Is there VAT on shop or online store printing?

Retail print separates into what is read and what is displayed. Leaflets, brochures and catalogues are zero-rated. Posters, shelf strips, window graphics, price tags, labels and loyalty cards are standard-rated, because sheets intended for public display are standard-rated and a label goes on something else rather than being read in the hand.

A shop.I'll be minding the till.

Printing for a shop or online store

Some 0%, some 20%

Here's the usual print for a shop or online store. Tap any item to see why it's 0% or 20%.

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The poster and the leaflet are the same artwork. Why not the same rate?

A leaflet is intended to be held in the hand for reading by individuals rather than hung up for general display, and that distinction is written into the guidance. The moment the sheet is made to be looked at across a shop, it is a display item.

Stickers and product labels 20%

HMRC lists stickers, labels and tags as standard-rated.

Mailer boxes and packaging 20%

Packaging and wrapping aren't reading matter, so they're standard-rated.

Thank you cards 20%

Made to be sent, kept and displayed, so none of the leaflet characteristics fit.

Packaging inserts and flyers 0%

Leaflets are zero-rated. A sheet you pick up, read and bin (or one that comes with a product) is exactly what the zero rate is for.

Business cards 20%

Cards made to be kept, sent or used in their own right aren't leaflets, so they're standard-rated.

Postcards 20%

HMRC says postcards are standard-rated, whether written on or not.

Catalogues 0%

Catalogues and directories are zero-rated. Advertising content doesn't stop them.

Point of sale 20%

Point-of-sale and display items are standard-rated. They're for display, not for reading in the hand.

Vouchers and coupons 20%

Anything that gets you in, gets you money off or has a value of its own is standard-rated.

Appointment and loyalty cards 20%