The rate depends on what was sold and where it was eaten. Split your quarter's sales below and see the estimated VAT position — including the traps that catch most venues.
| Category | Sales | VAT |
|---|
Zero-rated and out-of-scope sales identified. Venues that treat everything as standard-rated hand this straight to HMRC — the most common overpayment we unwind.
No — and it isn't meant to be. It applies broad category rules at the standard rate to the figures you enter, to show the shape of your VAT position and where the value sits. Real returns depend on the specifics of each sale, your scheme, and current rates and rules. Never file from this.
Because the same sandwich can carry different VAT depending on whether it's hot, and whether it's eaten in. If your POS doesn't capture that distinction at the point of sale, the split has to be reconstructed later — which is where both overpayments and underpayments creep in. Getting the POS configuration right is usually the fix.
Each has its own timing and treatment, and none of them are in this calculator. Deposits for future events, gift vouchers and cancellation charges all move VAT into different periods or out of scope entirely. They're a routine part of what we handle — and a routine source of errors when they're not.
A genuinely discretionary service charge is outside the scope of VAT. A mandatory one generally is not. If your menu wording and your POS don't agree on which you operate, that's worth resolving before HMRC does it for you.