As of August 1, 2024, Amazon sellers from nine European countries will now have to pay VAT on Amazon’s services, including fulfillment and referral fees. This change is a result of Amazon switching the legal entity responsible for seller accounts. Let’s dive into what this means for your business and how you can prepare.
According to Amazon, “Effective August 1, 2024, Selling on Amazon, Fulfillment by Amazon, and all other services previously supplied by Amazon Services Europe S.à r.l. (ASE) will now be supplied by Amazon EU S.à r.l. (AEU).”
While this may sound like a simple legal switch, the ramifications for sellers are significant:
If your business is based in one of the nine countries where Amazon EU S.à r.l. (AEU) has a branch—the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Sweden—you will now see local VAT applied to Amazon’s invoicing.
For sellers in these countries, this means increased VAT charges on Amazon fees. For instance, if you're based in the UK, where VAT is 20%, this amount will be added to your Amazon fees (such as FBA fees, selling fees, and storage fees). The VAT will be deducted directly from your payouts, impacting your immediate cash flow.
Sellers will be able to reclaim the VAT as part of their VAT return process. While this ensures you won’t be out-of-pocket permanently, the timing of the refund depends on your specific VAT filing period. Until that refund is received, you’ll need to manage the temporary cash flow impact.
If your business is not based in one of the nine listed countries, invoices will continue to be issued by AEU’s Luxembourg office, and the VAT calculation method will remain unchanged.
Before this change, most sellers applied a Reverse Charge VAT rate to their Amazon fees, except for UK sellers who were already charged 20% VAT on sponsored ads. Starting August 1, 2024, seller fees and FBA fees will be taxable at your country’s applicable VAT rate. To ensure compliance, you’ll need to update the tax rates in your bookkeeping system to correctly reclaim VAT on your returns.
If you have a VAT number, you should be able to reclaim the VAT you pay on Amazon fees. However, until you file your VAT return, you will face a temporary cash flow shortfall. This is especially impactful for businesses operating with slim margins, as many European countries have VAT rates around 20%. Let’s look at a simple example (assuming no extra costs or purchase orders):
Example for a UK-Based Seller (20% VAT):
Before August 1st:
After August 1st:
In this example, a 20% VAT on Amazon services reduces cash flow by approximately 20%, leaving you with a shortfall until you can reclaim the VAT. Depending on the country, it may take months to get this VAT refund, so it’s essential to plan your cash flow accordingly.
Prior to August 1, 2024, 3fin displayed your P&L net of VAT, as it should. However, since the VAT is now included on Amazon fees and PPC charges, your P&L will temporarily show VAT-inclusive costs. This is because Amazon’s APIs currently don’t separate the fee amount from the VAT amount. We are actively working on a fix to return the P&L display to a VAT-excluded format.