Navigating EU VAT regulations can be complex for WooCommerce store owners. Fortunately, your Pro plugin simplifies this process with robust validation functionalities, ensuring accurate VAT collection and customer satisfaction. This article delves into the key settings within the “Validation Options” section, empowering you to configure VAT validation tailored to your business needs.
Core Validation Features
- Enable Validation: Activate EU VAT validation to verify the legitimacy of customer-provided VAT numbers during checkout and signup (if enabled).
- First Validation Method: Choose your preferred method for VAT validation.
- SOAP: Leverages a standardized communication protocol for secure validation with official VAT databases.
- cURL: Employs a library for direct communication with VAT databases, offering flexibility for those comfortable with custom coding.
- Simple: Utilizes a basic validation method suitable for smaller stores or those with limited VAT requirements.
VAT Exemption and Consistency
- Exempt VAT for Valid Numbers: Apply this setting to automatically exempt VAT charges for customers with validated VAT numbers, streamlining purchases for businesses.
- Preserve VAT if Shipping Country Differs: Maintain the applied VAT even if the customer’s shipping address is in a different country than their billing address. This can be relevant for specific business scenarios.
- Preserve VAT in Selected Countries: Define a list of countries (e.g., IT, NL) where the VAT applied during checkout remains unchanged regardless of shipping or billing address.
Advanced Validation Checks
- Check Country by IP: This option verifies if the customer’s country, determined by their IP address, matches the country code embedded within the VAT number.
- Check Company Name: For businesses, enable this check to ensure the company name provided aligns with the information registered under the VAT number.
- Check for Matching Billing Country Code: This verification confirms that the country code within the VAT number corresponds to the customer’s billing country code.
Flexibility for User Experience
- Allow VAT Input Without Country Code: Give customers the option to enter their VAT number without the leading country code. The plugin will automatically retrieve the country based on the billing address.
- VAT Exemption for User Roles: Grant automatic VAT exemption to specific user roles (e.g., customer, shop manager) for simplified purchasing experiences for eligible users. Conversely, you can also choose to never exempt VAT for certain user roles.
Selective Validation and Progress Cues
- Skip VAT Validation for Selected Countries: Exclude specific countries (e.g., IT, NL) from the VAT validation process, potentially reducing processing time in regions with less stringent regulations.
- Validate Action Trigger: Determine when the VAT validation occurs:
- on Input: Trigger validation as soon as the customer enters a character in the VAT field.
- on Blur: Initiate validation after the customer leaves the VAT field.
Progress Messages
- Add Progress Messages: Enable informative messages displayed during VAT validation on checkout, providing customers with real-time feedback. These messages include:
- Validating
- Valid
- Not Valid
- Validation Failed
- Different Shipping & Billing Countries
- Company Name Mismatch
Hide Messages on Preserved Countries List
Suppress progress messages for countries where you’ve opted to preserve VAT regardless of validation results.
By effectively configuring these validation options within your Pro WooCommerce plugin, you gain a powerful tool to ensure accurate and compliant EU VAT handling on your store, enhancing the overall customer experience and streamlining your business operations.
