What does it cost to reclaim VAT from France?
It is one of the first questions entrepreneurs ask as soon as they hear that French VAT on fuel, hotels or trade stand expenses can be reclaimed: what does it cost to have that arranged? At vatea.eu, the answer is short. There is no subscription and no fixed fee. You pay a percentage of the amount that France actually grants, and only if money is actually paid out. If nothing comes back, you pay nothing.
That differs from services where you pay in advance for hours or access to a system. Here the fee runs in line with the result: the more France grants, the higher the amount on which the success fee is calculated, but you run no risk of costs without revenue. The exact percentage and the way it is calculated can be found on the page the overview of fees and method of operation.
Where the amount comes from
The costs of reclaiming VAT from France essentially consist of one component: the success fee. There is no separate charge for reading receipts, filling in the portal or monitoring the deadline. All that work — from the first upload to the final payment — falls under the same agreement. This is deliberate: it prevents an entrepreneur from paying for a request that France ultimately rejects, and it prevents small amounts from being eaten up by fixed costs that were there anyway.
The other side of the cost picture is less visible: the time it takes to do this yourself. France, like other refund countries, has its own way of asking questions if a request is not immediately clear. Anyone who files themselves must answer those questions, in the correct format and within the set time. That is no money that appears on an invoice, but it is a cost item — especially for office managers and directors who do this alongside their actual work.
What influences the amount of costs
Because the fee is a percentage of what is granted, the amount you ultimately pay is entirely dependent on the amount you get back. Two things determine that latter amount. First, the volume and quality of the receipts: incomplete or illegible receipts yield less or lead to rejection of part of the request. Second, the nature of the costs themselves — some expenses are eligible for reclaim, others are not, and that varies by situation.
In addition, it matters whether a request meets the threshold needed to submit it. A single French hotel invoice for a few tens of euros is usually not worth the effort; a year of fuel receipts, tolls and trade fair participation often is. If you are unsure whether your situation is worth it, you can check that for free and without obligation using the calculator that gives an indication in a few questions. That indication is not a promise — France itself determines what is granted — but it does give a first picture before anything is agreed.
Do it yourself or have it done
You can also reclaim VAT from France yourself; the tax authority portal is accessible to every Dutch entrepreneur and there is no legal obligation to use an intermediary. The decision comes down to what it costs you in time versus what it yields. For an entrepreneur who fills up in France once a year, filing yourself is fine. For someone who regularly does business in multiple countries, portal work quickly becomes a recurring task that is just as easy to leave as it was last year.
On the page where it has been worked out per situation what applies to you shows what that process looks like in practice, from first receipt to payment. And for those who want to know how vatea.eu sources its information and why sources are always cited with a date, that can be found on the page showing where the information comes from.
Would you like to know whether it's worthwhile for your business before you decide? The quick scan is free, without obligation, and requires no account — you'll see in a few minutes where you approximately stand.