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VAT Management (UK Customers)

GotPhoto UK VAT guidance header image

The information in this article is relevant to UK customers only

If you are looking for information about taxes in North America, please check out the Manage Tax Rates section of this article.

Table of contents

Overview

We support both VAT and non-VAT registered businesses as users of the GotPhoto system. This article outlines guidance for each scenario.

Non-VAT registered businesses

Businesses below a certain turnover threshold are not required to register for VAT in the UK. If your business is not VAT registered:

  • Do not enter a tax number in your account settings
  • Set your tax rate to 0%

End customers will not be charged VAT in the shopping cart.

All charges from GotPhoto (service, payment, monthly, production, postage) will include UK VAT.

Postage: We include the gross price for shipping in the cart to ensure VAT costs are covered by customers. This amount appears as a single postage charge on the invoice, not as VAT.

Example:

A parent orders an 8×6 print for £10 and pays £3.95 for home delivery.

Lab costs: £0.20 (print) + VAT = £0.24; £3.29 (postage) + VAT = £3.95.

Total billed to the parent: £3.95 postage, shown as a gross amount.

Combined cost: £0.24 (print) + £3.95 (postage) = £4.19.

VAT registered businesses

Businesses that exceed the UK VAT threshold must register and:

  1. Enter their VAT number in GotPhoto, prefixed with "GB"
  2. Set the VAT rate (typically 20%) in Sales Tax Settings

Where to enter VAT number

VAT rate settings screen

VAT will appear on parent invoices, the cart, and your sales statistics.

Charges from GotPhoto are VAT-exempt due to the reverse-charge mechanism.

The reverse-charge mechanism shifts VAT responsibility to the buyer. The seller does not apply VAT; instead, the VAT-registered buyer reports and reclaims it in their return, resulting in no net VAT payable.

Shop items are taxed based on the rate you configure. A VAT-inclusive price note appears in the cart.

VAT-exempt businesses

If you are VAT-exempt, tick My business is NOT VAT registered under Sales Tax Settings. Documentation may be required.

VAT-exempt checkbox in Sales Tax Settings

Optional: Add explanatory text under Advanced invoice settingsAdditional notes on the invoice.

Adding a VAT status note to invoice

Remember to click Save information when done.

Determine your taxable income

Use the order reconciliation report under Statistics to calculate taxable income.

Order reconciliation report interface

[Beta] Filter by job or download all data (leave job unselected). This report may be updated.

Additional information

  • View end-customer invoices with VAT breakdown here.
  • Find GotPhoto invoices here.
  • Set up VAT in your account here.
  • GotPhoto Corporate Address:
    GotPhoto is a service of:
    Fotografen Online Service GmbH
    Hausvogteiplatz 12
    10117 Berlin, Germany
  • UK VAT ID: GB209246809

GotPhoto is not a tax advisory service. Always consult a professional accountant for tailored business advice.

The takeaway

For UK GotPhoto users:

  • Non-VAT registered users: set 0% tax, all charges include VAT
  • VAT-registered users: enter VAT number, configure rate, VAT shown transparently
  • Use GotPhoto tools for tax management, but seek professional advice for specifics

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