Tourist VAT Refund Calculator
See what you'll ACTUALLY get back on tax-free shopping abroad — net of operator commission and fees, not the headline VAT rate. Pick a country, enter your spend in the local currency.
Calculator
The headline rate is a mirage
12%France's VAT is 20%, but VAT is only 16.7% of the price you pay — and after fees you actually keep about 12% of the price.
Where the rest goes
28%Fees and operator commission swallow about 28% of the VAT you could have recovered. A government-run scheme would keep almost none.
Scheme details
- Minimum spend
- €100.00
- Export within
- 90 days
Estimate only, and conditional on eligibility: you must be a non-resident visitor, export the unused goods within the time limit, and get customs validation before leaving. Operator fees vary — treat this as a guide, not financial advice.
About this calculator
Tax-free shopping sounds simple — buy abroad, claim the VAT back at the airport — but the cash you actually receive is far less than the country's headline VAT rate. This calculator shows the real number: it starts from the VAT genuinely contained in your price, then subtracts the refund operator's commission and any fees, so you see what lands in your pocket before you shop, not a fantasy figure.
How to read your results
The big number is your estimated net refund in the local currency. Below it, three figures tell the whole story: the headline VAT rate (what people assume they get back), the maximum refund (the share of the price that is actually VAT — always less than the rate), and what you keep (your refund as a percentage of the price, after fees). When the gap between the headline rate and what you keep is large, operator commission is eating the difference.
Worked example
You spend the equivalent of 1,000 in France (20% VAT) and take a card refund.
VAT inside the price is about 16.7% (not 20%), and after the operator keeps roughly a quarter of it you net around 12% of what you paid — about 120, not 200.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't I get the full VAT percentage back?
Two reasons. VAT is calculated on the pre-tax price, so at a 20% rate the tax inside the price you paid is only 16.67%, not 20%. Then the refund operator keeps a commission — frequently a quarter to a half of that — and cash desks add a fee. On a 20% country you typically bank only about 10–14% of the purchase price.
Can I claim a VAT refund in the UK or the US?
No. Great Britain abolished tourist VAT refunds (the VAT Retail Export Scheme) on 1 January 2021, so there's no in-person refund on goods you carry out. The United States has no VAT or national sales tax, so there's no federal refund either; a few US states run limited sales-tax rebates.
Should I take the refund in cash or to my card?
A card or bank refund is usually worth more. The airport cash desk is the most convenient option but stacks the highest fees, and choosing your home currency there adds a currency-conversion margin. Taking the refund to a card, in the local currency, generally nets you more.
What do I have to do to actually get the money?
Be a non-resident visitor, ask for a tax-free form at the till, keep the goods unused, and get the export validated at customs (a digital kiosk like France's PABLO or Spain's DIVA, or a stamp) before you leave — no validation, no refund. You generally must export the goods within three months. If a shop pre-refunded you, the validated form must reach the operator or the VAT is re-charged to your card.
How it's calculated
Two things shrink the refund. First, VAT is a slice of the pre-tax price, so the tax inside a gross price P at rate r is P × r/(1+r), not P × r — at 20% the ceiling is 16.67% of what you paid. Second, refund operators (Global Blue, Planet and others) keep a commission, often a quarter to a half of that VAT, and airport cash desks add a further convenience fee on top. Government-run schemes (Australia's Tourist Refund Scheme, Japan's point-of-sale exemption) keep little or nothing, which is why they return far more. Estimates use each country's standard VAT rate and minimum threshold (dated and sourced) with a calibrated commission model; they assume an eligible non-resident who validates the export at customs.
Sources
- europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/vat/index_en.htm
- taxfoundation.org/data/all/eu/value-added-tax-vat-rates-europe
- www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/tourist-refund-scheme
- u.ae/en/information-and-services/finance-and-investment/taxation/vat/tax-refund-for-tourists
Reviewed by the YouCalc Team · Last reviewed
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