Amazon Collecting VAT - I am UK and do not need VAT Reg
Is there anyone that can help with this please?
On Saturday I spoke to an Account Health Support person who told me to click through this process to remove the red banner from my performance page - I kept saying but I am in the UK, she said yes she knew.
So yesterday I got a notice from Amazon saying as I am not in the UK they are now collecting VAT on orders. I spoke to Account Health again and was told to click other points and I have attached my driving licence, HMRC correspondence, utility bill, bank statement, invoices relating to my business. I am British UK have never lived in another country and do not turn over enough to be VAT registered.
On my sales today Amazon are now collecting VAT, they shouldn't be. I explained this yesterday - does anyone know how long this will take for them to correct it - and will they pay me the money back they are wrongly collecting for VAT.
I have sold on Amazon for 25 years and never experienced all this in that time.
Thanks
Amazon Collecting VAT - I am UK and do not need VAT Reg
Is there anyone that can help with this please?
On Saturday I spoke to an Account Health Support person who told me to click through this process to remove the red banner from my performance page - I kept saying but I am in the UK, she said yes she knew.
So yesterday I got a notice from Amazon saying as I am not in the UK they are now collecting VAT on orders. I spoke to Account Health again and was told to click other points and I have attached my driving licence, HMRC correspondence, utility bill, bank statement, invoices relating to my business. I am British UK have never lived in another country and do not turn over enough to be VAT registered.
On my sales today Amazon are now collecting VAT, they shouldn't be. I explained this yesterday - does anyone know how long this will take for them to correct it - and will they pay me the money back they are wrongly collecting for VAT.
I have sold on Amazon for 25 years and never experienced all this in that time.
Thanks
8 replies
Seller_k2X0L9mVRT0pW
Do you have any foreign address somewhere on your account? Does your account have a beneficial owner listed in it with a non-uk address? Something has triggered Amazoninto thinking they have to collect the VAT.
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
Is your business address a virtual address?
Seller_uBuqlxbTdzcn2
Nope, It's my home address where I work from - all correspondence confirms this - my driving licence, HMRC letter, utility bill, invoices and bank statements
Seller_k2X0L9mVRT0pW
Sounds like whatever you ticked (on advice from the rep) that has triggered this then. What was it you changed and was this just recently?
Seller_uBuqlxbTdzcn2
Yes it was on Saturday. Yes it was because she told me to click on the wrong bulletpoint which states I am not established in the UK for VAT. I kept saying i was in the UK and didn't think that was correct but she said it meant I am not VAT registered in the UK, which it didn't mean at all and I was trying to explain this to her but she said she was correct and that is what I needed to do and that I should listen to her.
The calls are recorded apparently, so they could trace that back.
I then got this notice yesterday (Sunday) that they have established I am not in the UK and have to pay VAT from now and also on past sales, so called again and spoke to another Account Health Specialist who then went off for an hour and rang me back saying the wrong thing had been selected and went through what needed to be selected and then I had to upload all the documents, which were already on my computer as I have just been through the general verification that pops up every once in a while.
Since Amazon messed up the VAT stuff in 2024 I have had a red banner in my performance page with a big red exclamation mark, saying they required more information, but within the banner it said "our evaluation is complete". I was trying to remove that banner hence my phone call on Saturday in the first instance trying to remove the big red banner and exclamation mark - which is now still there but says as I am not in the UK they are taking monies for VAT, and have done all day today which obviously is totally wrong.
They changed it within 24 hours to the wrong status, probably within 17 hours of me speaking to the first rep, yet now it is well over 24 hours and they haven't changed it back and continue to take 20% of each sale today.
Seller_ZQyopdiwkUHOZ
You're going to need to escalate to the Managing Director office managingdirector@amazon.co.uk
A few weeks ago I'd have said to try and get hold of some of the mods and to post your case ID to get them to help, but the mods have gone quiet since the new year. It seems likely they've either been reassigned and replaced with AI or they've been told to pull back their interactions.
Seller_uBuqlxbTdzcn2
Ok thank you, I will email them - this is the latest message received yesterday (very early morning/in the night) and they cannot provide a date when they will look at it, in the meantime they keep taking the 20% incorrectly and have stated that they are looking at taking it on past sales within 7 days.
For something so very important - account health - you would think you speak to reps who are aware of the regulations in the countries which we are in, I did admittedly put more trust in them than I do with seller support.
And if they have removed the mods, that is very much a backward step, they did used to step in and help and sort things - many a time they have sorted out my ODR being affected for buy shipping items, so I am very sorry to hear that if that's the case.
This was the message received on Sunday when I then called Account Health again. Note it says "expert human review" if that was the case they would see I am most definitely in the UK, I don't even holiday abroad let alone live or have an address anywhere else.
Hello,
Thank you for your submission. Based on the review of your account and the information that you provided, we have concluded that your business is not established in the UK for tax purposes.
We have leveraged a combination of automated means and expert human review to identify this issue.
Why did this happen?
Pursuant to the VAT on eCommerce legislation, effective 1 January 2021 in the UK, we must collect and remit VAT from non-UK established selling partners for the sales of goods delivered to customers in the UK.
As a result, within 5 days of this notification, we will begin to collect VAT on your future sales of goods delivered to customers in the UK, which fall under the UK VAT on eCommerce legislation. This VAT will be remitted directly to the responsible Tax Authorities.
We are in the process of assessing your UK VAT owed to Amazon and will inform you about your VAT liability within 7 days of the initial verification outcome notification.
You can continue to sell, but your Amazon sales proceeds will remain temporarily ineligible for disbursement and any FBA inventory blocked from removal from this account, and any related accounts, until any UK VAT owed is paid to Amazon.
As informed in previous notifications, you may continue to sell. We will continue collecting and remitting to the responsible Tax Authorities any VAT on your sales of goods delivered to customers in the UK, which fall under the UK VAT eCommerce legislation.
Follow the instructions from the notification you might have received about your VAT liability to pay the UK VAT owed to Amazon. If you have not received it yet, allow 7 days from the initial verification notification before contact us again. Your Amazon sales proceeds will remain temporarily ineligible for disbursement and any FBA inventory blocked from removal, until the UK VAT owed is paid to Amazon.
What if my business is indeed established in UK?
If you meet the criteria for UK establishment, go to the Account Health page in your Seller Central account and follow the instructions from the banner at the top of the page, to raise your queries:
https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/performance/dashboard?ref=DR_rco_ahd-ban
We will complete our review of your submission within 3 days.
We recommend addressing the eligibility requirements for UK establishment to ensure you meet all the criteria before creating your query. Only disputes with additional and relevant information or documents will be considered.
We're here to help
For more information, go to "UK VOEC: Determination of Establishment":
https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gc/vat-education/voec-uk-establishment?ref=DR_rco_vukhp
If you have additional questions and want to speak to an Account Health Specialist, go to "Contact Us" on your Account Health page:
https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/performance/dashboard?ref=DR_kyc_ahd-cus
Amazon EU Sarl
I then rang Account Health and this message was received.
Hello Just Toys Online,
This is Amazon Account Health Support. Thank you for contacting us regarding your selling account.
What Happened:
During our conversation, we reviewed your account information and determined that you do meet the UK establishment criteria. The incorrect selection has caused your account reactivation to be processed under the wrong category.
What You Need to Do:
To resolve this issue and reactivate your account, please submit a new appeal with the correct selection:
1. Go to your Account Health page in Seller Central
2. Navigate to the VAT reactivation section
3. Select "I meet the criteria for UK establishment"
4. Provide the required documentation that demonstrates your UK establishment status:
- Proof of UK business registration
- UK VAT registration certificate
- Evidence of UK establishment (business address, operations, etc.)
5. Submit your appeal through the Account Health page
How to Contact Seller Performance Support:
If you need additional assistance or have questions about the required documentation, you can reach our Seller Performance Support team:
1. Log into Seller Central
2. Click Help in the top right corner
3. Select Get Support
4. Choose Selling on Amazon
5. Select Account Settings or Performance Notifications
6. Click Contact Us to submit your inquiry or request a callback
What to Expect:
Once you submit your appeal with the correct establishment criteria selection and required documentation, our team will review your submission within 2-3 business days. You will receive a response via email regarding the status of your appeal.
Important:
Please ensure all documentation clearly demonstrates your UK establishment status. The documents must be current, legible, and match the business information registered on your Amazon seller account.
We apologize for any confusion caused by the previous guidance. Please proceed with submitting your appeal using the correct criteria selection, and our team will review it promptly.
卖家绩效团队,
Amazon.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk
And this was the message received by the time I woke up Monday morning.
Hello,
Thank you for your submission regarding your establishment in the UK for Value Added Tax (VAT) purposes. We are currently reviewing the information that you have provided.
We will contact you as soon as we have completed this review or if we need any further information. We cannot provide an exact deadline, but our team is working hard to complete verification as soon as possible.
We're here to help
For more information, go to "UK VOEC: Determination of Establishment":
https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gc/vat-education/voec-uk-establishment?ref=DR_rco_vukhp
If you have additional questions and want to speak to an Account Health Specialist, go to "Contact Us" on your Account Health page:
https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/performance/dashboard?ref=DR_kyc_ahd-cus
Amazon EU Sarl
