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Tasks > Apply zero VAT

Tasks

Apply zero VAT

Automatically apply 0% VAT when a business customer from another EU country enters a valid VAT number. This is called “reverse charge” — the customer accounts for VAT in their own country instead of paying your country’s VAT.

When does 0% VAT apply?

All three conditions must be true:

  1. Valid VAT number — VIES confirms the number is registered and active
  2. Different EU countries — Your store’s country is different from the customer’s billing country
  3. Both countries are in the EU — Reverse charge doesn’t apply to Switzerland or non-EU countries

Example

Your store is based in the Netherlands (NL). A customer from Germany (DE) enters their valid German VAT number. Because both countries are in the EU but different from each other, 0% VAT is applied.

However: If a Dutch customer enters a Dutch VAT number, normal VAT rates apply (same country = no reverse charge).

Enable 0% VAT for B2B orders

During initial setup (Setup Wizard)

If you’re setting up the plugin for the first time, 0% VAT is enabled by default in Step 2 of the Setup Wizard:

  • •Toggle: Apply 0% VAT for EU B2B customers → On

After setup (General Settings)

To enable or disable 0% VAT later:

  1. Go to EU VAT Checker → General Settings
  2. Find Apply 0% VAT for EU B2B customers under Validation Settings (or run the Setup Wizard again)
  3. Toggle the setting on or off
  4. Click Save General Settings

Test 0% VAT is working

  1. Add a product to your cart
  2. Go to checkout in an incognito browser window
  3. Select a billing country different from your store’s country (e.g., if you’re in NL, select DE)
  4. Enter a valid VAT number for that country
  5. Wait for the “VAT number is valid” message
  6. Check the order total — VAT should show as €0.00 or 0%

0% VAT not being applied?

Several things can prevent reverse charge from working:

  • •Same country (store and customer are both in the same EU country)
  • •Invalid VAT number (check VIES returned “valid”)
  • •WooCommerce tax settings overriding the rate
  • •Another tax plugin conflicting with BridgeSync

See 0% VAT not applied for detailed troubleshooting.

Important: WooCommerce tax configuration

For 0% VAT to work correctly, your WooCommerce tax settings must be configured properly:

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Tax
  2. Make sure tax is enabled globally
  3. Verify your tax rates are set up for your store’s country

You can access WooCommerce tax settings directly from the BridgeSync Dashboard — click the blue WooCommerce Tax Settings button in the Quick Actions section.