Uber Technologies, Inc. has received multiple assessments from HM Revenue and Customs over the VAT treatment of its UK rides. The company set out the figures in a Form 10-Q filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 4 November 2026, for the quarter ended 30 September 2026.
The assessments
As of 30 September 2026 the assessments run from March 2022 to December 2025 and total approximately $3.4 billion (£2.6 billion) in unpaid VAT. Uber has paid $1.9 billion (£1.4 billion) and expects to pay the outstanding balance of $1.5 billion (£1.2 billion) in order to proceed with the appeal. The payments are not an acceptance of the assessments.
The amounts paid from 2023 to 2025 are recorded as a receivable in other assets. Uber believes the appeal will succeed and that the payments will be returned with interest once the appeals are finished. Paying the balance still outstanding would reduce operating cash flow and would leave the results of operations unchanged. For the period March 2022 to December 2025, Uber plans to vigorously defend its use of the Value Added (Tour Operators) Order 1987. It is waiting to obtain hearing dates from the Tax Tribunal. The filing gives no hearing date.
Margin VAT, then a change in the law
On 14 March 2022 Uber UK became a merchant of transportation and had to remit VAT. It used the 1987 order, which allows VAT to be remitted on a calculated margin rather than on gross bookings.
A change in the law from 2 January 2026 stopped UK private hire operators applying that order to supplies made on or after that date. Uber UK stopped applying it after 2 January 2026. The filing adds that VAT on its UK operations after the change is a matter of significant judgement and could be challenged by HMRC. No separate figure is given for that.