AWS Marketplace: Understanding Tax Assessment and Currency Exchange

Last updated: October 24, 2024

Introduction

This article provides an overview of how AWS Marketplace handles tax assessment and currency exchange for transactions. We'll focus on the invoicing process and how tax and exchange rates affect invoices after a private offer is accepted.

Tax Assessment in AWS Marketplace

Factors Determining Tax Collection

AWS Marketplace's tax assessment is influenced by several factors:

  1. The buyer's tax address

  2. The product type

  3. AWS Marketplace Facilitator (MPF) laws

AWS as a Marketplace Facilitator

In most U.S. tax jurisdictions and many international ones, AWS Marketplace is considered a Marketplace Facilitator. This means:

  • AWS is liable to charge, collect, and remit taxes to authorities.

  • AWS determines which transactions (B2B and/or B2C) require indirect tax collection.

  • In jurisdictions where AWS is required to handle taxes, they will do so.

Seller Responsibility

In some cases, AWS is not required to manage taxes. In these situations:

  • The seller may be responsible for calculating, collecting, invoicing, and remitting taxes.

  • Some sellers handle this by invoicing the buyer separately in their own system.

Invoice Payment Details

Payer Account

  • The payer account receives invoices from AWS Marketplace.

  • Customers can set up linked accounts for subsidiaries, divisions, etc., to track purchases or budget separately.

  • Usage per linked account will appear on each invoice.

Buyer's Tax Address

  • The billing address on the buyer account subscribing to the AWS Marketplace product is considered the buyer's tax address.

  • For linked accounts, their address is considered the tax address unless the buyer sets up a specific tax address.

Tax Registration Number

  • Buyers can use the tax registration number of the payer account for linked accounts by enabling tax settings inheritance.

  • When enabled, tax registration information on the payer account is added to all accounts in the AWS organization.

Currency Exchange in AWS Marketplace

Key Points

  • AWS Marketplace invoices are created in US Dollars by default.

  • Buyers can opt into supported buyer currency conversion.

  • Currency conversion doesn't affect how AWS Marketplace pays vendors.

  • Vendors receive the full US dollar amount and are not subject to foreign exchange risk.

Supported Currencies

AWS Marketplace currently supports invoice payments in 14 local currencies.

Exchange Rate Determination

AWS determines exchange rates as follows:

  1. Uses daily foreign exchange rates published by Bloomberg.

  2. The type of invoice determines when the Bloomberg market rate is assessed:

    1. Upfront and scheduled invoices: Rate at invoice creation

    2. Consolidated pay-as-you-go invoices: Rate from the last day of the month

  3. The exact exchange rate is shown on each invoice.

Support Documents

AWS Marketplace Tax Rules - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaBDxNiZkho