Get VAT refunds on goods for disabled people

If you buy goods online then you will usually end up paying VAT, but it is possible to reclaim this VAT if the goods you bought are for the use of a disabled person. In this piece I will outline the steps you should take to do this.

On the website where you buy the goods there will be a contact page where you can see their postal address and telephone number, among other things. Once you have paid for the goods, you will get an email invoice from the company where the goods you have bought will be listed with the amount you paid and will have the amount of VAT listed. You could print off the invoice, but if this is not possible you can phone the company and ask them to send you a printed invoice to your home through the post. You could email the company and ask for this, but it could take much longer.

While you are waiting for the invoice, you should phone HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) and ask them to send you a small blue booklet entitled: ‘VAT Reliefs for disabled people’. You can phone them on: 0845-305-0203. Inside this booklet there are two forms you need to reclaim your VAT refund. You fill out the page entitled: ‘Eligibility declaration by a disabled person’. The other form which is entitled: ‘Supplier’ is filled out by the company you bought your disabled product from.

Send a short covering letter to the company explaining that you would like them to reclaim the VAT for you. Enclose both the forms from the HMRC booklet, the one you filled out and the one for the company to fill out, and it is a good idea to enclose a photocopy of your delivery note from your order for the company to refer to. The company will either  phone you or send an email to confirm the refund.

If there has been no response from the company for a week then it would be perfectly fine to phone them back and ask about the status of your refund request.

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