How do I get a VAT invoice

[Sarahramseyg]

Please can someone tell me how I can get a VAT INVOICE for my EE mobile Bill, so that I can claim it via my expenses whilst working from home due to the lockdown?

This is for a personal account not a business account, and the accountant will only accept a VAT invoice!  

[mikeliuk]

Hi @tillyhamster ,

HMRC have said the same on their forum.

Posted 30 days ago 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.

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

[baggins]

ee dont do vat receipts and their customer care phone line doesnt work. any recommendations for alternative providers that offer vat receipts, emailed preferably, gratefully received !

[ro-lf]

I found the solution by calling the customer services. I was on the phone for 15 minutes, including 5 minutes waiting time. It's not exactly 2022 (but hey it's the UK!), however the agent was very friendly and I received all VAT invoices i needed promptly by email.

[5610]

You need to check the VAT as when they work it out backwards from the gross amount they take 20% of the gross when it should be 20% of the net. This results in an invoice showing 24% VAT which is clearly wrong but EE will not admit they have made a mistake!

[XRaySpeX]

@5610 : EE has never taken VAT as 20% of the gross price to cust but always as 20% of the nett.

[paulears]

The problem is the level of maths their staff have. My local supermarket did exactly the same thing - I asked for a VAT receipt, and the customer services girl wrote one out. She put down the full cost of the TV and did minus 20% on her phone and wrote that down. I pointed out that was wrong. She looked very confused. I asked her to imagine the price of an item was £100 and asked her to add 20% on her phone - she looked happy when her phone said £120. I asked her to take 20% off and she did, and her face was a picture when it wasn’t £100 again. School? Pah! She was a Tesco management graduate!

[Mod edit: Please do not post personal information on the public board. Thanks!]

[covlocks]

It doesn’t matter how the vat is charged, a vat return receipt is required so my business can reclaim it

Best Regards

David Wood

[Chris_B]

@paulears   That’s a simple math trick.  As it’s 20% of 120 not 100 which was the original figure. 

[XRaySpeX]

No, the simpler correct maths trick is that it’s 16.7% (not 20%) of 120 that arrives at the original figure of 100.

[Chris_B]

But it wasn’t 16.7% it was 20% put to the cashier.