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.

EU VAT Rate Lookup — Gera Tools

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.

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.

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.

Example and notes

Selecting Germany returns a standard rate of 19% and a reduced rate of 7%. A net price of 100.00 EUR therefore carries 19.00 EUR of VAT and a gross total of 119.00 EUR.

Rates shown are standard published rates; many countries also apply a 0% (zero-rated) treatment to exports and a small set of goods. Always confirm the rate against the official national source before filing — rates change through national budget legislation, and category-specific reduced rates depend on the exact product or service.