Does the EU VAT Assistant include features to comply with the EU VAT OSS regulations that apply to physical products?
In short, no. We originally developed the EU VAT Assistant to help with the VAT MOSS regulations that apply to digital products from the 1st of January 2015 (VAT MOSS regulations). The EU VAT Assistant can be used, to a certain extent, even after the 1st of July. It’s possible, with some custom filters, to cover some the rules applicable to the shipping of goods, such as the VAT exemption over 150 EUR (or 135 GBP, for the UK). However, please keep in mind that it’s designed primarily for digital products, and doesn’t implement features specific to physical goods, such as handling the aspects of shipping.
What is Aelia’s recommended solution for compliance with rules introduced by the VAT OSS regime, Brexit and Norway’s VOEC?
Over the course of 2021 we have been working on a new plugin to handle the new VAT regulations, to replace the EU VAT Assistant. After carefuly consideration, we came to the conclusion that the product we have been developing could not be competitive, in a market where several of these solutions already exist. Due to that, we opted not to release our own premium VAT compliance product, and collaborate with the authors of existing plugins instead.
Towards the end of 2021, Aelia established a collaboration with David Anderson, founder of Simba Hosting and author of the popular Updraft Plus backup plugin, and of the WooCommerce EU/UK VAT / IVA Compliance plugin . If you’re looking for a comprehensive plugin to help you complying with the new regulations, we recommend to try that plugin.
We chose to endorse the David’s solution, instead of releasing our own, because we have been working together and exchanging information for years and we know that it’s a reliable product.
We are also organising to offer an optional migration service, to convert the data stored by the Aelia EU VAT Assistant into the formate used by the WooCommerce EU/UK VAT / IVA Compliance plugin. This will be an optional, paid service, which we will provide on request.
You can read more about the collaboration between Aelia and Simba Hosting in the following article: VAT OSS Compliance – From Aelia EU VAT Assistant to Simba Hosting’s WooCommerce EU/UK VAT/IVA Compliance .
What features are included in the EU VAT Assistant?
The EU VAT Assistant includes all the features to handle the VAT MOSS regulations for EU countries (see notes about UK Brexit, applicable from the 1st of January 2021). It’s based on the same framework we use for our other premium products, such as the Aelia Currency Switcher for Woocommerce , Prices by Country for WooCommerce , Aelia Tax Display by Country for WooCommerce , and it follows the same quality standards. All the included features are fully functional, without restrictions or time limitations.
Can the EU VAT Assistant validate EU VAT numbers?
Yes. The EU VAT Assistant automatically validates the EU VAT number entered by the customer on the checkout page. When a valid VAT number is entered, the plugin informs WooCommerce that a VAT exemption should be applied.
How does the EU VAT Assistant validate EU VAT numbers?
Our solution relies on the official VIES service to validate EU VAT numbers. The EU VAT Assistant also includes several options to accept VAT numbers when the remote VIES service is unavailable or overloaded. Such options are disabled by default, and can be enabled in the plugin settings.
Does the EU VAT Assistant validate UK VAT numbers?
The EU VAT Assistant could validate UK VAT numbers up until the 31st of December 2020. From the 1st of January 2021, the VIES service no handles UK VAT numbers, which must be validated through a different service, provided by the UK Revenue Office (HMRC). We wrote an addon for the EU VAT Assistant to cover that aspect , but we have since shifted our focus on other endeavours (see FAQs above).
Will the EU VAT Assistant include features dedicated to UK merchants?
The EU VAT Assistant features aim to simplify compliance with the VAT MOSS regulations that apply to EU merchants. Out of the box, the plugin which should cover most of the needs of UK merchants as well (with the exclusion of the validation of UK VAT number). If you’re looking for a comprehensive solution that covers that aspect, we recommend the WooCommerce EU/UK VAT / IVA Compliance plugin , developed by David Anderson.
Can the EU VAT Assistant show the correct VAT rate as soon as a visitor lands on the site?
Such feature is provided by our Tax Display by Country plugin . If you like the EU VAT Assistant, we invite you to purchase the Tax Display by Country as well, and enjoy the powerful features of a comprehensive tax compliance solution, at a small price.
I would like to show the same prices to all customers, regardless of the applicable VAT
Our Tax Display by Country plugin includes such feature as well, using it is as simple as ticking a box.
Does the EU VAT Assistant guarantee compliance with regulations?
We developed the EU VAT Assistant to be as accurate as possible, in order to help fulfil the requiremenets of the EU VAT MOSS regulations. As required by WordPress policies , we can’t guarantee legal compliance. Similarly, although our solution is flexible enough to cover scenarios that falls outside the EU VAT MOSS regulations (e.g. the sale of physical products), we can’t promise that it will cover all of them. That’s simply due to the presence of too many variables, which could introduce edge cases that our tests didn’t cover.
Of course, if you spot a specific condition in which the EU VAT Assistant doesn’t seem to work as expected, please feel free to report any issue you might encounter, either via our contact form (premium support) or on the public forum (free support). We’re always happy to review each special cases, and see if we can support them in our solution.
What is the support policy for this plugin?
Should you need assistance with this plugin, you can post your query in the public Support section , above**. We review that section on a regular basis, and we will reply as soon as we can (usually within a couple of days). Posting the request there will also allow other users to see it, and they may be able to assist you. Please note that we can only provide basic support on the public forum. We can’t offer assistance with customisations, nor implement them, and we won’t be able to perform in-depth investigations about issues.
I have a question unrelated to support, where can I ask it?
Should you have any question about this product, please use the contact form on our site . We will deal with each enquiry as soon as possible. Important : we won’t be able to provide advice about taxation, accounting or legal matters of any kind.
