Sufio can automatically add VAT numbers captured at checkout to your documents.
For Shopify Plus stores, we recommend using Sufio's Checkout UI extension to capture and validate EU VAT numbers directly at checkout.
Sufio also supports Shopify Tax's built-in VAT number validation.
If your customers enter an EU or UK VAT number using Shopify's VAT number field at checkout, Sufio can read the VAT number when synchronizing the order and automatically add it to the documents created for that order.
In this article, we will cover
When you use Sufio's Checkout UI extension, the VAT number entered by your customer is stored in your Shopify admin as part of the customer metafields.
Sufio automatically validates the customer's VAT number and, when applicable, sets the customer as tax-exempt in Shopify.
For Shopify B2B customers associated with a company, Sufio applies the VAT exemption to the relevant company location instead.
When applying a VAT exemption, Sufio uses Shopify’s Collect tax unless exemptions apply status with the exemption set to Reverse charge (EU/UK).
Shopify then calculates taxes based on the tax settings of the customer or the relevant company location.
Moreover, the added VAT registration number will automatically appear on invoices created by Sufio.
Note
To make VAT exemptions work, you need to enable EU VAT exemptions in your Sufio account and correctly set up EU taxes in your Shopify store.
To add the VAT number field to the checkout page using Checkout UI extensions, you need to customize the Checkout page of your Shopify store:
- In your Shopify admin, go to the Settings → Checkout page.
- In the Configurations section, click on Customize next to the profile you want to use.
- In the checkout editor, click on Add app block and select Sufio: VAT Exemptions.
- Check the Allow app to block checkout checkbox. This ensures that the VAT number gets validated before the customer is allowed to complete the checkout.
- Click on Save to apply the changes. The VAT number field form will appear on the Checkout page.
For standard checkouts, we recommend repositioning the app block to display just below the shipping address fields.
If your customers do not interact with the Delivery section, such as in some Shopify B2B checkouts or when purchasing digital goods, you can also display the VAT number field in another checkout section.
The steps differ depending on the type of checkout layout you use:
- On the three-page checkout layout, place the app block on the Information page in the Contact section, inside Shipping address.
- On the the one-page checkout layout, place the app block in the Delivery section, inside Delivery address.
If your store sells digital goods (or a combination of physical and digital), your customers with only digital items in their cart will not see the shipping details form during checkout—they fill out the billing details. To make sure the VAT number field is displayed to all of your customers, add one more Sufio: VAT exemptions app block to the navigation.
- On the three-page checkout layout, add the second app block in the Contact section, just below the Shipping group.
- On the one-page checkout layout, add the second app block in the Payment section, just below the Remember me block.
The VAT number field is designed in a way that it will be only displayed once.
Caution
Make sure you use the same setting of Is the VAT number required? For both app blocks.
The VAT number field by Sufio will automatically match the design of your checkout page, and there's no need to make any additional design changes.
If necessary, you can make the VAT number field mandatory. To do this, go to the App block settings → Is the VAT number required? section, and choose True. This will guarantee that your customers cannot proceed with the checkout process without providing a valid EU VAT number.
In the VAT number field description field, you can type a custom description that will show above the VAT number field. The description can provide more information and further encourage your customers to enter their VAT number.
Note
The VAT number field is available in all 24 official EU languages. The display language is automatically set to match the language of your Shopify checkout.
When your business customer enters a VAT registration number using the newly added VAT registration number field, a VAT exemption request will be listed on the View VAT Exemptions page in your Sufio account.
On this page, you can access all successful and unsuccessful exemption requests made on your Shopify store. The provided filtering options make it possible for you to quickly review and troubleshoot the VAT exemption requests when needed.
To access the View VAT Exemptions page:
- In your Sufio account, go to the Settings → Taxes page.
- Click on View VAT Exemptions.