EU/UK Compliance

Ad-Spend VAT & Reverse-Charge Explainer

Is your Google or Meta ad invoice VAT-able here, and do you need to self-account? A plain-English walkthrough of the reverse charge.

How to use

Answer 3 questions

Where your business is VAT-registered, where your ad platform bills from, and your VAT status.

Get a plain-English explanation

Whether reverse charge applies and what that means for your invoice and VAT return.

Not tax advice

This explains the general mechanism — always confirm specifics with your accountant.

Where is your business VAT-registered?

UK EU/EEA Not VAT-registered

Which ad platform's invoice are you looking at?

Google Ads (billed by Google Ireland Ltd) Meta Ads (billed by Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd) Another EU/Irish-billed platform

This spend is for my business (B2B), not personal use

What we check

Where your business is VAT-registered (UK, EU/EEA, or not registered) and which ad platform’s invoice you are looking at (Google Ads is billed from Google Ireland Limited, Meta Ads from Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, or another EU/Irish-billed platform).
Whether the spend is a genuine B2B business expense — the reverse-charge mechanism this tool explains only applies to business advertising, not personal use.
Explains the actual mechanism: the invoice typically shows 0% VAT, and a VAT-registered business self-accounts for the VAT on its own return (output tax and input tax, netting to zero for a fully taxable business) — missing this is a common SME error, not a case of no VAT being due at all.
A general explanation, not tax advice — always confirm your specific position with a qualified accountant, especially around partial exemption or unusual invoicing arrangements.

Related tools

Merchant Center Feed Pre-Flight Validator — Get your product prices consistent with how ad spend on the same platforms is taxed
Server-Side Tagging Cost/Benefit Calculator — Another cost-side calculation worth running alongside your VAT treatment
Financial Services Advertiser Verification Wizard — A separate compliance requirement for financial-services advertisers specifically

Last updated: 19 August 2026 · Built by the CWA Europe PPC team.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my Google Ads invoice show 0% VAT?

Google Ads and Meta Ads for UK/EU business customers are typically billed from an Irish entity. Under the reverse charge mechanism for B2B cross-border services, the supplier does not charge VAT — you self-account for it instead.

Is this tax advice?

No — this explains the general mechanism only. Always confirm your specific position with a qualified accountant.