Tax Exempt Customers & VAT Validation
for WooCommerce

Description

Resellers, schools, charities and government buyers often don’t pay sales tax, but only with a valid certificate, only where it applies, and only until it expires. Tax Exempt Customers & VAT Validation keeps the certificate on file and applies it correctly.

Applying

Customers send their certificate from My Account

Customers apply from My Account › Tax exemption with the kind of exemption, the certificate number, the states it covers, its expiry date and a copy of the certificate. Once it’s approved, they see the status and details there too, and can send a renewed certificate when the time comes.

• PDF, JPG or PNG copies of the certificate
• Choose which roles can apply, and whether a copy is required
• An email to you for every application

Reviewing

Check the certificate, then approve

WooCommerce › Tax exemptions lists every customer by status, with the ones waiting for review first. Open the certificate, correct the number, states or expiry date if needed, then approve or decline with a message. The customer is emailed either way, and every change is logged with who made it and when.

• Approve or decline with a message
• Every change logged
• Make a whole user role always exempt

At checkout

Tax left off, only where it applies

Tax is left off automatically for approved customers when they’re logged in, but only when the order goes to a state or country the certificate covers. The cart and checkout show which exemption applies, and it’s saved with the order and shown in order emails and on invoices.

• Classic pages and the Cart and Checkout blocks
• Orders you create for exempt customers stay exempt
• Shown on invoices from PDF Invoices & E-Invoicing

Emails and expiry

Customers always know where they stand

Customers get an email when their exemption is approved or declined, and a reminder before it expires, with a link to send a renewed certificate. Exemptions end on their expiry date, so an expired certificate is never used by mistake.

• Approved and declined emails
• Reminders before the expiry date
• Expired certificates are never used

EU VAT numbers

VAT numbers checked at checkout

Add an optional VAT number field to the checkout. EU numbers are checked with the European Commission’s VIES service, and businesses in another EU country with a valid number pay no VAT, as a reverse charge. UK, Norwegian, Swiss and Australian numbers are accepted in the same field too.

• Reverse charge for valid EU VAT numbers
• A consultation number saved as proof
• VAT reports by country, as CSV

One list

Every exemption and its status in one place

See who is waiting for review, approved, declined or expired, with the exemption, where it applies and when it ends. You can also set or change an exemption from the customer’s user profile, and let customers claim an exemption at checkout for you to check afterwards.

• Waiting for review, approved, declined and expired
• Set an exemption on the user profile
• An optional exemption claim at checkout

Claim at checkout

Exempt purchases claimed at checkout

Let customers tick “This purchase is tax exempt” at checkout and enter the kind of exemption and its number. Choose who can claim: customers who can apply, or everyone, guests included. The claim is saved with the order for you to check.

• A tick box at checkout
• For customers or for everyone
• Saved with the order

Beyond the EU

UK, Norwegian, Swiss and Australian numbers too

UK, Norwegian, Swiss and Australian VAT numbers are accepted in the same field and their check digits checked. Norwegian and Swiss numbers are looked up in their public registers, UK and Australian ones once you add your own credentials.

• UK, Norway, Switzerland and Australia
• Looked up in official registers
• The business name saved with the order

VAT reports

An EC Sales List in two clicks

For any period, see reverse-charged sales by customer VAT number for your EC Sales List, and net sales and tax by country. Download either report as CSV.

• EC Sales List by VAT number
• Net sales and tax by country
• CSV download

Docs and support

Try it, set it up, ask us anything

Try Tax Exempt Customers & VAT Validation in a live demo store before you buy. The docs start with a quick start and cover applying, reviewing and at checkout. Support tickets are answered by the developers who make the plugin, and updates are included.

• A live demo store to try it first
• Step-by-step docs with a quick start
• Most tickets answered within 12–24 hours

WooCommerce tax exemptions and EU VAT numbers

Tax Exempt Customers & VAT Validation keeps WooCommerce tax exempt customers on file with their certificates: customers send their certificate from My Account, you approve it, and tax is left off only where the certificate applies and only until it expires.

For European sales it adds a WooCommerce VAT number field at checkout, checks EU VAT numbers with VIES and applies the reverse charge, and also checks UK, Norwegian, Swiss and Australian numbers. VAT reports by country and an EC Sales List download as CSV.

Common setups

• Resellers: resale certificates for the states they cover, renewed before they expire.
• Schools and charities: exemption letters reviewed once, applied to every order.
• Government buyers: a user role that is always exempt, without a certificate.
• EU businesses: VAT reverse charge for a VAT number checked with VIES.
• Claims at checkout: customers tick “This purchase is tax exempt” and enter their number.

Questions before you buy

Requirements

WordPress 6.8 or newer, WooCommerce 10.0 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. Works with the classic checkout, the Cart and Checkout blocks, and High-Performance Order Storage. VAT numbers are sent to the European Commission’s VIES service only when the VAT field is on.

Documentation

Step-by-step setup, every setting explained, and examples: read the documentation. Questions before you buy? Ask us.