Northern Ireland: watch the VAT quirks
Income tax and National Insurance work the same as in the rest of the UK, but Northern Ireland has its own wrinkles — goods trade runs under the Windsor Framework with EU-facing VAT rules, and support comes through Invest NI rather than the English growth hubs. It's specialist territory we handle as standard.
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Belfast has real strength in cybersecurity, fintech and creative industries, and startups here don't need a generalist down the road — they need specialists who answer quickly and price fairly. Because we work online, you get exactly that, plus a nudge towards the right local support: Invest NI and the Go Succeed service is a good first stop for grants and advice, and our Swoop-powered funding portal searches 1,000+ lenders and grant schemes on top.
What is different about VAT in Northern Ireland?
Income tax, National Insurance and corporation tax work in Northern Ireland exactly as they do in England and Wales. The difference is VAT on goods. Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland continues to follow EU VAT rules for goods while following UK rules for services — so goods moving to and from Great Britain and the EU need handling differently from the way a Great Britain business would handle the same transaction. If you sell services, which Belfast's cybersecurity, fintech and creative sectors mostly do, the UK rules apply and the complication largely disappears. Business support also runs through Invest NI and Go Succeed rather than the English growth hub network, so the grant landscape is its own thing too.
