VAT on Safety Footwear and Safety Helmets

The purpose of today’s blog is to try and bring some clarity as to whether VAT is payable on safety footwear and safety helmets.

The first thing to ask is who is buying them?

Individuals who buy safety boots for their own use do not have to pay VAT. It is important to note that this only applies to safety boots, not shoes. VAT is always payable on safety shoes.

Companies who buy safety boots for use by their employees DO have to pay VAT, if the company is VAT registered they can claim the VAT back. VAT cannot be claimed back on safety shoes.

Do I have to pay VAT when buying boots from Builders Buddy?

As you can imagine this situation puts us in a tricky position as we have fantastic relationships with both individuals and companies alike, but from a system perspective it’s hard to distinguish between the two.

We have taken the decision NOT to charge VAT on safety boots on our website as we believe the majority of our footwear sales come from individuals, not companies.

Our range of Safety boots can be found within our pages here

If you are a company looking to purchase safety footwear for your team, please contact us and we will be more than happy to discuss your requirements with you.

The same VAT rules also apply to Safety Helmets, we have again taken the decision NOT to charge VAT on safety helmets on our website.

If you would like more information you can visit the government’s website here