VAT invoices
There doesn't seem to be anywhere I can download a VAT invoice for payments made so far. Please advise.
Thanks,
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Official comment
Many thanks for your message.
You cannot do this, therefore I have opened up a ticket for you with our customer support team and someone will email you soon.
Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.
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Hello Kelly,
Can you advise what the situation is with VAT? From a brief google search it seems people have been clamouring for assistance with this for over 5 years!
How can I download a VAT invoice that clearly separates the fee paid to the freelancer and the fee paid to PPH? (And furthermore, how can freelancers and buyers alike indicate their VAT status when bidding and buying?)
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Scott
I have only worked with PPH as a seller but can confirm that their accounting systems generally generally are inadequate and confusing.
However, with the specific issues of VAT invoices, it may be that they are well-hidden rather than non-existent.
As a seller, I would first go to PAYMENTS and then TRANSACTIONS where there is a list of my invoices, service invoices and payments.
Not very well-presented but it it there.
I suspect that a VAT invoice for buyer charges may well be located in the same place.
If the support people had any real interest in actually resolving problems, this information should have posted on this and similar threads
Most businesses issuing invoices would actually send a copy to the customer but this doesn't fit with the shambolic approach of PPH.
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I cannot believe the above 'official' response to the effect that buyers cannot download a VAT invoice - I had assumed that such invoices were merely difficult to find.
Perhaps a complaint to HMRC will force some action.
A support ticket is unlikely to produce a meaningful response or even an understanding of the problem..
Unless the rules have changed or the amounts are trivial, a VAT invoice is required in order to reclaim VAT.
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I can confirm an invoice can be found for the PPH fee in the Transactions section as Les has described above but it's not presented very well and isn't VAT compliant as defined by the HMRC:- https://www.gov.uk/vat-record-keeping/vat-invoices as they require the presence of the businesses VAT number.
It's also confusing how the invoicing works in general, for example I've paid £11.60 via my company Barclaycard to PPH and the invoice for that is marked as 'Funds' with no mention of VAT, then there's a £1.60 'Buyer fee' invoice which shows the 20% VAT portion of the fee, then there's and invoice raised from the seller when the job is completed. To account for this correctly I'll have to record 2 entries into my book keeping software, not ideal!
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I've had problems with PPH and VAT since I started, which was over two years ago. I'm a VAT registered seller, so I need to know the location and VAT status of the buyer before I give them a quote. I have raised support tickets and they just get ignored.
If I submit a proposal for a project with a fixed price, the price is inclusive of VAT. This means I'm giving a discount out of my own pocket, compared to an unregistered seller, if the buyer is VAT registered and able to reclaim the VAT.
I feel that the issue of the supply chain is not being addressed correctly. As a seller I am deemed to be working for the buyer, with PPH charging me a "service fee" for introducing me to the buyer. This does not accurately describe the situation because without knowledge of the buyer's location and VAT status I have not been introduced to the buyer. I feel the invoicing should be between the seller and PPH, and then between PPH and the buyer, forming a proper supply chain with VAT passed along it. -
From a buyers perspective I agree with you Simon. This is the sort of VAT oversight that landed envato.com in trouble, their invoicing system is equally convoluted but at least it's correct. VAT can be retrospectively claimed back by the tax authorities, I'm very surprised a site as well used and known as this has made such a mess of the invoicing. As a buyer as far as I'm concerned my relationship should be with PPH and there should be 1 invoice detailing which bit is the VAT component, why doesn't it simply have 2 lines on the invoice one showing the buyer fee with the VAT due on that bit and the rest is the portion going to the seller. It's crazy that the seller is sending an invoice after the job is done when as a buyer you pay PPH therefore the 'supplier' in the VAT chain is PPH not the seller.
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"Go to Payments, then Transactions, then click on PPH Service Fee on the relevant line under Description - it then gives you a PDF invoice for the fees."
the first invoice I have downloaded using the above process doesn;t have VAT on it, but the VAT number is quoted?? So no VAT charged??
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