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EU VAT Compliance plugin is now “EU VAT Assistant”

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EU VAT Compliance plugin has been renamed

Shortly after we started working on our solution to help with EU VAT compliance, we gave it the name we used later on to announce it. While we were working on our product, we stumbled upon a plugin, developed by one of our customers and collaborators, which has the same purpose and the same name, and a slightly different set of features.

Initially, we didn’t think about changing our plugin’s name, as we were focused on getting it ready on time. Now that the product has been released, we realised that having two plugins with the same name and a similar purpose is not a good idea. It would cause confusion amongst users, and also mess up WordPress’ automatic updates mechanism, which would show updates available for the wrong plugin (i.e. it will tell you that there are updates available for the EU VAT Compliance plugin, while, in fact, it’s another product). Last, but not least, we don’t want to “hijack” visitors who are looking for the alternative plugin, developed by David Anderson.

For the above reasons, the EU VAT Compliance plugin is now called EU VAT Assistant.

Upgrade instructions

Since the plugin has been renamed, it’s folder is also different. To upgrade, please follow the instructions below:

  1. Take note of the configuration settings. Settings keys also changed, and the plugin will have to be reconfigured (only this time!)
  2. Deactivate and uninstall the EU VAT Compliance plugin.
  3. Upload and activate the new EU VAT Assistant plugin.
  4. Go to WooCommerce > EU VAT Assistance setting page.
  5. Re-apply the settings you saved at step #1 and click on “Save settings”.

All the orders that had been processed by the previous plugin will maintain their data.

 

EU VAT Compliance plugin for WooCommerce is now available

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EU VAT Compliance, designed for the new MOSS VAT regime

Our new EU VAT Compliance for WooCommerce was conceived to help WooCommerce shop owners to help achieving compliance with the new European VAT regulations. The new regime, which is going to become effective on the 1st of January 2015, states that digital goods sold to consumers in the European Union are liable to EU VAT. The VAT rate to apply to each sale is the one charged in the country of consumption, i.e. where the customer  resides. These new rules apply to worldwide sellers who are delivering digital products or services to consumers in the European Union. For more information: EU: 2015 Place of Supply Changes – Mini One-Stop-Shop.

How our product can help you

The EU VAT Compliance plugin can collect information about the VAT applied to each order, and it allows you to use this information to prepare the required VAT returns. Here is a summary of the most important features provided by our product.

Calculation of VAT totals for each order

The EU VAT Compliance plugin automatically calculates VAT totals when an order is generated. The totals are grouped by VAT rates, to cover the case in which a single order contains products taxed at different rates.

Collection of VAT evidence

One of the most controversial aspects of the new VAT regime is that it requires the merchant to prove that the correct VAT rate was applied for each order. To do so, the merchant must collect evidence to support the choice of VAT, which must be stored together with the invoice, and stored for up to 10 years. Our plugin automatically collects all the available evidence from an order and stores it within the order itself, making it easy to retrieve them on demand.

Collects and validates EU VAT numbers

The EU VAT Compliance plugin allows to display a new field at checkout, where Business customers can enter their own European VAT number. Our plugin validates EU VAT numbers, applying VAT exemption when appropriate, and stores it with the order. Validation of European VAT numbers is performed via the official VIES service, provided by the European Commission. This feature is equivalent to the one provided by the EU VAT Number plugin, which would no longer be required.

Supports a dedicated VAT currency

You may be running your shop in US Dollars, but your Revenue Office expects reports in Euro. Our plugin can help with this too! When it collects the VAT data, the EU VAT Compliance plugin automatically converts the amounts in the currency you specify as “VAT Currency”. This information can then be used to produce the VAT returns.

Fully compatible with all our other products

This new plugin is fully compatible, out of the box, with our other products, such WooCommerce Currency Switcher, Prices by Country, Tax Display by Country and Prices by Role (coming soon).

Interested?

Please go to the product page to learn more details about the EU VAT Compliance plugin. You will find a list of requirements, existing features and planned features. If you would like to try the plugin, simply download it and install it on your site. It’s completely free!

Enjoy!

The Aelia Team