Which goods fall under the VAT margin scheme?

Belgium’s FPS Finance defines second-hand goods as tangible movable property that is suitable for further use as it is or after repair. It additionally names works of art, collectors’ items, antiques and second-hand means of transport. The scheme sits in article 58, § 4 of the Belgian VAT Code and in Royal Decree no. 53 of 23 December 1994. HMRC runs a comparable margin scheme in the UK.

Which goods are excluded?

Six are named: new goods, precious metals, precious stones and pearls, renovated goods, goods processed so heavily that at the point of sale you cannot establish they are the same piece, goods that are consumed on first use, and goods that cannot be used again in the same state.

Does the margin scheme depend on my trade?

No. The test is about the goods, not about the kind of business you run. An antiques dealer cannot automatically sell everything under the margin, and a trader who normally works with ordinary VAT can perfectly well hold margin goods. That is exactly why these pages are organised by type of goods.

How do I calculate the VAT on my margin?

The VAT is inside the margin, not on top of it. At a rate of 21% that is margin × 21/121. On a €400 margin you therefore pay €69.42 and not €84. In Belgium you take the margin across the whole return period; in France the legal default is piece by piece.

Margin VAT by type of goods

The margin scheme is about the goods, not about your trade.

An antiques dealer cannot automatically sell everything under the margin scheme, and neither can a second-hand shop. Belgium’s FPS Finance tests goods by goods: is this tangible movable property that can be used again, and does it stay off the exclusion list?

Those two questions give a clear yes for one type and a “yes, unless” for another. Each type is below, with the sentence from the tax authority that the answer comes from.

Belgium’s FPS Finance defines second-hand goods as “tangible movable property that is suitable for further use as it is or after repair”. Excluded are, among others, new goods, precious metals, precious stones and pearls, renovated goods, goods that are consumed on first use, and goods that cannot be used again in the same state.

Falls under the scheme

Ordinary second-hand pieces. As long as you buy them from someone who charges you no VAT, you sell them under the margin.

ArtNamed in the scheme; watch out for purchases at a reduced rate. AntiquesNamed in the scheme; the limit runs through renovation. FurnitureThe textbook example; watch out with reupholstery. BooksOrdinary second-hand goods; the reduced rate does not apply. BicyclesA means of transport, so explicitly covered; watch out for built-up bikes. CarsExplicitly named; watch the new-vehicle rule. ClothingOrdinary second-hand goods; watch out with bales by the kilo. Records and vinylSecond-hand goods or collectors' item; under the margin either way. ToysOrdinary second-hand goods; watch out with incomplete sets. ElectronicsUnder the margin; refurbishing touches the renovated-goods exclusion. WatchesUnder the margin; watch gold cases and full services. Musical instrumentsUnder the margin; watch out with full restorations. Tableware and glassUnder the margin; silver needs a second look. StampsA collectors' item; named separately in the scheme. MotorcyclesA means of transport, explicitly named; watch cross-border sales. Caravans and campersA means of transport, explicitly named; watch full conversions. HandbagsOrdinary second-hand goods; watch full restorations. BoatsA means of transport, explicitly named; watch cross-border sales. Rugs and carpetsUnder the margin; watch out with thorough reweaving. LightingUnder the margin; rewiring counts as repair. ToolsUnder the margin; watch purchases with VAT from a business. CeramicsUnder the margin; damage can put a piece out of use. CamerasUnder the margin; film and digital follow the same rule. SmartphonesUnder the margin; watch fleet purchases with VAT and heavy refurbishing. Sports equipmentUnder the margin; safety is a separate question. LaptopsUnder the margin; the purchase invoice decides. Collectors' itemsOwn category in the scheme; same treatment.

Falls under it, with a limit

Here an exclusion sits right next to your piece. One step further and the scheme no longer applies.

JewelleryThe piece yes, the loose precious metal and stones no. SilverwareThe object yes, the metal by weight no. CoinsCollectors' coin yes, precious metal by weight no. Building materialsReusable yes, demolition waste no.

Does not fall under it

These are named on the tax authority’s exclusion list, or fall outside the definition of second-hand goods.

GoldPrecious metals are named on the exclusion list. WineConsumed on first use; excluded. End-of-line stockNever used means new; excluded.

The same piece, four countries

What falls under the scheme is European law and therefore the same in all four countries. What you pay is not.

Belgium 21% out of the margin

Margin across the whole return period. Article 58, § 4 VAT Code and RD no. 53.

Netherlands 21% out of the margin

Globalisation scheme or individual method. Wet OB 1968, article 28b onwards.

France 20% out of the margin

Legally piece by piece. Globalisation is an option there, not the default. CGI art. 297 A.

United Kingdom One-sixth of the margin

HMRC’s own scheme, outside the EU. Below the registration threshold you pay nothing.

Each rate measured on 2 September 2026 at the government itself: FPS Finance, VAT rates (Belgium); Belastingdienst, Tarieven en vrijstellingen (Netherlands); impots.gouv.fr, Plusieurs taux de TVA (France, CGI art. 278); gov.uk, VAT margin schemes (UK, “You pay VAT at 16.67% (one-sixth) on the difference”).

Written on 8 September 2026. The scheme, the definition of second-hand goods and the exclusions were measured on 8 September 2026 at Belgium’s FPS Finance, Regeling van belastingheffing over de marge, which names article 58, § 4 of the VAT Code and Royal Decree no. 53 of 23 December 1994 as its basis. Since 1 January 2026 the law of 19 December 2025 excludes goods bought at a reduced rate from the margin scheme — explained in circular 2026/C/14 of 13 January 2026, measured via eur-lex.europa.eu on 31 August 2026. FPS Finance has not yet updated its own page on that point — re-checked on 10 September 2026.

This is an explanation, not tax advice. Whether the margin scheme is the right choice in your case, and how to enter it in your return, is a question for your accountant.

Frequently asked questions

Which goods fall under the VAT margin scheme?
Belgium’s FPS Finance defines second-hand goods as tangible movable property that is suitable for further use as it is or after repair. It additionally names works of art, collectors’ items, antiques and second-hand means of transport. The scheme sits in article 58, § 4 of the Belgian VAT Code and in Royal Decree no. 53 of 23 December 1994. HMRC runs a comparable margin scheme in the UK.
Which goods are excluded?
Six are named: new goods, precious metals, precious stones and pearls, renovated goods, goods processed so heavily that at the point of sale you cannot establish they are the same piece, goods that are consumed on first use, and goods that cannot be used again in the same state.
Does the margin scheme depend on my trade?
No. The test is about the goods, not about the kind of business you run. An antiques dealer cannot automatically sell everything under the margin, and a trader who normally works with ordinary VAT can perfectly well hold margin goods. That is exactly why these pages are organised by type of goods.
How do I calculate the VAT on my margin?
The VAT is inside the margin, not on top of it. At a rate of 21% that is margin × 21/121. On a €400 margin you therefore pay €69.42 and not €84. In Belgium you take the margin across the whole return period; in France the legal default is piece by piece.