topic Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format in Archived Posts

How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

I_AM_THE_VATMAN — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 15:33:45 GMT

Now that the bill format has been made "simpler" there is no breakdown of the VAT, which is essential for those of us submitting our personal mobile bills as expenses to our employers.

If a company is charging VAT, there must be a way of seeing what VAT is being charged - any shop charging VAT is obliged to give a VAT breakdown if requested. The same should apply here.

Is there a method I am missing?

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

XRaySpeX — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:09:55 GMT

You need to move to a business plan to get VAT receipts.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

I_AM_THE_VATMAN — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:16:52 GMT

Okay, thanks for the clarification. I'll have to take it up the chain of command because I'm not sure this is legal, especially since they used to give the information on the bills up until a couple of months ago.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

ewanrw — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 19:21:26 GMT

Perfectly legal. Cut and pasted from gov.uk...

“If you sell a customer a product or a service, you need to give them an invoice (bill) by law if both you and the customer are registered for VAT (a business to business transaction). An invoice is not the same as a receipt, which is an acknowledgement of payment.”

https://www.gov.uk/invoicing-and-taking-payment-from-customers

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

XRaySpeX — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 21:28:32 GMT

@ewanrw : That's irrelevant to this thread:

It say's nowt about the VAT contents of a bill.
EE does give everybody (VAT registered or not) an invoice (bill) anyway.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

ewanrw — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 21:32:26 GMT

Please re-read the contents of the post and the link.

The only legal requirement to provide a VAT invoice is between businesses. EE don’t provide a breakdown of VAT to us consumers anymore, as they don’t need to, and it’s perfectly legal to do so, or not to, as it were.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

XRaySpeX — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 21:36:50 GMT

@ewanrw : I did! You're misreading your own quote. There's nowt in it about providing VAT invoices, just invoices in general.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

ewanrw — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 07:01:59 GMT

Let’s let the original poster decide what’s relevant to their question as it’s not for you or I to decide.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

XRaySpeX — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 11:21:16 GMT

@ewanrw : Who's deciding anything? Just commenting as is my right.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

I_AM_THE_VATMAN — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 11:29:16 GMT

Thanks for doing the extra research, however XRaySpex is right in that it is not relevant to my original post. It doesn't matter what the legal requirement for invoices is, the point is that if VAT is being charged, the customer (any customer) can request a breakdown of the VAT content.

Looking at other requests for VAT information in this forum, there is clearly a need for it without having to register as a business, and it seems arbitrary and petty that EE have decided to remove the information. I can only imagine it was a kneejerk reaction to a customer poll that wanted simpler bills (or less paper used). I certainly hope it's not a cynical attempt to push more people onto business accounts with higher tariffs.

This is a reduction in service though, with no consultancy or warning, and I would not have signed up with EE in the first place if they didn't have VAT information on the bill.

Like I said, I'm taking it up with the higher-ups, and if they can't furnish me with the information, I'll switch providers to someone who can.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

ptsaunders99 — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 13:12:49 GMT

Have you seen the information that is required to switch to a business account: personal name, address, date of birth, mobile, e-mail. business certificate of inc., business bank acount details (name, account & sort), copy of bank statement, and a load of other stuff too boring to mention. The kicker is that the ONLY WAY (according to who I spoke to at EE) is to send an unsecure e-mail with all the above information to an general mailbox located in India. I'm not prepared to send that information in an e-mail so in order to get VAT information I have to move my 7 phones to another provider. There is no option to post the information in (slightly more secure) or via a secure web-site. It's crazy and stupid from a customer service point of view. There is no reason to keep VAT information secret. The only think I can suggest is that EE wants to move all those of us that use personal accounts for business use to a business account so that can charge us more fees.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

Halevie — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 17:53:30 GMT

This is obviously and issue for many customers given all the threads about VAT. VAT should be separated on bills and a VAT number provided. EE says "95% of customers were confused by VAT so it was removed in January 2021" but every bill for everything you buy in the UK - even a Big Mac - has VAT separated out. 95% of people in the UK can't be THAT stupid. But BT can, the owner of EE.

I'm moving my business elsewhere.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

JDP66 — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:11:42 GMT

This is a terrible solution. I have been with Orange and now EE since the first brick sized phone was launched, but I will have to move to another provider if this is the only way to get a VAT receipt. I'm very disappointed! Stupid idea to remove this from the regular bill.

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

JDP66 — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:16:45 GMT

Is there A Thumbs Down button? 👎

Re: How to get a VAT breakdown on the new mobile bill format

mikeliuk — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:53:04 GMT

Adding the below to this thread in case it helps anyone hitting this with a search.

https://community.hmrc.gov.uk/customerforums/vat/0b893b23-9831-ec11-b76a-00155d9761c1

Posted by HMRC Admin 9

Hi,

As you state correctly there is a legal requirement to issue a VAT invoice by a VAT registered supplier to a VAT registered customer. The guidance states :

'A VAT invoice is a document containing certain information about what you’re supplying. Paragraph 16.3 sets out the information you need to show. Your customers need VAT invoices as evidence for reclaiming, as input tax, the VAT you have charged them.'

You do not, therefore, have to issue VAT invoices for zero-rated supplies.

You do not need to issue VAT invoices for supplies to customers who are not VAT registered. In practice, this will probably mean issuing a VAT invoice to any customers who ask for one, as you will usually have no way of telling whether they’re VAT registered or not. You do not have to check that a customer is VAT registered before issuing a VAT invoice.

If the suppliers are refusing to meet their invoicing obligations then I would recommend you reminding them again what their obligations are. These obligations are described here:

VAT invoices

However this would be a third party issue between you and the supplier and HMRC would not get involved in this type of situation. Again I would speak to the supplier and advise them that you have spoken to HMRC who are in agreement about their invoicing obligation. Beyond this however, we would have to say that it is an issue between you and the supplier and you may seek a legal route if that is required.