Does nokko add reverse charge wording automatically?

nokko does not add it for you. After creating the invoice, choose the Reverse charge preset in the VAT note field in the Invoices view. If VAT is zero or empty and the note is blank, the form shows a warning, but the invoice can still be saved and printed. Check every one before sending.

Can I write the reverse charge note in German or French in nokko?

nokko's VAT note field takes any wording, so you can type the phrase from the table on this page. The preset itself is always in English. The note prints exactly as you typed it, in small type under the totals, and it stays the same if you change the invoice language later.

Should a reverse charge invoice show VAT at 0%?

nokko supports both forms: 0 in VAT % prints a VAT 0% row, and an empty field prints only the total. The EU Directive allows the rate to be left off such invoices, and your country's rules decide the details. Your accountant can tell you which form your tax office prefers.

Reverse charge invoice wording

Article 226 of the EU VAT Directive asks an invoice to show the mention “Reverse charge” when the customer owes the VAT, plus your VAT number and your customer's. In nokko you set VAT % to 0, then pick the reverse charge preset in the VAT note field. The wording prints under the totals.

For Mac · Last checked 4 November 2026

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What EU law asks for

When you sell a service to a business in another EU country, the customer usually accounts for the VAT instead of you. Your Europe explains that the VAT then does not appear on your invoice. It also warns of important exceptions, so check that your service follows the general rule.

Article 226 of the VAT Directive lists what an invoice must show. Point (11a) reads: where the customer is liable for the payment of the VAT, the mention “Reverse charge”. The table shows where each detail comes from in nokko.

Article 226	Required detail	In nokko
(1)	Required detailDate of issue	In nokkoIssued
(2)	Required detailSequential number	In nokkoNumber
(3)	Required detailYour VAT number	In nokkoVAT number in Settings ▸ Billing ▸ Fill In Details…
(4)	Required detailYour customer's VAT number	In nokkoVAT number in the client's Billing Details…
(5)	Required detailFull names and addresses	In nokkoThe same two places
(6)	Required detailExtent and nature of the services	In nokkoThe invoice lines
(7)	Required detailDate of supply, if different from the issue date	In nokkoPeriod, printed from the draft's From and To
(8) to (10)	Required detailTaxable amount, VAT rate and VAT amount	In nokkoThe lines and totals, and see Article 226a below
(11a)	Required detailThe mention “Reverse charge”	In nokkoVAT note

Under Article 219a, these cross-border invoices follow the rules of the country where you are established. Under Article 222, you issue the invoice no later than the 15th day of the month after the one in which the VAT became chargeable, which is usually the month of the supply. nokko does not check that date.

If you are outside the VAT system as a small business, different wording may apply. Ask your accountant.

Put the wording on a nokko invoice

Once: add your VAT number in Settings ▸ Billing ▸ Fill In Details….
Once per client: add their VAT number and address in Clients, using the card's ⋯ menu and Billing Details….
Draft the invoice as usual. In VAT %, replace any default with 0.
Press Create. The draft sheet has no VAT note field, so the next step happens in the Invoices view.
In the form, click the small menu at the end of VAT note and choose Reverse charge (EU business customer).
Check the page: both VAT numbers show, and the wording sits under the totals. If a number is missing, click Edit Text…, press Edit and add it to From or To, because later changes to your details do not reach an invoice already drafted.
Click Save PDF….

An empty VAT % also works in nokko, and prints Total alone instead of a VAT 0% row. Article 226a allows the rate and VAT amount to be left off when you are not established in the country where the tax is due, as long as the invoice still shows the taxable amount. Ask your accountant whether that suits your invoices. In Lithuanian, 0 keeps the title PVM sąskaita faktūra and an empty field gives Sąskaita faktūra.

In the invoice file's frontmatter: `vat:` from step 3, `vat-note:` from the preset

vat: 0
vat-note: Reverse charge — VAT to be accounted for by the recipient, Article 196 of Council Directive 2006/112/EC.

An invoice open in the Invoices view with VAT at 0 and the reverse charge note set, beside the page with both VAT numbers and the note under the totals. — VAT at 0 with the reverse charge note, on sample data. The page shows both VAT numbers and the note under the totals.

The wording in each invoice language

The preset is in English on every invoice, whatever language the invoice uses. The Directive states the mention in each official language, and you can type that wording into VAT note instead.

Invoice language	Mention in the Directive
English	`Reverse charge`
Lietuvių	`Atvirkštinis apmokestinimas`
Deutsch	`Steuerschuldnerschaft des Leistungsempfängers`
Français	`Autoliquidation`
Español	`inversión del sujeto pasivo`

The European Commission's explanatory notes say VAT law does not prescribe a language for invoices, though a translation can be requested in an audit. The notes are informal guidance from 2011 and are not legally binding. Ask your accountant which wording your tax office expects.

What nokko cannot do

It does not decide whether reverse charge applies. That is your call, or your accountant's.
It does not check a VAT number. The field is optional, and an invoice without one still saves. Check your customer's number with the EU's VIES service.
It does not remember reverse charge per client. VAT % starts from Settings ▸ Billing on every draft, and you pick the note on each invoice.
It has one VAT rate per invoice, so one invoice cannot mix reverse charge lines with lines that carry VAT.
It has no credit note, and amounts cannot be negative.
It makes a PDF. It cannot make a structured e-invoice.
It does not prepare the recapitulative statement that Article 262 asks for on these sales. You file it yourself or through your accountant, usually in your tax portal.

If you sent one without the wording

nokko lets you select the invoice, add the VAT note and save a new PDF. Whether that counts as a valid correction is a question for your accountant, so ask before you send it.

One case shows why it is worth asking. Case C-247/21 concerned a triangular sale of goods, not services. The EU Court of Justice held that the missing “Reverse charge” on those invoices could not be corrected by adding a statement later. It may not apply to your invoice in the same way. Check the page before you send the PDF, and look for the note under the totals. If the field is empty on an invoice with no VAT, the form says No VAT and no article cited.

Questions

Does nokko add reverse charge wording automatically?: nokko does not add it for you. After creating the invoice, choose the Reverse charge preset in the VAT note field in the Invoices view. If VAT is zero or empty and the note is blank, the form shows a warning, but the invoice can still be saved and printed. Check every one before sending.
Can I write the reverse charge note in German or French in nokko?: nokko's VAT note field takes any wording, so you can type the phrase from the table on this page. The preset itself is always in English. The note prints exactly as you typed it, in small type under the totals, and it stays the same if you change the invoice language later.
Should a reverse charge invoice show VAT at 0%?: nokko supports both forms: 0 in VAT % prints a VAT 0% row, and an empty field prints only the total. The EU Directive allows the rate to be left off such invoices, and your country's rules decide the details. Your accountant can tell you which form your tax office prefers.

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