Our Guide to Applying for VAT Relief

To apply for 20% VAT relief, you must first find out if your walking stick is eligible for VAT exemption, as not all sticks qualify, you can find this out by going into the product details page and looking at the dimensions tab for further information. Your VAT relief comes in the form of a refund, so please place your order online or over the phone as normal and once we have revieved your completed declaration form, we can then send a refund back to your orignal payment method. Please read the full details in the information below.

CLICK HERE to download our declaration form in a PDF format

What is VAT Exemption/Relief?

VAT exemption allows Charities and chronically sick or disabled people to buy eligible items at 0% VAT to save them money.

Which walking sticks are eligible for VAT relief?

The walking sticks which are eligible for VAT relief are those items which are manufactured specifically to suit a disabled person. ie country sticks, trekking poles, hiking staves, shepherds crooks, thumb sticks, collectors and speciality canes are NOT eligible for VAT relief.

We shall be working through our products to start indicating if a product is eligible for VAT relief. The items which are eligible tend to be more practical and strudy with a large ferrule base. You will see this information at the bottom of the dimensions tab in the product details page. If you are unsure if the walking stick you are interested in is eligible, please give our customer service team a call or drop us an email for assistance.

Who is eligible for VAT relief?

To be eligible for VAT relief the government says you must fit the following criteria:

Charities - simply provide your charity number in the name box in the checkout area.

A person is ‘chronically sick or disabled’ if he/she is a person:

with a physical or mental impairment which has a long term and substantial adverse effect upon his/her ability to carry out everyday activities.
with a condition which the medical profession treats as a chronic sickness, such as diabetes
who is terminally ill.

It does NOT include a frail elderly person who is otherwise able -bodied or any person who is temporarily disabled or incapacitated, such as with a broken limb.

The goods are for their personal or domestic use.

How do I claim VAT relief on my walking stick?

To claim VAT relief, please place your order online as normal, as your VAT relief comes in the form of a refund. The government require a simple declaration to be made as to the nature of your disability at the time of purchase. No proof of disability needs to be shown to any party at any time.

Click here to visit HM Revenue & Customs VAT for disabled people: Notice 701/7

CLICK HERE to download our declaration form in a PDF format

Please printout, complete the required details and sign. You can either scan and email the form back to us or you can post the form back to us using our freepost address shown at the bottom of the form. Once we have received your declaration, we pair it up with your order details and refund the VAT back to your original payment method.

If you have a questions relating to VAT relief that you can't find below, just sent us an email and we will reply to your enquiry as soon as possible. Please remember we are closed at the weekends and bank holidays but we will reply to all enquires on our return to work. We normally answer emails through the week well within 24 hours, it would be unusual if you have not heard back from us within this time, so do please try again as we may well have not received your email. You can also call us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, so please don't hesitate to give us a call on 0345 602 3172 or 01506 870 220 if you are calling from a mobile.