Shopify VAT Invoices: What to Include and How to Automate Them

If your store is VAT-registered, invoices stop being a nice-to-have. Business customers need a valid VAT invoice to reclaim the VAT they paid you, and the tax authority expects you to issue one when they ask. Get the details wrong and your customer can't claim their VAT back, and you get the support email.

This guide covers what a VAT invoice is, what it must include, the Shopify settings that feed into it, and how to send a correct VAT invoice for every order without doing it by hand.

What is a VAT invoice?#

A VAT invoice is an invoice that shows the VAT you charged, issued by a business registered for VAT. It's the document a VAT-registered customer uses as evidence to reclaim input VAT. Without a valid one, they usually can't.

That's the key difference from an order confirmation or a receipt. A receipt says "you paid". A VAT invoice says who sold what to whom, on which date, at what VAT rate, and carries your VAT registration number so the claim can be checked.

Who needs one?#

• You, if you're VAT-registered and sell to other businesses. In the UK and EU you're generally required to issue a VAT invoice for business-to-business sales.
• Your business customers, so they can reclaim the VAT.
• Consumers don't need one to reclaim anything, but many expect an invoice anyway, and in several EU countries an invoice is customary for every sale.

What a VAT invoice must include#

In the UK, HMRC lists what a full VAT invoice must show, and the EU VAT rules are very similar. Use this as your checklist:

Requirement	Example
Unique, sequential number	#1042, the next number after #1041
Invoice date	7 October 2026
Time of supply (tax point)	Needed if it's different from the invoice date
Your business name and address	Acme Coffee Roasters Ltd., 12 High Street, Bristol
Your VAT registration number	GB123456789
Customer name and address	The billing details from the order
Description of each item	Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, whole bean, 1 kg
Quantity and unit price	2 × £18.00, excluding VAT
VAT rate	20% (standard), 5% (reduced) or 0% (zero-rated)
Total excluding VAT	£36.00
Total VAT charged	£7.20

Two details that trip stores up#

Prices with VAT included. Most Shopify stores selling to consumers show prices with VAT included. That's fine, but the invoice still has to show the VAT separately, so the customer can see how much of the total is tax.

Selling to EU businesses from outside their country. Cross-border B2B sales often fall under the reverse charge, where the customer accounts for the VAT instead of you. These invoices usually need extra wording and the customer's own VAT number. This is exactly where to bring in your accountant.

Get your Shopify tax settings right first#

An invoice can only be as accurate as the order behind it. Before you think about invoice design, check these in your Shopify admin:

1. Settings → Taxes and duties. Make sure you're collecting VAT in the countries where you're registered, and that your rates are correct.
2. Prices include tax. Decide whether your prices are shown with VAT included or added at checkout. The invoice follows the order either way.
3. Settings → Store details. Your legal business name and address. Many invoice tools, Invoicepak included, print the address from here.
4. Order ID format (in Settings → General). Your order numbers are a natural invoice sequence. If you want a prefix such as UK-, set it here.

How to send VAT invoices automatically with Invoicepak#

Creating VAT invoices by hand means copying every order into a template, checking the VAT maths and keeping the numbers in sequence. Invoicepak does it for you: every new order gets a numbered PDF invoice that shows your VAT number and the tax charged, emailed to the customer as soon as the order is placed.

Keep copies for your records#

VAT-registered businesses have to keep their invoices for several years. In the UK the usual minimum is six years. With Invoicepak, every invoice it creates is listed on the Invoices page, where you can download or reprint any of them. At the end of a quarter you can also select up to 50 orders in Shopify and print their invoices in one go, each on its own page, ready for your accountant. See Print invoices for several orders.

Frequently asked questions#

Does Shopify create VAT invoices?#

Shopify calculates and collects VAT at checkout and shows it in the order confirmation email, but it doesn't send a numbered PDF VAT invoice. Most VAT-registered stores use an invoice app for that.

Where do I put my VAT number on Shopify invoices?#

With Invoicepak, enter it under Settings → Business details → Tax / VAT number, then tick Tax / VAT number under Invoice PDF → Show on invoice. It appears on every invoice as Tax ID: followed by your number.

Do I need a VAT invoice for every order?#

For sales to VAT-registered businesses in the UK and EU, generally yes. For consumer sales it's often not required, but sending one automatically costs you nothing extra and saves customers asking.

Can the invoice number be different from the order number?#

Not with Invoicepak: the invoice number is always the Shopify order number. You can change its format, such as adding a prefix, in Shopify under Settings → General → Order ID format.

What if I'm not VAT-registered?#

Then don't charge VAT or show a VAT number. You can still send professional invoices for every order. Just leave Tax / VAT number empty and make sure Shopify isn't collecting VAT.

Make every invoice VAT-ready#

A correct VAT invoice protects your business customers' VAT claims and keeps your own records clean. Set up your Shopify tax settings once, add your VAT number to Invoicepak, and every order after that gets a numbered, VAT-ready PDF invoice automatically.

New to automatic invoicing? Start with our guide on how to send automatic PDF invoices on Shopify.