Exempt Goods and Services
Can you reclaim VAT If you only sell or supply exempt goods or services?
If you only sell or otherwise supply goods or services that are exempt from VAT then your business is an exempt business and:
- you cannot register for VAT
- you cannot recover any VAT you incur on your purchases or expenses
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.
If you are registered for VAT but make some exempt supplies
Generally, you cannot reclaim input tax incurred on the supply of exempt goods and services.
If your business is partly exempt, meaning; you sell a proportion of exempt supplies along with Standard rated supplies and/or Zero-rated supplies and you want to reclaim input tax - the VAT you incur on purchases that relate to your business activities - you must make appropriate calculations each time you complete your VAT Return of the value of each supply.