Source provenance

VAT data methodology

VAT Engine uses the European Commission’s Taxes in Europe Database (TEDB) as an upstream source for supported VAT-rate and SME-threshold data, then preserves source date context and maps reviewed categories into product-facing tax classes.

What this helps you do

Make the data lineage and its limitations visible before an API result is used in a customer or accounting workflow.

Official-source capture with immutable review and approval controls.
Source-supported rate intervals remain separate from retrieval and approval time.
Merchant-facing tax-class mapping is documented separately from the upstream source.
Historical lookup uses approved source-supported coverage where available; older imported windows remain legacy evidence and do not by themselves prove legal applicability.
Exact replay is available only for account-owned calculations whose recorded replay status is available, using their original request, sealed rate evidence, and registered calculator version.
The public rate-lookup and exact-replay endpoints do not accept caller-selected rate-data or calculator versions.

How to use it well

Start with the upstream source

VAT Engine uses the European Commission’s TEDB import as a source input and retains source-supported interval evidence behind reviewed versions.

Distinguish observed and legal dates

Retrieval and approval times are audit facts, not claims that a rate legally began then. Source applicability remains a separate field.

Trace material decisions

For operational use, retain the request facts, returned rate context, and any human classification decision together.