Octopods is an Irish business. The VAT applied to your invoices depends on your billing location, VAT registration status, and applicable tax rules.
Manage your VAT information from Billing → Billing identity → Tax.
How VAT is applied
Billing location | VAT treatment |
Ireland | Irish VAT generally applies, even if you have a VAT number. |
Other EU countries with a verified VAT number | Reverse charge generally applies to qualifying business transactions. |
Other EU countries without a verified VAT number | VAT may be charged at the applicable configured rate. |
Outside the EU | Irish VAT is generally not charged, although other local tax obligations may apply. |
Your current account classification appears under Tax treatment in Billing Identity. The tax charged on an individual invoice depends on the applicable billing configuration.
Add or update a VAT number
Open Billing.
Select Billing identity.
Find Tax.
Enter your VAT number, including the country prefix, such as DE123456789 for Germany or FR12345678901 for France.
Select Save billing details.
Octopods checks the number's format and submits it to Stripe for verification against the EU VAT register (VIES).
You can also provide your VAT number during subscription where the option is available.
VAT verification statuses
After saving your VAT number, Octopods displays its verification status.
Verification in progress
We're checking this with the VAT register — reload in a few minutes
Wait a few minutes and reload the page. Reverse charge may not apply until verification succeeds and your tax treatment is updated.
VAT number verified
Your VAT number has been successfully verified.
Where available, Octopods also shows: Registered to [company name]
VAT number not recognized
The VAT register didn't recognise this number
Check your VAT number and country prefix, then save it again.
What if the company name doesn't match?
If your Billing Identity company name differs from the name returned by the VAT register, Octopods displays a warning.
Your company name is correct: Select Save it anyway — the company name is right.
Your company name is incorrect: Update it before saving.
A name mismatch does not automatically invalidate a verified VAT number.
Understanding your Tax treatment
The Tax treatment field shows the tax classification currently recorded for your billing account.
Status | Meaning |
Standard rate | No customer-level reverse-charge or tax-exempt classification is applied. |
Reverse charge | Your account is classified for reverse-charge VAT treatment. |
Tax exempt | An exemption has been applied to your billing account. |
Tax treatment is read-only. You cannot manually change it from Billing Identity.
When does Reverse charge apply?
Octopods automatically sets the Reverse charge classification after VAT verification when:
At least one VAT number on your Stripe customer account is verified.
Your billing country is available.
Your billing country is outside Ireland.
Reverse charge is not applied automatically when verification is pending or unsuccessful, the billing country is missing, or the billing address is in Ireland.
If your VAT number is verified but Tax treatment doesn't show Reverse charge, contact Octopods Support before your next invoice.
What does Reverse charge mean?
Reverse charge shifts responsibility for accounting for VAT from the supplier to the business customer for qualifying transactions.
Standard VAT treatment: The supplier charges applicable VAT.
Reverse charge: The supplier does not collect VAT on the qualifying transaction, and the customer accounts for VAT locally.
You may be eligible to reclaim some or all of the self-accounted VAT, depending on your circumstances.
Reverse charge is not a discount. Your pre-tax subscription price stays the same, but your invoice total may change when VAT is not added.
Consult your accountant if you're unsure how reverse charge applies to your business.
What about customers outside the EU?
Customers outside the EU are generally not charged Irish VAT for qualifying services.
You don't need an EU VAT number simply because you're subscribing from a non-EU country.
However, other local taxes, withholding requirements, or reporting obligations may apply depending on your jurisdiction.
Remove a VAT number
Open Billing → Billing identity.
Clear the VAT number field.
Select Save billing details.
Review your Tax treatment afterward.
If the displayed treatment doesn't reflect your billing circumstances, contact Octopods Support.
When do VAT changes affect invoices?
Updates to your Billing Identity and VAT information are intended for future invoices.
However, VAT verification may take time, and reverse charge should not be assumed until the applicable tax treatment has been established.
Previously issued invoices are not automatically recalculated or reissued.
If a past invoice requires a tax correction, contact Octopods Support.
Check VAT on an invoice
You can review the tax charged when an invoice was issued by opening its PDF.
The invoice shows the billed items, applicable tax amounts, and total. Where configured, it may also show relevant VAT numbers or reverse-charge information.
See Viewing and Understanding Invoices for instructions on downloading invoices.
What if my Tax treatment looks incorrect?
Check that:
Your billing country is correct.
Your VAT number and country prefix are correct.
VAT verification has completed.
Your company information is accurate.
If your Tax treatment still looks incorrect, contact Octopods Support before your next invoice is issued.
Related articles
Managing Your Billing Identity
Viewing and Understanding Invoices
Paying an Invoice and Fixing Payment Issues