Claiming back VAT on postage in the UK?
It would appear that some of Royal Mail's postal services are now subject to VAT :
https://www.royalmail.com/information-vat-and-postal-services
We use Tracked 24 / 48 quite a bit which would appear to be subject to VAT.
Does anyone have a view on whether this can be claimed back and if so, how would you go about getting a receipt that details the VAT from ebay?
1 comment
pjdj89
·7 months agoYes, you’re correct — some Royal Mail services, including Tracked 24 and Tracked 48, are now subject to VAT.
Whether you can claim it back depends on your business setup:
1.If you’re VAT-registered:
•You can usually reclaim the VAT paid on business expenses, including postage.
•You need a proper VAT invoice showing the amount of VAT paid.
2.Getting a VAT invoice from eBay:
•eBay itself doesn’t charge VAT on Royal Mail postage; it’s the postage provider.
•For eBay’s “Calculated Postage” or if you print labels through eBay using Royal Mail, check your order details → postage label.
•Royal Mail should provide a VAT receipt if the service is VAT-liable. Often you need to log into your Royal Mail business account to download a VAT invoice.
3.If you bought postage through eBay (without a Royal Mail business account):
•eBay may provide a “combined” postage invoice, but it might not break out VAT separately.
•In that case, you can contact eBay seller support for a VAT breakdown or download the invoice from My eBay → Sold → Order Details → Print postage label.
You can reclaim VAT if you’re VAT-registered, but you usually need a receipt from Royal Mail showing the VAT component. If you bought labels through eBay, you may need to request a VAT invoice from eBay or download it via the Royal Mail account linked to eBay.
If your account is a registered charity, you generally cannot reclaim VAT because charities are usually not VAT-registered. Royal Mail still charges VAT on services like Tracked 24 / 48, but unless the charity is registered for VAT, there’s no way to reclaim it.
For record-keeping, you can still download or request a VAT-inclusive receipt from Royal Mail (or via eBay if you purchased labels through them) to show how much was paid. Even if you can’t reclaim it, it’s useful for accounting and reporting.