Get back the VAT you pay on purchases
Import your purchases. Kintsugi works out how much VAT you can reclaim and takes it off the VAT you owe on the return you already file.
Available for EU and UK VAT registrations.
Germany VAT return · Q3
Example- Output VAT on sales
- €48,200.00
- Input VAT on purchases (recoverable)
- −€17,640.00
- Input VAT credits applied
- −€2,000.00
- Amount due
- €28,560.00
Trusted by 7,000+ businesses
Built for trust
Your reclaim should come from your invoices,
not a number you type in
VAT works in both directions. You charge it on sales and pay it on purchases, and you hand over only the difference. Most tools handle the first half.
Before
A credit field and a spreadsheet
- Reclaimable VAT sat in a manual credit, disconnected from the purchases behind it.
- Restricted categories and mixed taxable and exempt sales were worked out by hand.
- Leftover reclaim had to be tracked from one period to the next.
With Input VAT
Purchases drive the credit
- Every purchase is classified and its recoverable VAT is calculated for you.
- Category limits and a yearly recovery rate cap the reclaim, then true it up.
- Unused input VAT carries forward as a credit on your next return.
How it works
From a purchase file to
a smaller VAT payment
Step 1: Import purchases
Add a purchase file under Data Sources. Each row carries the vendor, an optional tax ID and where the supplier ships from.
Step 2: Classify each one
Kintsugi finds the origin country, then marks the purchase as domestic or cross-border reverse charge.
Step 3: Calculate what is recoverable
Category and country recoverability, plus a yearly recovery rate if you have exempt sales, set the amount you can reclaim.
Step 4: Net it on the filing
Recoverable input VAT reduces the output VAT on your existing registration. Any surplus becomes a credit.
Domestic and cross-border
The VAT base depends on where
the purchase came from
Kintsugi resolves the origin country from the ship-from field, then the supplier country on the upload, then the vendor's stored address.
| Domestic purchase | Cross-border purchase | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is treated | Single entry. The VAT counts toward input VAT only. | Reverse charge. You account for output VAT and input VAT on the same purchase. |
| VAT base | The VAT shown on the vendor invoice. | The VAT Kintsugi calculates for the purchase. |
| What limits the reclaim | The invoice VAT, which is the most you can reclaim. Category recoverability and your yearly recovery rate then apply. | Recoverability for the category and country, and your yearly recovery rate. |
| Origin cannot be found | The purchase is treated as domestic, not cross-border. | |
Recoverability and pro-rata
Reclaim is not always 100%,
so Kintsugi applies the limits for you
Some categories are only partly recoverable. If you also make VAT-exempt sales, a yearly recovery rate applies on top. Move the sliders to see the effect.
Recoverability is set per category and country. Example percentages only.
Taxable sales divided by all sales gives your yearly recovery rate.
You can reclaim
€9,000
of €20,000 VAT paid · 45% effective
- Reclaimed €9,000
- Not recoverable €11,000
Illustration only. Actual reclaim depends on the recoverability Kintsugi sets for each category and country. The yearly rate is set from prior-year sales, then trued up once the year's actual sales are known.
On the filing
Input VAT is netted on
the return you already file
Recoverable input VAT comes off the VAT you owe for the period. Credits you already hold apply next. If input is higher, the filing stops at zero and the rest carries forward.
- Output higher
You still owe VAT
- Output VAT
- €30,000
- Input VAT
- −€12,000
€18,000 dueCredit carried forward: €0
- Credit used
Earlier credits reduce it further
- Output VAT
- €30,000
- Input VAT
- −€12,000
- Input VAT credits
- −€5,000
€13,000 dueCredit remaining: €0
- Input higher
The surplus becomes a credit
- Output VAT
- €8,000
- Input VAT
- −€14,500
€0 dueNew credit carried forward: €6,500
Example figures. Each filing shows the input VAT recovered, the credits applied and what is left to pay.
Availability
Built for finance teams that
buy in the EU and UK
Who it is for
Merchants with EU or UK VAT registrations that buy goods or services and want to reclaim the VAT on them. Controllers and finance teams import and review. Kintsugi maintains the recoverability percentages, so you do not have to.
- EU member states and the United Kingdom
- Domestic and cross-border purchases
- Businesses with both taxable and exempt sales
Not included today
- Refund claims in countries where you are not registered
- Capital asset adjustments over multiple years
Input VAT, answered
Stop leaving reclaimable VAT on the table
See how your purchases turn into credits
on your next EU or UK return.