What is the difference between standard and reduced VAT rates?

The standard rate is the default rate applied to most goods and services. Reduced rates are lower rates EU law allows for specific categories such as food, books, or public transport. A super-reduced rate (below 5%) is permitted only for a handful of countries on a small list of goods.

Why do some countries have a parking rate?

A parking rate is a transitional rate above 12% that a few member states were allowed to keep on certain goods that were taxed at a reduced rate before 1991. It is being phased out and applies only in a small number of countries.

Are these rates guaranteed to be current?

The dataset reflects rates published by the European Commission and national tax authorities and is updated periodically. VAT rates change by national budget legislation, so always confirm against the official source before filing returns.

Does the EU have a single VAT rate?

No. VAT is harmonised by EU directive but each member state sets its own rates within agreed bounds. The standard rate must be at least 15%, and reduced rates must generally be at least 5%.

How do I charge VAT on cross-border EU sales?

For B2C distance sales of goods and digital services above the EU-wide 10,000 EUR threshold, you generally charge the VAT rate of the customer's country and report through the One-Stop-Shop (OSS). For B2B sales the reverse charge usually applies.

What is the EU VAT Rate Lookup?

Look up the current standard, reduced, and super-reduced VAT rates for all 27 EU member states from a bundled dataset, with notes on zero-rated categories. Built for EU e-commerce pricing, invoicing, and tax provisioning. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

EU VAT Rate Lookup — Gera Tools

Name: EU VAT Rate Lookup
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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VAT (Value Added Tax) is the consumption tax applied across all 27 EU member states. While VAT is harmonised by EU directive, every country sets its own rates within agreed limits, so a single product can carry a different rate depending on where the customer is. This lookup gives you the current standard, reduced, super-reduced, and parking rates for any EU27 country, sourced from a bundled dataset, so you can price, invoice, and configure tax tables correctly.

When you need accurate EU VAT rates

Getting the wrong VAT rate on a cross-border invoice is one of the most common EU compliance mistakes for e-commerce businesses. Consequences range from under-remitting VAT (creating a debt to the tax authority) to over-charging customers and then struggling to refund the difference. Common situations where this lookup helps:

OSS quarterly return preparation — you need each customer country’s correct rate to calculate the VAT due per member state.
Price display on storefronts — consumer-facing prices in the EU typically must include VAT, and the rate changes by destination.
ERP and accounting system setup — tax tables need the exact current rate per country, not approximations.
Invoice verification — checking that a supplier’s VAT charge matches the applicable rate before approving payment.

How it works

The tool stores a per-country rate table built from European Commission and national tax authority publications. When you select a country it reads:

Standard rate — the default rate (EU law requires at least 15%).
Reduced rate(s) — lower rates for permitted categories such as food, books, pharmaceuticals, or transport (generally at least 5%).
Super-reduced rate — a rate below 5% that only a few countries may apply to a narrow list of goods.
Parking rate — a transitional rate above 12% retained by a small number of states on certain goods that were taxed at a reduced rate before 1991.

If you enter a net amount, VAT is computed at the standard rate as vat = net * rate / 100 and the gross total as net + vat.

Selected EU27 standard rates at a glance

Country	Standard rate	Key reduced rate
Germany	19%	7% (food, books, transport)
France	20%	10% / 5.5% (food, books)
Italy	22%	10% / 5% / 4%
Spain	21%	10% / 4%
Netherlands	21%	9% (food, medicines)
Sweden	25%	12% / 6%
Luxembourg	17%	8% / 3% (lowest in EU27)
Hungary	27%	18% / 5% (highest in EU27)

Rates shown above are indicative; verify against the official national source before filing. Many countries also apply zero-rated (0%) treatment to exports and a small set of domestic goods. Category-specific reduced rates depend on the exact product or service classification — food in one country may qualify for a reduced rate while the same item in another applies the standard rate.

Always confirm the rate against the official national source before filing — VAT rates change through national budget legislation and rates above are subject to revision.