This article was reviewed by Alex Kwan and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Alex Kwan is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and the CEO of Flex Tax and Consulting Group in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has also served as a Vice President for one of the top five Private Equity Firms. With over a decade of experience practicing public accounting, he specializes in client-centered accounting and consulting, R&D tax services, and the small business sector.
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If you run a business in a country that uses value-added tax (VAT), then VAT numbers from manufacturers are an important part of your paperwork. While a regular consumer doesn’t need to worry about VAT, you may need a company’s VAT number to track payments and tax collection for products you sell. You’ll also use VAT numbers to file tax returns to the government. Even if you’re new to the value-added tax system, VAT numbers are easy to find once you know where to look. Keep reading for everything you need to know about VAT numbers, including how to locate and validate them.
Things You Should Know
- Look at the company’s invoices, insurance forms, or tax documents for the VAT number. It will contain 2 letters and multiple digits.
- Try searching for the company on a VAT search engine to find their identification number.
- Contact the company directly and ask for their VAT number. You may need to submit a formal request to access the number.
- Validate the VAT number with an online VAT validation tool, or by calling the country’s business or tax department.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat is the VAT number for the US?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerThe United States doesn't use value-added tax or VAT numbers since states add individual sales tax. A company only needs a VAT number if they sell anything to countries that use value-added tax.
Tips
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Always double-check VAT numbers to ensure they’re correct and valid. If you submit any tax forms with the wrong VAT numbers, your business will have to pay the bill for the tax claim, and it can create issues with a business's tax documentation.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.websecurity.digicert.com/content/dam/websitesecurity/digitalassets/desktop/pdfs/repository/VAT-formats.pdf
- ↑ https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/file_import/eb015_en_2.pdf
- ↑ https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/what-vat_en
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-online-marketplace-seller-checks
- ↑ https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/taxation/vat/check-vat-number-vies/index_en.htm
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/vat-online-services-helpdesk
- ↑ https://op.europa.eu/webpub/grow/factsheets/vat-for-companies/en/
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- ↑ https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/1ca62ced-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/1ca62ced-en