What belongs on a VAT invoice

Tax offices do not all want the same XML file. They do want to be able to read who sold what, when, and at which rate. A PDF can be that document in many countries. In others, such as Italy’s SDI or Poland’s KSeF, the PDF is the human copy and a network transmission is the legal one. Know which world your client is in.

The minimum that rarely changes

• Your name and address, and your customer’s.
• Your VAT identification number. Theirs too, if this is an intra-EU B2B supply.
• A unique invoice number and the date of issue.
• A description that a stranger could understand in a year.
• The quantity, the net price, the VAT rate, and the VAT amount.
• The total.

Discounts belong before the VAT, not as a vague line at the bottom. If two rates apply, show them separately. A single blended percentage is how books stop matching.

Zero is a statement, not an empty box

If you charge no VAT, say which rule you are using. Reverse charge. Export. Exempt. A blank VAT column looks like you forgot. RateNest forces the rate to zero when you pick reverse charge or export, and it prints the reason.

Currency

The tax is calculated in the currency of the invoice, then reported in the currency of your return if they differ. RateNest does not invent an exchange rate. If you invoice in dollars and file in euro, you still need the rate your tax office accepts. Pro lets you issue the invoice in the currency you agreed. The conversion for the return is still your job.

Logos and templates

A logo does not make an invoice valid. A missing VAT number can make it useless to your customer, because they may not be able to deduct the tax. Get the numbers right before you worry about the copper stripe.