax.
You'll be able to reclaim all such input tax in the relevant period if both the following are true:
On 1 April 2010 changes were introduced to simplify the way you calculate whether you can reclaim all your input tax relating to your exempt supplies.
Find out more about the simplified calculations in VAT information sheet 04/10 (opens new window)
However you will not be able to recover any exempt input tax if you are approved to use the 'combined method'
Read more about the combined method calculation in VAT Information Sheet 06/11
Once a year - usually at the end of your VAT tax year - you must review
how much input tax you've reclaimed throughout the year and make an
adjustment.
You need to:
If the standard method does not give a fair and reasonable deduction of input tax, you may need to make an adjustment. This is known as the standard method override. You must do this at the same time as your annual adjustment calculation.
Find out more about the standard method override in VAT Notice 706
If you feel that the standard method isn't right for your business you can create your own method to reflect your unique business circumstances.
HMRC has to approve your special method in writing before you can use it. You need to tell HMRC about your business type, and the types of supplies you make and your costs structure. You will normally have to show how your method works by using actual figures from your business. To obtain approval, you must declare that the proposed special method is 'fair and reasonable'.
If HMRC decides not to approve your special method they'll tell you
why and ask you to come up with a new one.
You can't reclaim any VAT you pay on goods and services that aren't for business purposes.
If your business is partly exempt and you buy goods or services that you use partly for business and partly for non-business purposes, in order to reclaim VAT, you must follow both these steps:
Find out how to split VAT between business and non-business use
With effect from 1 January 2011 you may apply for a special method
which combines your business/non-business (other than private use) and
partial exemption calculation. Using a combined method may reduce the
number of calculations and help to reduce costs.
Read
more about the combined method in VAT Information Sheet 06/11
If you sell, lease or let commercial land or property, you can choose to waive the exemption and to charge VAT at the standard rate. Input tax used to make taxable supplies can be reclaimed.
More about opting to tax property in VAT Notice 742A
If you make both taxable and exempt supplies, you must keep a separate record of your exempt sales and details of how you've worked out how much VAT to reclaim.
Get details of the VAT records you need to keep
If you acquire or create an expensive capital asset you may have to use the Capital Goods Scheme to adjust how much input tax you initially reclaimed in future years. The scheme applies when your capital spending, net of VAT is:
If your business has an asset and the extent to which you use it to make VAT taxable supplies - rather than exempt supplies - varies over the following five or ten years (depending on the asset), you'll have to adjust the amount of input tax you reclaimed. You can reclaim more if the proportion of your taxable supplies increases, but you'll have to repay some if it decreases.
If you purchased your asset before 1 January 2011, the value for determining whether it falls within the Capital Goods Scheme is only based on your spending for business purposes.
If you purchase your asset on or after 1 January 2011 the whole value must be included - not just the business value. For these assets, as well as making adjustments if the extent of taxable and exempt use changes, you'll also have to make adjustments if the extent to which they are used for business, as opposed to non-business, changes.
From 1 January 2011, if you purchase an aircraft, ship, boat or other
vessel and your capital spending is £50,000 or more, you will have to
use the Capital Goods Scheme.
Read more about the changes to the Capital Goods Scheme in VAT Information Sheet 06/11
More about partial exemption in VAT Notice 706
More about exempt supplies in VAT Notice 700/1
More about exempt supplies and partial exemption in VAT Notice 700
