About vatable.org.uk

Why this site exists

UK VAT law is genuinely complicated, and HMRC's own guidance reflects that complexity: VAT notices are long, written in formal legal language, and organised around legislation rather than around the everyday question most people actually have: "do I charge VAT on this, or not?"

vatable.org.uk exists to close that gap. It takes the VAT rate classifications published by HMRC and presents them as a simple, searchable, browsable table, with one clear answer per item and a direct link back to the relevant official guidance for anyone who needs the full legal detail.

What you'll find here

• A searchable table of goods and services, each with its UK VAT treatment: standard-rated, reduced-rated, zero-rated, exempt, or outside the scope of VAT.
• A dedicated page for each item with a plain-English summary of what the VAT treatment means in practice for charging and reclaiming VAT, plus a link to the specific HMRC notice it's drawn from.
• Category and subcategory pages for browsing related items together, rather than searching for one thing at a time.
• An FAQ page explaining what each VAT rate category means in general terms.

Where the information comes from

The VAT rate classifications on this site are based on HMRC's published VAT notices and guidance, made available under the Open Government Licence v3.0↗ (opens in a new tab). Each item links back to the specific notice it's drawn from, so you can always verify the detail directly against the source.

What this site is not

vatable.org.uk is not HMRC, is not affiliated with HMRC or any government department, and is not a substitute for professional tax advice. VAT treatment can depend on the specific facts of a supply, and the guidance here is a starting point for research, not a final answer for your circumstances. For anything that matters to your business, always confirm the position using the official HMRC guidance↗ (opens in a new tab) or a qualified tax professional.