Charging VAT when selling to the UK

If you are a foreign business selling goods to the UK, you are likely to be required to register for UK VAT, charge it in your online store, and remit the collected VAT to the UK government. Our platform allows you to set up your store to meet these requirements for goods shipped into the UK.

If your goods are already located in the UK at the time of sale, refer to Setting up taxes →

Note:
Not registering and not paying VAT may be construed as tax evasion. If you're unsure whether you need to charge VAT on your UK shipments, it's advisable to consult with a tax professional for guidance.

Am I supposed to charge VAT at checkout?

Generally, non-UK established sellers are required to charge UK VAT at checkout if they:

• Sell taxable goods via an e-commerce store;
• Have orders that will be shipped to an address in the UK;
• Have any orders that cost £135 or less (for all the ordered items combined and without taxes, shipping, insurance, or any other charges unless they are included in the price).

If all these conditions apply, you’re supposed to:

1) charge VAT for all the low-value orders below £135 in your online store checkout; 2) remit collected VAT to the UK government. When shipping orders, you will then need to specify in your customs declarations that VAT was paid at checkout so that it’s not charged again at the border by customs.

Orders that cost over £135 are not to be charged VAT at checkout; they will be taxed at customs upon arrival to the UK. So, if you only have orders over £135, charging UK VAT at checkout is not necessary for you.

Also, you’re not required to charge VAT at checkout if you’re only selling B2B, as long as UK customers provide their VAT registration number for low-value orders. In this case, you’ll need to include their VAT number in the invoice, along with a note that the reverse charge will apply.

Learn more about UK VAT rules for overseas sellers →

Registering for the UK VAT

Usually, you can register for a VAT number online. The process takes around 30 business days.

While your store allows you to charge due VAT at checkout, we do not declare taxed amounts or provide any other information to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). You must take care of it yourself.

After you register for UK VAT, you'll need to:

• Keep records of the goods sold;
• Issue VAT invoices;
• Remit the collected VAT to the HMRC on a quarterly basis through your account on their website.

Learn more about charging, reclaiming, and recording VAT →

Overseas businesses can appoint a fiscal representative: a local company or person who will represent you for VAT purposes and deal with HMRC on your behalf.

Note:
You need an EORI number to import goods into the UK. You may also require licenses or certificates to send certain types of goods to the UK. Consider hiring an import customs representative if you need assistance.

Charging UK VAT at checkout via automatic taxes

By default, if you’re using automatic taxes in your store, orders that have foreign countries as their shipping destination are not taxed. If you’re looking to charge VAT on your UK orders under £135, you need to enable it on the Taxes page in your store admin.

Note:
Make sure your store address is entered correctly and is outside the UK.

To charge VAT on orders under £135 that are to be shipped to the UK:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices.
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Enable the Charge VAT to the United Kingdom customers at checkout toggle.
4. The changes will be saved automatically.

Now, if an order costs £135 or less and the shipping destination is inside the UK, 20% tax will be applied to the customer's cart right at checkout. If your store currency is not pound sterling, the prices will be converted according to our platform's internal rates before applying the tax.

Orders that cost over £135 will not be charged UK VAT. For them, taxes and necessary duties can be paid by customers at customs or to the delivery agent before receiving the order.

Note:
You must register for UK VAT to charge VAT in your store.

Charging UK VAT at checkout via manual taxes

If you’re using manual taxes in your store, you can set them up to charge VAT on all your UK imports regardless of their cost. You can go for this option if:

• Automatic taxes are not available in your country;
• Orders in your store never exceed the £135 limit;
• You’re using a custom workflow, e.g., you pay import VAT and duties on clearance for orders over £135 yourself or using a shipping/customs agent.

Note:
Make sure your store address is entered correctly and is outside the UK.

To charge VAT on all orders that are to be shipped to the UK:

1. In Settings → Taxes & Invoices, create a new tax named “VAT” or “UK VAT”.
2. Create a separate destination zone for the United Kingdom.
3. Set the 20% tax rate in the Rates per zone section:

Now, if the shipping destination for an order is inside the UK, 20% tax will be applied to the customer's cart directly at checkout. This tax will be applied to all orders.

Note:
You must register for UK VAT to charge VAT in your store.

Issuing VAT invoices

When shipping orders to the UK, you will need to include a VAT invoice for customs clearance. You can utilize our tax invoices if they are available in your country, or you can use regular invoices.

As soon as you register for a UK VAT number, make sure you include it in all your invoices. You may also need to add comments like “reverse charge: customer to account for VAT to HMRC” for your B2B sales.

Learn how you can edit tax invoices or regular invoices →