As a sole trader am I required to charge VAT to individuals/businesses in the UK for services? I work in the web design business so the invoices are for services and no physical product is shipped. I've looked a t a few websites but haven't found a clear answer on this.
No rule of thumb required - you don't apply VAT to transactions with foreign VAT-registered customers. If you are buying from them you don't pay VAT either. Sometimes you have to remind them of this. It's simple enough.