Tag Archives: vat-free

VAT treatment of lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed goods

By Marcus Ward 24 March 2025

Is output tax due on goods that, for various reasons, cannot be sold, or are sold at a discount?

HMRC says that the VAT treatment depends on whether or not there was actually a supply of goods, what happened to them, who was responsible for them at the time and whether a VAT invoice was issued. The value of any supply will also need to recognise any credit given to the customer.

So, as often is the case with the tax, the answer is: “It depends”. So, let’s look at the categories to find out:

Lost goods

This depends on who lost the goods.

Sometimes a business will sell goods to a customer, but they did not receive them because they went astray. This could happen, for example, if goods are lost in the post.

customer is responsible for loss

If the customer is responsible for any losses before the goods are delivered, then VAT is due on the full amount of the sale.

supplier responsible for loss

If the supplier is responsible for any losses before the goods are delivered, then the way VAT is dealt with will depend on whether an invoice has been issued.

If an invoice has been issued, output tax is due on the amount invoiced, less the value of any credit given to the customer. So, if credit has been given a full refund, no VAT will be due.

If no invoice has been issued, there is no VAT due. This is because nothing has been supplied. It is prudent to make a note in the business records that the goods were lost an no invoice was raised.

Stolen goods

If goods are stolen from a business’ premises no VAT is due – as long as any customer has not been invoiced. HMRC are very likely to examine such circumstances as it is sometimes used as an ‘excuse’ for underdeclarations. Consequently, we always advise businesses to hold as much evidence as possible to support a claim that theft has taken place.

Goods stolen from a supplier’s premises after they have been sold to a customer- If the contract with the customer means that they are responsible for the goods while they are on the supplier’s premises – there has been a supply and output tax is due.

If the customer is not responsible for the goods when they are stolen, then if:

a VAT invoice issued – VAT is due on the amount invoiced (but subject to subsequent amendment to the quantum)
no invoice has been issued – there is no VAT due because there is no supply

NB: If cash is stolen from a business, this does not reduce the value of output tax on any supply.

Fraud

If goods are lost due to fraud it can be difficult to demonstrate or evidence. To avoid paying output tax on goods lost to a fraud a business is required to:

report the incident to the police
contact HMRC and give them the case details – this will entail providing a crime or case reference number given by the police. HMRC will consider each case and advise appropriately

Damaged goods

Damaged goods may be sold on at a discounted price, or they might have some scrap value. Output tax is due on whatever income is received for the goods sold. If an insurer makes a payment in respect of the damage, no VAT is due on this income.

Destroyed goods

If goods are destroyed such that they cannot be sold, and these are handed over (or what is left of them) to the insurer, no VAT is due on the disposal. Furthermore, there is no output tax due on any money received from the insurer. HMRC will need to see evidence of the insurance claim, and details of any insurance payment, on their next inspection of the business.

Records

Maintaining meticulous records is crucial for VAT compliance and it is very likely that such issues will be examined closely on HMRC inspections. This is because unexpected reductions in output tax will usually trigger enquiries. Input tax claims for the original purchase of the goods will be unaffected, so any mark-up type exercise will flag up the discrepancy.

VAT: Are hair transplants ‘medical care’? – The Advanced Hair Technology Ltd case

By Marcus Ward 12 March 2025

Latest from the courts

In the Advanced Hair Technology Ltd First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) case the issue was whether hair transplants are exempt supplies of medical care, or were they for ‘cosmetic’ purposes and consequently standard rated?

Background

Advanced Hair Technology Ltd (AHT) was a medical practice trading as The Farjo Hair Institute which specialised in hair restoration surgery. It treated conditions related to hair loss, in particular androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Dr Farjo who carried out the work is qualified is a medical practitioner with the Royal College of Surgeons. The output tax which HMRC deemed due was circa £2,500,000.

The sole issue was what AHT provided covered by the definition ‘medical care’?

Legislation

The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 7, item 1 covers services which are for the primary purpose of protecting, restoring, or maintaining health: “medical care”.

Contentions

AHT argued that it was treating patients for medical conditions, as opposed to providing aesthetic surgery and consequently, its supplies were exempt. The appellant explained that several patients believed that hair loss had affected their self-confidence and so the surgery improved their overall health (which includes a mental health element). Furthermore, the surgery helps to protect the skin from future photodamage, minor trauma and thermal insult.

HMRC contended that none of the patients had any recorded prior psychiatric conditions, eg; depression or anxiety, nor had any stated that they were looking to benefit from the surgery beyond it improving their appearance and confidence. Additionally, no recipients of the treatment said that they were seeking any of the above physical protections.

Therefore, the treatment was a standard rated cosmetic procedure.

Decision

The meaning of ‘medical care’ was considered by the Court of Appeal in its decision in Mercy Global [2023] EWCA Civ 1073.

The court agreed with HMRC that a “principal purpose” test must be applied in all cases.

The evidence before the FTT was that by the age of 70 at least 80% of caucasian men suffer from hair loss as a result of AGA, and this is part of the normal process of aging. AGA is not considered a medical condition but rather a symptom.

AHT’s contention that the procedures serve a therapeutic purpose related to psychological issues was dismissed due to a lack of evidence from qualified practitioners. This reinforced the FTT’s view that the treatments were primarily cosmetic, rather than for medical reasons because altering one’s physical appearance was for aesthetic purposes.

The relevant supplies were therefore outside the exemption.

The appeal was dismissed.

Commentary

The judgment provides some guidance on the interpretation of the definition of medical care for the purposes of the exemption and follows similar recent cases which we covered here:

Skin Science

Skin Rich

The concept of the “provision of medical care” does not include medical interventions carried out for a purpose other than that of diagnosing, treating and in so far as possible, curing diseases or health disorders and it is the purpose of the medical intervention rather than merely the qualifications of the person providing it that is key in determining the VAT liability.

There has been an ongoing debate as to what constitutes medical care. Over 20 years ago I was advising a large London clinic on this very point and much turned on whether patients’ mental health was improved by undergoing what many would regard as cosmetic procedures. We were somewhat handicapped in our arguments by the fact that many of the patients were lap dancers undergoing breast augmentation on the direction of the owner of a certain club…

It is worth remembering that not all services provided by a medically registered practitioner are exempt. The question of whether the medical care exemption is engaged in any given case will turn on the particular facts .

Interestingly, the judge here stated that the medical exemption may apply to some patients whose hair loss was a result of trauma caused by cancer treatment.

VAT Domestic Reverse Charge procedure Notice updated

By Marcus Ward 4 March 2025

HMRC has updated – VAT Notice 735: Domestic reverse charge procedure

The Notice sets out how the Domestic Reverse Charge (DRC) makes supplies of standard or reduced rated construction services between construction or building businesses subject to the charge. This means that the recipient of the supply will be liable to account for VAT due, instead of the supplier. Consequently, the customer in the construction industry receiving the supply of construction services will be required to pay the VAT directly to HMRC rather than paying it to the supplier. It will be able to reclaim this VAT subject to the normal VAT rules. The DRC will apply throughout the supply chain up to the point where the customer receiving the supply is no longer a business that makes supplies of construction services (a so-called end user).

The supplies to which the DRC applies are set out here

The update includes information on recipients of DRC supplies that are not VAT registered. Broadly; if a business buys specified goods or services, it may make it liable to VAT registered on the strength of the value of the DRC.

A VAT Did you know?

By Marcus Ward 26 February 2025

Under one VAT scheme, zero-rated and exempt supplies are subject to VAT – as are those which are “Outside the scope of UK VAT”.

Which, or course, makes entire sense.

A VAT Did you know?

By Marcus Ward 29 January 2025

Children’s clothing is zero rated. But where a child has one foot larger than the other, the pair of shoes can be zero-rated if the smaller shoe qualifies as a child’s size (boys 6 1/2 and girls; generally, size 3).

VAT: Property – The Option To Tax Guide

By Marcus Ward 8 January 2025

VAT Bsics

Opting To Tax commercial property

Opting to tax provides a unique situation in the VAT world. It is the only example of where a supplier can choose to add VAT to a supply….. or not.

What is an option to tax (OTT)?

The sale or letting of a property is, in most cases, exempt (VAT free) by default. However, it is possible to apply the OTT to commercial property. This has the result of turning an exempt supply into a taxable supply at the standard rate. It should be noted that an OTT made in respect of a residential property is disregarded and consequently, the supply of residential properties is always exempt (unless it is the first time sale of a new build – in which case it is zero-rated).

Why opt?

Why would a supplier then deliberately choose to add VAT on a supply?

The only purpose of OTT is to enable the optor to recover or avoid input tax incurred in relation to the relevant land or property. The OTT is a decision solely for the property owner or landlord and the purchaser or tenant is not able to affect the OTT unless specific clauses are included in the lease or purchase contracts. Care should be taken to ensure that existing contracts permit the OTT to be taken. Despite a lot of misleading commentary and confusion, it is worth bearing in mind that the recovery or avoidance of input tax is the sole reason to OTT.

Once made the OTT is usually irrevocable for a 20-year period (although there are circumstances where it may be revisited within six months of it being taken – see below). There are specific rules for circumstances where the optor has previously made exempt supplies of the relevant land or property. In these cases, HMRC’s permission must usually be obtained before the option can be made.

What to consider

The important questions to be asked before a property transaction are:

Was VAT incurred on the purchase price?
Is the purchase with the benefit of an existing lease (will the tenant remain?) if so, it may be possible to treat the transaction as a VAT free TOGC (see below)
Is the property subject to the Capital Goods Scheme (CGS here)?
Is it intended to spend significant amounts on the property, eg; refurbishment?
What other costs will be incurred in respect of the property?
If renting the property out – will the lease granted be full tenant repairing?
Will the tenant or purchaser be in a position to recover any or all VAT charged on the rent/sale?

These are the basic questions to be addressed; further factors may need to be considered depending on the facts of a transaction.

Input tax recovery

Input tax relating to an exempt supply is usually irrecoverable. In fact, a business only making exempt supplies is unable to register for VAT. A guide to partial exemption here. So input tax incurred on, say; purchase, refurbishment, legal costs etc would be lost if a property was sold or rented on an exempt basis. In order to recover this tax, it must relate to a taxable supply. If an OTT is taken, the sale or rent of the property will be standard rated which represents a taxable supply. VAT on supply = input tax claim.

Two-part process

The OTT is a two-part process.

The first part is a decision of the business to take the OTT and it is prudent to minute this in Board meeting minutes or similar. Once the decision to OTT is taken VAT may be added to a sale price or rent and a valid tax invoice must be raised.
The second part is to formally notify HMRC. If the OTT is straightforward the form on which this is done is a VAT1614A. Here. In some cases, it is necessary to obtain HMRC’s permission in which case separate forms are required. HMRC guidance here – para 5.

There can be problems in cases where the OTT is taken, but not formally notified.

Timing

It is vital to ensure that an OTT is made at the correct time. Even one day late may affect the VAT treatment. Generally speaking, the OTT must be made before any use of the property, eg; sale or rent. Care should also be taken with deposits which can trigger a tax point before completion.

Disadvantages

As mentioned above (and bears repeating) the benefit of taking the OTT is the ability to recover input tax which would otherwise fall to be irrecoverable. However, there are a number of potential disadvantages.

opting a commercial property may reduce its marketability. It is likely that entities which are unable to recover VAT would be less inclined to purchase or lease an opted property. These entities may be; partly exempt business, those not VAT registered, or charities/NFP organisations.
the payment of VAT by the purchaser may necessitate obtaining additional funding. This may create problems, especially if a VAT charge was not anticipated. Even though, via opting, the VAT charge is usually recoverable, it still has to be paid for up-front.
an OTT will increase the amount of SDLT payable when a property is sold. This is always an absolute cost.

Transfer of a Going Concern (TOGC)

I always say that advice should be taken in all property transactions and always in cases of a TOGC or a possible TOGC. This is doubly important where an opted building is being sold, because TOGC treatment only applies to a sale of property when specific tests are met. A TOGC is VAT free but any input tax incurred is recoverable, so this is usually a benefit for all parties.

Revoking an Option To Tax

The cooling off period – If an OTT has been made and the opter changes his/her mind within six months it can be revoked. This is as long as no tax has become chargeable on a supply of the land, that no TOGC has occurred, and the OTT has actually been notified to HMRC. There are additional considerations in certain cases, so these always need to be checked.
No interest has been held for more than six years – An OTT is revoked where the opter has not held an interest in the opted building for a continuous period of six years. The revocation is automatic, and no notification is required.
20 years – It is possible to revoke an OTT which was made more than 20 years ago. Certain conditions must be met, and advice should be taken on how such a revocation affects future input tax recovery.

Summary

Property transactions are high value and often complex. The cost of getting VAT wrong or overlooking it can be very swingeing indeed. I have also seen deals being aborted over VAT issues. Of course, if you get it wrong there are penalties to pay too. For these reasons, please seek VAT advice at an early stage of negotiations.

More on our land and property services here

New HMRC publications: VAT on cladding remediation work

By Marcus Ward 6 January 2025

In the aftermath of the horrific Grenfell fire, a lot of buildings require unsafe cladding to be replaced.

A new Brief clarifies HMRC’s policy on the deduction of VAT incurred on cladding remediation works which are carried out on existing residential buildings. It sets out:

the reason VAT costs are incurred when carrying out remediation works to residential buildings with fire and safety defects
the circumstances in which the VAT incurred in providing remediation works can be recovered

Broadly, the distinction is whether the work qualifies as snagging. If it does, the VAT treatment follows the liability of the original building work – zero rated if the original construction was of a zero-rated new residential building, ie; they are supplied in the course of construction of a qualifying building.

If not snagging, the remedial work will be standard rated.

If the work is standard rated, it may be recoverable by the recipient in certain circumstances.

Snagging

HMRC’s definition of snagging is “the carrying out of remedial works to correct faulty workmanship or replace faulty materials”. Normally, it is carried out by the original developer under the terms of the original contract. This means it is not seen as a separate supply of construction services. Snagging covers faults that are:

found soon after the building is completed
still covered by the building contract

More details on snagging here.

Furthermore, HMRC has published Guidelines for Compliance GfC11. This guidance covers HMRC’s existing policy on the VAT treatment of remedial works and includes:

the definition of snagging
an explanation of when you can recover input tax
examples to help you work out the VAT treatment of remedial works
examples of documents and evidence you should keep
information about correcting a submitted return

HMRC state that its policy has not changed.

VAT: Updated HMRC guidance on exemption for healthcare supplies

By Marcus Ward 23 December 2024

HMRC has published new guidance in its internal manual VATHLT2035.

It covers the services of the medical and paramedical professions: Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates.

Regulation for Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs) came into effect on 13 December 2024. A full registration is required by December 2026. The exemption will only apply to the AAs and PAs that have joined from the date of registration.

Anaesthesia Associates

AAs are specialised practitioners trained to perform certain medical procedures related to anaesthesia under the supervision of qualified medical personnel. They are not doctors but play a crucial role in the healthcare system by assisting in the administration of anaesthesia and monitoring patients during surgical procedures. AAs are authorised to perform specific procedures they are trained and approved for. They will be regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC). Their services will be exempt from VAT, provided they are carried out for the purpose of medical care.

Physician Associates

PAs are healthcare professionals who support doctors in diagnosing and managing patients. They are trained to perform various medical procedures and provide care under the supervision of doctors. PAs are not doctors but are essential members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, enhancing the capacity of healthcare services. They are meant to supplement, not replace, the role of doctors. Their services will be exempt from VAT, provided they are carried out for the purpose of medical care.

The exemption is via The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 7.

A VAT Did you know?

By Marcus Ward 20 December 2024

In or out?

If a biscuit is covered, even partially, in chocolate the VAT is 20%, but if the chocolate is inside, say a choc chip cookie or a bourbon, it is VAT free.

A VAT did you know?

By Marcus Ward 26 November 2024

Children’s clothes are zero-rated. These include; hats, caps, braces, belts, garters and scarves, but not earmuffs – which are standard rated even if they are for children.