HMRC has updated its Revenue and Customs Brief on the VAT treatment of early termination fees and similar compensation payments following recent judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Previous HMRC guidance said when customers are charged to withdraw from agreements to receive goods or services, these charges were not generally for a supply and were outside the scope of VAT.
VAT does apply
Following the CJEU judgements, HMRC is of the opinion that these charges are normally considered as being for the supply of goods or services for which the customer has been contracted for. Most early termination and cancellation fees are therefore liable for VAT. This is the case even if they are described as compensation or damages.
HMRC guidance on charges described as compensation or early termination fees in a contract, have been changed to make it clear that they are generally liable for VAT. This marks a significant change from HMRC’s previous position that early termination payments described as compensation payments would ordinarily not be subject to VAT.
A business that has failed to account for VAT on such fees should correct the error unless a specific ruling has been obtained from HMRC stating that such fees are outside the scope of VAT.
Does this ruling effect you? If you’re unsure or need advice on the change to the VAT treatment of these fees, please call MJB Avanti (08000) 388 799
Source: Informanagement