Conferma partners VAT IT to streamline VAT recovery

Conferma has entered a partnership with VAT IT designed to make value-added-tax (VAT) recovery on hotel expenses easier for corporate travelers. The collaboration focuses on the hotel invoice information gathered through the Snap+ service that the firm operates, aiming to cut the time and effort required from finance departments.

The new arrangement links the collection of invoices directly with the VAT-reclaim workflow, so that data captured by the Snap+ platform is transmitted straight to VAT IT for processing. This hand-off eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of errors that can delay refunds.

Global travel spend exceeds $1.7 trillion, while 44% of recoverable VAT goes unclaimed, according to figures cited by the companies.

VAT Recovery Challenges

Recovering VAT on hotel stays often becomes difficult when businesses operate across several countries, because each jurisdiction imposes its own rules on eligibility, required documentation, submission formats and filing deadlines. These differing standards create a complex environment for multinational firms.

Claims may be rejected if invoice records are incomplete, inconsistent, or do not match local tax authority specifications. This persistent problem affects companies that maintain extensive cross-border travel bills and can result in significant lost refunds.

For finance, tax and travel teams, obtaining the correct hotel invoice is frequently the first obstacle. The new link is intended to reduce manual extraction, checking and submission of invoice data, allowing staff to focus on analysis rather than paperwork.

Streamlining the Process

Snap+ is the invoice-collection service offered by the firm, and it works through direct API connections with hotel property-management systems. These integrations pull invoice details in real time, creating a digital record that can be used for accounting and tax purposes.

Under the partnership, the information gathered through that system moves into VAT IT’s reclaim process, producing a more connected workflow that runs from hotel payment and invoice capture through to the final VAT recovery.

“Linking invoice capture directly with VAT IT’s recovery expertise will help customers reduce administration and improve the completeness of the data available for eligible VAT reclaims,” said Stuart Davenport, Chief Product Officer at Conferma.

“Businesses can miss VAT recovery opportunities when invoice data is incomplete, fragmented or difficult to process,” explained Scott Steenkamp, Partnerships Director at VAT IT.

Benefits and Future Plans

The companies have not announced a launch date for customer availability, and they said further details on how clients can access the service will be shared as the integration progresses.