Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Dispensing Charges

This topic is closed.

7 replies215 viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Edited

I recently bought a pair of hearing aids from a high street retailer. After a few emails I finally obtained an invoice and was surprised what a saw.
The invoice has two separate VAT rates. One at 20% for goods (the hearing aid itself) and one vat exempt for services (dispensing).
In round numbers the goods (hearing aids) were £700 and the services (dispensing) £1300

5 people in this conversation1 min readJump to latest

Looks like he was doing you a favour by arranging the invoice that way. If I had paid 2000 for hearing aids in Canada I would have paid tax on the whole sum. But then our GST is a Goods AND Services tax.

Healthcare is specifically VAT exempt here. The ‘goods’ aspect isn’t, but the healthcare service part is. It’s unusual to see it broken down in an invoice though.

Thanks for your replies. To explain, I don’t have any problem with the two different tax rates.
What I don’t understand is how they can do an eye test and still sell a pair of glasses for £100 yet can charge £1300 for a hearing test before the price of the aids.
The eye test appears to be far more complicated than the hearing test

I still think he’s doing this to help you by artificially inflating the tax-free portion and reducing the taxable part.

In reply to @say-again

They sell a lot more pairs of glasses than they do hearing aids, and you would be pushed to buy a used equivalent pair for £700 even on Ebay. Don’t forget apart from your hearing test you will have follow up appointments, replacement receivers, domes etc. also a 4 year warranty.

Active discussions

What the forum has been talking about this week.