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VAT Reg. Number Masks

This page describes the VAT Reg. Number Masks setting in the System module.

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VAT Numbers are formatted differently according to their country of issue. For example, Belgian VAT Numbers start with "BE" and contain six digits followed by a dash, then two more digits, two alpha characters and finally a "9". The VAT Reg. Number Masks setting allows you to ensure that all VAT Numbers entered in your Standard ERP database are formatted correctly.

Add a separate row in the setting for each Country with which your business trades. If a Country has more than one possible format, enter them on separate rows, with appropriate identifying Comments. You can use 'Paste Special' from the Country field to bring up a list of Countries, to ensure you enter the correct code.

Use the Mask field to define the format of the VAT Number. For example, enter the French format as " FR ??#########", where # means any number and ? means any character, number or alpha. If you are using macOS, use the alt-3 key combination to obtain the # character . The first character in an Austrian VAT Number is always U, so the Austrian Mask is "AT U########". The validation check is case sensitive, so be sure to enter upper- or lower-case letters as appropriate.

If you enter a Mask for Argentina or Paraguay, you should also set the VAT Law in the last column to "Argentinean" or "Paraguayan" using 'Paste Special'. This will cause some additional validation checks to be carried out.

Whenever you try to save a record containing a VAT Number, the format of the VAT Number will be validated automatically. The system will find the appropriate Mask in this setting for the Country in the relevant Contact record, and then check that the format of the VAT Number complies with that Mask. If there is no Country in the relevant Contact record , the Mask for the Country in the Company Info setting will be used. If you have not specified a Country in the Company Info setting or if you have not entered a VAT Mask for the Country in question, no validation check will be carried out. If the VAT Number in the record being saved is in the wrong format, the following message will be shown, and the record will not be saved:

The message will display every Mask for the Country in question.

For example, if you save a Contact record, the format of the VAT Number in that Contact record will be compared with the Mask(s) for the Country in that Contact record. If you save an Invoice, the format of the VAT Number in that Invoice will be compared with the Mask(s) for the Country in the Contact record for the Customer (not the Country in the Invoice).

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Settings in the System module:

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