Overview

Amazon now collects Swiss Value Added Tax (VAT) on selling fees for sellers who are residents of Switzerland. This applies to listing fees, referral fees, and monthly subscription charges at the standard Swiss VAT rate of 8.1%. Understanding how this tax applies to your account is essential for accurate bookkeeping and avoiding unexpected charges.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• 8.1% VAT rate on seller fees — Switzerland requires non-resident companies providing remote services to collect VAT at 8.1% when those services are provided to Swiss residents. Amazon's selling fees qualify as remote services under this rule.
• Affected fee types — The VAT applies to listing fees, referral fees, and monthly Professional selling plan subscription fees charged to your Amazon seller account.
• Residency determines liability — Only sellers whose account information identifies them as Swiss residents will be charged this VAT. Sellers located outside Switzerland are not subject to this collection.
• VAT ID registration available — Swiss-resident sellers can add their VAT identification number to their account so it appears on tax invoices. The format follows the pattern CHE-XXX.XXX.XXX MWST/TVA/IVA.
• Monthly tax invoices provided — Amazon issues monthly tax invoices to sellers who are charged Swiss VAT, sent to the primary email address on file.

How Swiss VAT Is Applied

Amazon calculates Swiss VAT on seller fees at the time an order is placed and collects it when the order ships. This timing is important because the residency information on your account at the moment of shipment determines whether VAT is charged. If you recently moved out of Switzerland and updated your address, you may still see VAT charges on orders that were pending before your information was changed. This is not an error — it reflects the account status at the time the fees were originally calculated. Sellers should plan for this transitional period when relocating.

Adding Your Swiss VAT ID

If you have a Swiss VAT registration number and want it to appear on your tax invoices, you can add it through Seller Central. Navigate to your account settings, find the VAT information section, and select Switzerland from the country list. Enter your VAT ID in the required format (CHE-XXX.XXX.XXX followed by the language-specific suffix MWST, TVA, or IVA). You will need to accept the terms of the VAT registration agreement to complete the process. Having your VAT ID on file ensures your invoices are complete for your own tax reporting and compliance needs.