Free calculator · UK
VAT calculator for tradespeople
Add VAT to a price, or take it off a price that already includes it, at the standard 20%, the reduced 5% or 0%. Type a figure and the price before VAT, the VAT and the price with VAT appear as you type.
Plain maths to help you price work: an estimate, not tax or accounting advice. Nothing you type is sent to us.
How to use the vat calculator
- 1Choose Add VAT if your price is before VAT, or Remove VAT if it already includes VAT.
- 2Pick the rate: 20% for most trade work, 5% or 0% only where the work qualifies.
- 3Type the amount. The price before VAT, the VAT and the price with VAT update as you type.
Worked example
A boiler repair comes to £1,250 before VAT, and the supplier's receipt for the parts says £540 including VAT, both at 20%.
- 1Add VAT: £1,250.00 × 20% = £250.00 VAT.
- 2The customer pays £1,250.00 + £250.00 = £1,500.00.
- 3Remove VAT: £540.00 ÷ 1.2 = £450.00 before VAT.
- 4The VAT on the parts was £540.00 − £450.00 = £90.00.
Do this in 30 seconds on your phone
Quotes and invoices that add the VAT for you
- 1Hold the mic in ViperJob and say the job. It prices the lines from your own price list and adds VAT.
- 2The VAT is shown on its own line, under the price before VAT, on every quote and invoice.
- 3Send a branded PDF by WhatsApp, text or email, then turn the accepted quote into an invoice in one tap.
ViperJob is the quote and invoice app for UK trades, on Android. Free for 3 quotes a month. ViperJob Pro is £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial.
Launch offer: £8.99 a month for your first 12 months with code FOUNDER (500 of 500 places left).
(opens in a new tab)See what ViperJob doesVAT calculator: questions
How do I work out VAT at 20%?
To add it, multiply the price before VAT by 1.2: £1,250 becomes £1,500, of which £250 is VAT. To take it off a price that includes it, divide by 1.2: £540 becomes £450, and the VAT is £90. Taking 20% off the price with VAT gives the wrong answer (£432), because the VAT was 20% of the smaller figure.
When do trades charge 5% or 0% VAT?
Most trade work is standard-rated at 20%. Some building work is at 5%, such as renovating a home that has been empty for at least two years, or converting a building into a different number of homes. Some is at 0%, such as building a new home, or fitting energy-saving materials like insulation, heat pumps or solar panels in homes in Great Britain until 31 March 2027. Each has conditions, so check HMRC's VAT Notice 708 before you quote.
Do I have to charge VAT?
Only if you're VAT registered. You must register once your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in 12 months, or you expect it to in the next 30 days on its own. If you're not registered, don't add VAT to your quotes or invoices and don't show a VAT number.
What about the reverse charge for building work?
If you're VAT registered and do construction work under CIS for a VAT-registered contractor who isn't the end user, the domestic reverse charge usually applies: you don't charge VAT, and your invoice says the customer must account for it to HMRC. It doesn't apply to work for homeowners.