EU VAT management for WooCommerce
EU VAT Assistant Premium extends the standard WooCommerce sale process for stores that sell digital goods and services to customers in the European Union. It calculates the VAT due under the EU rules described in the product information, using the customer’s country of consumption as the basis for the applicable rate.
The plugin records information used to determine the VAT treatment of an order and keeps that information with the order. This gives merchants a structured record of the details used to apply VAT and can support the preparation of VAT and MOSS reports.
Key capabilities
- EU VAT calculation: Extend WooCommerce’s sale process to calculate VAT under the EU digital-goods regime.
- Customer-location evidence: Track and record customer-location details, including the evidence used to support the VAT rate applied to each sale.
- VAT number validation: Accept and validate EU VAT numbers through the official VIES service. When a valid number is entered at checkout, WooCommerce can apply a VAT exemption.
- VAT currency: Use a dedicated currency for VAT reporting while continuing to sell in another currency. VAT amounts are converted to the reporting currency.
- VAT reports: Use the recorded information to prepare VAT reports and support VAT or MOSS return preparation.
- Mixed product and service scenarios: Specify the country to which collected VAT is payable for individual VAT rates, so reports can distinguish where the tax should be paid.
- B2B and B2C controls: The plugin includes options to force B2B or B2C sales.
Practical workflows
For a digital shop selling to consumers across Europe, the plugin can collect location evidence in real time, store it against each new order, and apply the appropriate VAT treatment during checkout. Merchants can then review the stored information when preparing VAT documentation.
For business customers, the checkout can accept a VAT number and validate it through VIES. A valid number can trigger VAT exemption. The plugin also includes options for cases in which the remote VIES service is unavailable or overloaded; these options are disabled by default and can be enabled in the plugin settings.
Stores offering both digital products and services involving human intervention can use the payable-to country information to help organise reporting for different VAT situations. This is useful where products and services do not follow the same place-of-supply treatment.
Installation
Install the plugin in your WordPress site and activate it. Once activated, the plugin begins saving the VAT evidence associated with new orders. Review its settings to configure VAT validation behaviour, reporting currency, sales type controls, and other available options before processing orders.
Important product status
The EU VAT Assistant reached end of life on 30 June 2022. It remains functional, but it is no longer maintained or supported. It is intended for existing users who have developers able to handle maintenance and troubleshooting.
