How is the qualifying proportion for VAT relief worked out?

By how the premises is used. We assess the non-business charitable use of the space, set out the proportion we consider qualifies and prepare the declaration for an authorised signatory to check and sign.

Can relief be claimed for past periods?

A supplier can usually correct a period in the past where the declaration should have applied, subject to their own limits and to HMRC rules. We raise the claim and keep the correspondence on file.

Can a recommendation go straight to our trustees?

Yes. Each recommendation is written as a short paper: the offers received, the date, what we recommend and why, including where we are not recommending the cheapest offer.

Sectors

Charities and non-profits

Book a free energy review Speak to us

Energy and utilities management for charities and non-profits

Where a premises is used for a non-business charitable purpose, part or all of the supply may qualify for the reduced rate of VAT and relief from the climate change levy. The relief has to be claimed and the declaration has to be accurate, so we work out the qualifying proportion and prepare the declarations for you to sign.

Trustees need the reasoning, not only the price. We write each recommendation so it can be read at a meeting and filed afterwards, with every offer and its date on the file.

Shops, halls, offices and let space often sit under different arrangements. We record which supply belongs to which use before anything is priced, and query historic billing where a relief should have been applied and was not.

Day one

What we are usually handed

Where the load tends to hide at a charities and non-profits site, and where we fit once we see it.

Reliefs not claimed
Where a premises is used for a non-business charitable purpose, part or all of the supply may qualify for the reduced rate of VAT and relief from the climate change levy. We work out the qualifying proportion and prepare the declaration for you to sign.
Where we fitWe work out the qualifying proportion and prepare the VAT and levy declarations for you to sign.
Decisions that go to a board
Trustees need the reasoning, not only the price. We write the recommendation so it can be read at a meeting and filed afterwards.
Where we fitWe write the recommendation so it can be read at a trustee meeting and filed afterwards.
Buildings held on mixed terms
Shops, halls, offices and let space often sit under different arrangements. We record which supply belongs to which use before pricing anything.
Where we fitWe record which supply belongs to which use before anything is priced.

What we do about it

Assess the qualifying proportion of each supply and prepare the VAT and levy declarations.
Write recommendations in a form that can go to a trustee meeting.
Register every supply, use and contract end date in one place.
Query historic billing where a relief should have been applied and was not.

Who we work withTrustees, chief executives, finance managers and premises volunteers.

Simple steps

How to reduce energy use in charities and non-profits

Practical steps you can take yourself, from habits that cost nothing to decisions best made with metered data. Pick a stage, then open a step to see why it matters.

Changes to habits and settings.

Halls, offices and shops used at set times are often heated and lit outside them. Compare timer settings with the booking diary.
Add computers, screens and kitchen equipment to the last person out checklist.
Regular readings stop estimated bills and make it easier to see what each building uses.

Before anything is agreed

What happens next

If you send us the details below, we run a short suitability check before anything is agreed.

Tell us the sector, the number of sites and what prompted the enquiry. Contract end dates and supply numbers help, but you do not need the full picture to start.
We confirm whether the work matches what we do and whether we have capacity to take it on properly. If it does not, we say so.
If it is suitable, we set out the work, the fee basis and the next steps in writing before any contract is signed.
Every supply contract stays in your name. We operate under a Level 1 Letter of Authority only, which means we cannot sign contracts on your behalf.

Questions we are asked here

: By how the premises is used. We assess the non-business charitable use of the space, set out the proportion we consider qualifies and prepare the declaration for an authorised signatory to check and sign.
: A supplier can usually correct a period in the past where the declaration should have applied, subject to their own limits and to HMRC rules. We raise the claim and keep the correspondence on file.
: Yes. Each recommendation is written as a short paper: the offers received, the date, what we recommend and why, including where we are not recommending the cheapest offer.

Other settings

All sectors

Proof

What we have delivered, and who checks our work.

Each figure below is taken from our evidence record and has a full case study behind it.

Michels and Taylor
£206,000a year saved on procurement
Read the case study: Michels and Taylor
Broadening Choices for Older People
£161,000a year saved on gas, about £483,000 across a three-year term
Read the case study: Broadening Choices for Older People
Roam
Group rates10 per centlower than the previous brokered prices
Read the case study: Roam

Checkable with the issuing body

All case studies The full evidence record

Tell us what you have been handed

Send us the latest full invoice for each meter and sign a Letter of Authority. We will complete a full review and feed back our findings and the available options.

Book a free energy review All sectors

Charities and non-profits

Energy and utilities management for charities and non-profits

What we are usually handed

Reliefs not claimed

Decisions that go to a board

Buildings held on mixed terms

What we do about it

How to reduce energy use in charities and non-profits

No cost, this week

Low cost

Plan with the data