VAT on roofing
Do you pay VAT on roofing work?
The short answer
Generally yes. The standard rate is 20%, and a re-roof is treated as a standard-rated job. The main exception is energy-saving materials such as roof and loft insulation, which carry a zero rate until 31 March 2027 and 5% after that, but only where the supply qualifies. Ask every roofer whether the quote total includes VAT, and get the answer in writing.
What VAT does to a roofing quote, why published price guides can mislead, and how insulation affects the rate.
The 20% rate and your roof budget
The government sets the standard VAT rate at 20%, and replacing a roof covering is work that attracts it. That has a plain effect on your budget. A contractor who quotes a figure before VAT will add a fifth, and the bill you pay is the larger number.
Take an imaginary job priced at £5,000 before VAT. At 20% the VAT is £1,000 and the total comes to £6,000. If the same job were quoted at £5,000 including VAT, the firm would be taking a sixth less for the same work. Neither figure is wrong, but they are not the same price, and homeowners comparing two quotes can be misled when one is net and the other gross. The same applies to repairs: whatever the size of the job, the question is whether the number on the page is the number you will pay.
Why cost guides often leave VAT out
National price guides are inconsistent about VAT, so read the small print. Checkatrade's roof repair guide leaves VAT out of its costs and tells readers to add it. Its roof replacement table for hip, gable and flat roofs is headed as plus VAT, in its October 2026 update. Other guides print a range with no label at all.
When you meet a figure in a guide, assume nothing. Look for the words "plus VAT" or "exclusive of VAT", and if neither appears, treat the range as uncertain. Checking that VAT and scaffolding are in a price you are shown takes a minute, and it can change a comparison completely. Every typical-cost figure on this site names its source and date for that reason. For the wider picture of what a full re-cover involves, see our answer on roof replacement cost, and read it with the VAT question in mind. The same applies to any range you find online.
Insulation and the zero rate
HMRC's VAT Notice 708/6 provides a zero rate when specified energy-saving materials are installed between 1 May 2023 and 31 March 2027. Afterwards the rate for those materials moves to 5%. Insulation for roofs and lofts is on the notice's list.
That does not make a re-roof VAT-free. The deciding factor is how the work is supplied. The notice explains that whether a mixed job counts as a single supply decides which rate applies, and its own example is roof-space insulation fitted with an extension, which is one standard-rated supply. So insulation put in during a re-roof might be zero-rated or might fall into the standard rate, depending on how the job is put together. We explain which applies on your written quote, and we cover the thermal side in roof insulation when re-roofing. Check your own case with HMRC or an accountant.
Questions to put to any roofer about VAT
Ask whether the total on the quote includes VAT, and whether the scaffolding sits inside that total or arrives later on its own. Those two are the usual sources of a bill that grows, and both take seconds to settle before any work begins. Our answer on why roofing quotes vary shows how access, covering and size move the price, and the VAT position is one more reason two quotes for the same house can sit far apart.
Insist on the answer in writing, on the quote itself. A written total with the VAT position stated lets you compare like with like. Be wary of a firm that only talks figures out loud, or offers a lower number for cash, because that leaves you with nothing on paper for your own records. Public money will not close the gap, since our answer on roof grants explains that no national scheme pays to re-cover a house, so the quote is the figure you plan around.
Where we come in
Every job with JJ Roofing starts with a survey. You see pictures of the faults and hear a clear view on what the roof needs, from a small repair to a full re-cover. A written quote arrives after that, and the VAT position sits on it so nobody has to guess. Where insulation is part of the work, the quote also records how that element has been treated.
If you are weighing up quotes already in hand, put the questions above to each firm and compare the totals once the VAT and scaffolding answers are alike. Our prices are good and fair, though the best way to judge any firm is by what it puts on paper: the total, what the figure covers and the scope of the work. A roofer who is happy to explain all three before you sign is giving you the information you need to decide.
Related questions
Roofing VAT questions
What happens to the zero rate after 31 March 2027?
Under HMRC's notice, installing those energy-saving materials moves to the reduced rate of 5% after that date. It does not return to 20%. Work that is not insulation stays at the standard rate throughout, so a re-roof is still treated as a standard-rated job.
Can a roofer take the VAT off the price?
No. VAT is set by law, so a roofer cannot simply drop it. What does vary is whether a quote shows a figure with or without it, which is why the written total matters. If a price looks low, see whether VAT and the scaffolding sit inside it before you compare.