ZimCompany › VAT registration

VAT registration in Zimbabwe

Registration for Value Added Tax in Zimbabwe is compulsory once taxable supplies reach US$25,000 in a 12 month period, and available voluntarily below that. The standard rate rose to 15.5% on 1 January 2026. Registered businesses file a VAT return by the 25th of each month.

Last verified 10 September 2026. We confirm your timeline in writing before you pay.

The threshold, and the rate

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority sets compulsory VAT registration at US$25,000 of taxable supplies in a twelve month period. Below that you may register voluntarily, which is worth doing when your customers are themselves VAT registered and will claim the input tax, and worth avoiding when your customers are ordinary consumers who simply see a higher price.

The standard rate rose from 15% to 15.5% with effect from 1 January 2026, announced in the 2026 National Budget. Any calculator, quote or invoice template still carrying 15% is out of date.

Registration is not only a rate. It is a monthly return, due by the 25th, with a penalty regime behind it that is punitive by design: late VAT attracts a daily penalty and interest, and the amounts add up faster than any other head.

What is included

What we need from you

  1. Your Business Partner Number. From the ZIMRA registration.
  2. Evidence of your supplies. Contracts, invoices or a forecast that shows how you meet the threshold or why you are registering voluntarily.
  3. Bank details for the company. The authority expects them on the application.
  4. The trading address. And the nature of the supplies you make.

Life after registration

A VAT registered company files a return by the 25th of each month, whether or not it traded. It charges 15.5% on standard-rated supplies, claims input tax on the VAT it has paid, and remits the difference. The record keeping behind that is real work: every input claim needs a valid tax invoice.

Our Plus compliance retainer covers the monthly VAT return alongside the payroll filings, on the basis that you send us sales and purchase figures by the 5th.

What this costs

Our fee for vat registration in Zimbabwe: US$450. Government fees included in the price, not itemised by ZIMRA. Our fee and the government fee are always shown as two separate numbers.

We confirm your timeline in writing before you pay. Prices were last verified on 10 September 2026. The full price list is at ZimCompany pricing.

Frequently asked questions

When must a Zimbabwean company register for VAT?

When taxable supplies reach US$25,000 in a twelve month period. Below that, registration is voluntary.

What is the VAT rate in Zimbabwe in 2026?

15.5%. The standard rate rose from 15% with effect from 1 January 2026 under the 2026 National Budget.

Should I register voluntarily if I am under the threshold?

It depends on who your customers are. If they are VAT registered businesses claiming input tax, registration costs them nothing and makes you look established. If they are consumers, it makes you 15.5% more expensive for no gain.

What happens if a VAT return is late?

VAT carries the harshest late-filing regime of any head, with a daily penalty and interest. It is the single strongest argument for putting a monthly retainer behind a company nobody is running from inside the country.

Talk to ZimCompany

ZimCompany registers and runs Zimbabwean companies for people and businesses anywhere in the world: owners living outside Zimbabwe, foreign investors, and companies registered elsewhere that need a Zimbabwean entity. Email [email protected] or message +263 77 272 4514 on WhatsApp. We work 9:00 to 17:00 CAT, UTC+2 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

ZimCompany is a Lioncap Ventures service. Lioncap Ventures (Pvt) Ltd, registration 16326A02102024, Harare, Zimbabwe. Start with the questionnaire at https://zimcompany.com/start.