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New Build • Self-Build • HMRC Guidance

VAT on blinds & shutters for new builds

A quick, helpful check based on current HMRC guidance. See how manual blinds, plantation shutters and motorised blinds are treated — then decide whether you would like us to help with your project.

3–4 quick questions HMRC-based guidance No details required
Reviewed against VAT Notice 708 and HMRC DIY Housebuilders guidance. Updated August 2026.
Help me check

What VAT treatment is likely to apply?

Step 1
What kind of project is this?

Choose the situation that best describes the property.

What are you considering?

HMRC treats manual window coverings differently from electrical blinds.

Which VAT route are you checking?

This changes how qualifying manual blinds or shutters may be treated.

When will the blinds or shutters be installed?

For DIY claims, qualifying goods must be incorporated during construction. For contractor zero-rating, the supply must form part of qualifying construction services.

Choose an option to continue
The useful detail

How HMRC treats blinds and shutters on a new build

The important distinction is not simply whether a window covering is fitted. HMRC distinguishes qualifying manual blinds and shutters from electrical blinds.

Manual blinds & shutters

HMRC's current guidance lists fitted manual blinds and shutters as items ordinarily incorporated in a dwelling. HMRC's DIY Housebuilders list also includes blinds — excluding electrical blinds — and shutters as allowable building materials.

See HMRC's allowable-goods list ↗

Electrical / motorised blinds

Electrical blinds are specifically excluded from HMRC's building-material treatment for dwellings and appear on the DIY Housebuilders list as disallowable. They therefore remain standard-rated in the normal new-build scenarios covered by this guide.

See VAT Notice 708, section 13 ↗
01

If they are supplied and fitted by a contractor

Building materials supplied and incorporated by a contractor follow the VAT rate of the qualifying construction service. On a qualifying new dwelling, eligible construction services can be zero-rated. Items that are not building materials — including electrical blinds — do not automatically follow that zero rate.

02

If you are making a DIY Housebuilders claim

Retail purchases are normally charged with VAT. The DIY Housebuilders Scheme allows eligible self-builders to reclaim VAT that was correctly charged on qualifying building materials. HMRC lists manual blinds and shutters as allowable; electrical blinds are disallowable.

03

Installation timing matters

For the DIY Scheme, qualifying goods must be incorporated during construction. A completion certificate is important evidence of when the build was completed, but HMRC's wider construction rules can require the full facts to be considered around the boundary of completion.

04

Keep your invoices and project records

DIY Housebuilders normally make one claim after completion. For buildings completed on or after 5 December 2023, HMRC says the claim must normally be made within six months of completion. Keep valid VAT invoices and the documents HMRC asks for.

Source-first guidance We link to the current GOV.UK pages so you can check the underlying HMRC rules yourself.
VAT Notice 708 ↗ DIY allowable goods ↗ DIY new-build claims ↗
Common questions

New-build blinds & shutters VAT FAQs

Are manual blinds zero-rated on every new build?

No. HMRC now recognises fitted manual blinds as building materials, but the VAT result still depends on the nature of the qualifying new-build supply, who is supplying and installing them, and whether the work is carried out in the course of construction. A DIY self-builder follows a different reclaim mechanism from a contractor's zero-rated construction supply.

Can I reclaim VAT on manual blinds for a self-build?

Potentially, yes. HMRC's current DIY Housebuilders allowable-goods list includes blinds, excluding electrical blinds, and shutters. The normal DIY Scheme conditions still apply, including correct VAT invoices, eligibility of the property and incorporation of the goods during construction.

Can I reclaim VAT on motorised blinds for a self-build?

HMRC currently lists electrical blinds as disallowable under the DIY Housebuilders Scheme, and VAT Notice 708 excludes electrical blinds from the fitted-blind building-material treatment for dwellings.

Does the completion certificate decide everything?

It is important, particularly for the DIY claim deadline and as evidence of completion, but HMRC's construction guidance considers whether services are genuinely supplied in the course of construction. If your project is around handover or completion, the exact facts should be checked rather than relying on one date alone.

How long do I have to make a DIY new-build VAT claim?

For buildings completed on or after 5 December 2023, HMRC says a DIY Housebuilders claim must normally be made no more than six months after completion. Earlier completions were subject to the former three-month limit.

Do I need to give Village Blinds and Shutters my details to use this checker?

No. The result is shown immediately. If you would like help with your windows afterwards, you can choose to book a free home appointment.

Planning a new home?

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We can help you plan privacy, light control, blind styles, shutters and motorisation room by room — with clear advice on what needs to be decided early.

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