In brief: Save 20% on your personal alarm. Use our 8-point checklist to audit HMRC statutory VAT relief eligibility for long-term conditions. Call 01704 332840.
The Personal Alarm VAT Exemption Checklist: How to Claim Your 20% Saving
Here is something a lot of families never get told. If the person you are buying a personal alarm for is chronically sick or disabled, you should not be paying VAT on it. That is 20 per cent off the price, and plenty of people pay full whack simply because nobody mentioned the relief existed.
In short: VAT exemption, properly called VAT relief, lets people who are chronically sick or disabled buy a personal alarm without the 20 per cent VAT. You do not need to be registered disabled, claim any benefit, or ask HMRC for permission. You confirm you are eligible by signing one short form. Work through the eight checks below and you will know exactly where you stand. You can see how it applies to your order on our dedicated resource area, and our UK team will happily walk you through it on 01704 332840.
Your VAT Exemption Checklist at a Glance
Run through these eight points in order. The first four tell you whether you qualify. The last four are how you actually claim the saving.
- 1. The alarm is for someone with a long-term illness or disability
- 2. It is not a claim based on age alone, or a short-term injury
- 3. The alarm is for that person's own home and personal use
- 4. You understand you need no proof, registration, or HMRC permission
- 5. You have chosen the right alarm and plan
- 6. You have told Holden Grange you want to claim VAT exemption
- 7. You have signed the short eligibility declaration
- 8. You have your VAT-free price confirmed before paying
The Checklist in Full
Check 1: The alarm is for someone with a long-term illness or disability
This is the heart of it. To claim, the person who will wear the alarm needs to be what HMRC calls "chronically sick or disabled". You qualify if you have:
- A physical or mental impairment with a long-term and substantial effect on your ability to carry out everyday activities.
- A condition the medical profession treats as a chronic illness. Diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, COPD, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and the lasting effects of a stroke are all common examples.
- A terminal illness.
The list of conditions is not fixed, so do not worry if yours is not named above. If it is long-term and it affects daily life, it almost certainly counts.
Check 2: It is not a claim based on age alone, or a short-term injury
Two things often cause confusion, so it's worth clarifying both. Firstly, age on its own does not qualify someone for VAT relief. Someone in their 80s who is fit and well, with no long-term health condition, would not normally qualify purely because they are older. Likewise, a short-term injury or temporary condition would not usually count.
What many people don't realise, though, is that a large number of older people do qualify because they live with an ongoing health condition. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart conditions, Parkinson's, COPD, and many other long-term illnesses can make someone eligible for VAT relief on personal alarm services and equipment. If you're unsure, it's always worth checking rather than assuming you won't qualify. Our companion piece, Staying Independent in Your Own Home, explains more about when a personal alarm can be helpful and the different situations families face.
Check 3: The alarm is for that person's own home and personal use
The relief is intended for personal or domestic use, which simply means the alarm is being provided for the disabled person's own day-to-day use, rather than for a business, organisation, or shared public setting. If you are a son, daughter, family member, or carer arranging the alarm on someone else's behalf, that is completely acceptable.
HMRC allows a relative, carer, or guardian to complete and sign the declaration for the person using the equipment or service. Review our environmental layout strategy inside our master resource: The Complete Guide to Digital-Ready SOS Devices. To evaluate specific hardware style settings, see Pendant or Watch Selection Guide.
Check 4: You understand you need no proof, registration, or HMRC permission
This is the check that puts most people's minds at rest. To claim VAT exemption you do not need to be registered disabled, receive a disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment, get a reference number from HMRC, or send medical evidence to anyone. HMRC is clear that it does not issue an exemption certificate at all. The whole thing runs on a simple written declaration.
Check 5: You have chosen the right alarm and plan
Before the paperwork, decide what hardware options suit best. If you want to benchmark home risk metrics first, score your relative's environment with our 10-Point Emergency Readiness Checklist. To understand what happens once a call is placed, check our guide: What Happens When You Press an SOS Button. If you are tracking structural technology shifts across telephone lines, read our WiFi and Landline Requirements Guide.
Check 6: Tell Holden Grange you want to claim VAT exemption
VAT relief is not applied automatically by checkout engines, so you do need to mention it. The easiest way is to call our team on 01704 332840 and say you would like to claim VAT exemption, or to flag it when you place your order. Learn how our backend infrastructure processes these verified exemptions safely in our operational report: Why the Monitoring Station Matters Most.
Check 7: Sign the short eligibility declaration
This is the only piece of paperwork. The declaration is a short form that records the person's name, their condition, and confirms the alarm is for their personal use. A family member or carer can sign it on the person's behalf. We keep the signed declaration with our records. It is never sent to HMRC, and you never have to chase it up again. For advice on introducing a device to a parent under a zero upfront commitment layout, see Why a 14-Day Free Trial is Safest. If you face initial hesitation, read "What If Mum Won't Wear It?"
Check 8: Have your VAT-free price confirmed before paying
Last step, and a sensible habit with any purchase. Ask us to confirm the final price with the VAT removed, in plain figures, before you commit to anything. Our team will set it out clearly so you know precisely what you are paying. If you want to weigh up the value as a whole, our honest guide Are Personal Alarms Worth the Money? is a good companion to this one.
Confirm Your VAT-Free Quote
Speak to Hannah to confirm your relative's clinical condition eligibility, run a cellular postcode signal check, and arrange next-day delivery dispatch for a risk-free 14-day home trial.
Telephone: 01704 332840 | Email: info@holdengrange.com
Book a Free 15-Minute ConsultationOne Thing the Saving Does Not Cover
It's also important to be clear about where VAT relief does and does not apply. The relief covers qualifying emergency alarm equipment and monitoring services designed for disabled people, but it does not automatically extend to every related item. Key safes are a good example. Although they are often recommended alongside a personal alarm, HMRC does not currently include them within the VAT relief scheme, so VAT still applies to those items.
If an order includes a mixture of qualifying and non-qualifying products or services, only the eligible parts will be VAT free. We always show this clearly on quotations and invoices so families can see exactly what the relief applies to.
Still Not Sure You Qualify? Where to Get a Definite Answer
If you have read Check 1 and you are genuinely on the fence, do not guess. Two reliable places will give you a clear answer:
- Your GP or another medical professional: They can tell you whether your condition is treated as long-term or chronic. HMRC staff are not allowed to make that clinical diagnostic call for you.
- The HMRC VAT Disabled Reliefs Helpline on 0300 123 1073, open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.
For the rules in full, the official source is HMRC's VAT Notice 701/7: Reliefs from VAT for disabled and older people. There is also a plain-English overview on the official GOV.UK VAT Relief Portal. This blog is general information, not formal tax or legal advice, so for your own situation those official sources are the ones to trust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not on age alone. The relief is for people who are chronically sick or disabled. That said, many older people do have a qualifying condition such as arthritis or a heart condition, even if they have never thought of themselves as disabled.
Yes. If you need a comprehensive configuration, our multi-device billing discounts combine seamlessly with statutory zero-rating frameworks. Review our setup strategy: Pendant and Watch Bundle Guide.
HMRC rules exclude temporary injuries, such as a broken leg that will heal fully. Long-term chronic concerns, including early stage memory issues or recovery paths following cardiovascular changes, qualify fully. Read our clinical checklists inside our Dementia Safeguarding Guide and our Post-Stroke Care Checklist.
Yes, where hardware is purchased on behalf of named eligible individuals or specific registered charity structures. Review our professional partnership pathways inside our Small Provider Support Guide and our Lone Worker Employer Checklist.
No. VAT relief policies apply uniformly across all four home nations. Review regional tracking parameters in our National UK Coverage Guide or see our local town dashboard: Southport and Sefton Local Guide.
The Bottom Line: Far more people qualify for VAT exemption than ever claim it. If the alarm is for someone with a long-term illness or disability, work through the eight checks, sign one short form, and keep the 20 per cent in your own pocket. To finalize your research on delivery setup tracking, verify your requirements with our Personal Alarm Setup Checklist or evaluate general consumer alternatives inside our Apple Watch vs Personal Alarm Report.