What are the mandatory fields on a VAT invoice in the EU?
The EU VAT Directive (Article 226) sets out 15 mandatory fields for a full VAT invoice: date of issue, unique sequential invoice number, seller's VAT identification number, buyer's VAT identification number (for B2B and intra-community supplies), complete name and address of supplier and customer, description and quantity of goods or services, date of supply (if different from invoice date), taxable amount per VAT rate, VAT rate applied, VAT amount payable, and details of tax exemptions.
What are all the mandatory VAT invoice fields under EU law?
EU VAT Directive Article 226 mandatory fields: (1) Date of issue; (2) Sequential invoice number; (3) Supplier's VAT number; (4) Buyer's VAT number (B2B, intra-community, reverse charge); (5) Supplier's full name and address; (6) Buyer's full name and address; (7) Description and quantity of goods or nature and extent of services; (8) Date of supply or date of receipt of advance payment (if different from issue date); (9) VAT rate applied; (10) Net taxable amount per VAT rate; (11) VAT amount per VAT rate; (12) Total tax amount payable; (13) Where applicable: reason for zero rating or exemption; (14) Where applicable: self-billing indication; (15) Where applicable: 'cash accounting' indication (member state-specific).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happens if a VAT invoice is missing a mandatory field?
- A VAT invoice missing a mandatory field may not entitle the buyer to recover input VAT, and may expose the supplier to penalties for issuing a non-compliant invoice. Tax authorities can disallow input VAT claims if the invoice does not meet the formal requirements of Article 226. However, the ECJ has held that fiscal neutrality principles require authorities to allow input VAT recovery where the substantive conditions are met and the supplier can supplement the invoice with corrective data or additional evidence.
- Do UK VAT invoice requirements differ from EU requirements post-Brexit?
- UK VAT invoice requirements are broadly similar to EU requirements under Article 226 but are governed by the UK VAT Act 1994 and HMRC Notices rather than the EU VAT Directive. UK requirements include the same core fields. Key differences: UK invoices must show 'VAT registration number' rather than 'VAT identification number'; there is no requirement to show the buyer's VAT number on domestic B2B invoices (it is required for EC sales). UK invoices must also be in pounds sterling or state the sterling equivalent for foreign currency invoices.