VAT recovery is the work of collecting the tax you already paid on business purchases and proving it with records. Portmoneo extracts VAT and GST line items from scanned receipts across 12 jurisdictions, summarises what may be reclaimable, and exports a Premium tax report for your accountant.

VAT recovery means turning the tax you paid on business purchases into records an accountant can reclaim from. Portmoneo reads the VAT or GST line on a scanned receipt, groups it by jurisdiction, shows a recoverable total, and exports a Premium tax report. It does not file a return or give tax advice.

What Does VAT Recovery Mean in Portmoneo?

It is record-keeping, not filing. The app extracts the tax that is printed on your receipts so you can see and prove what you paid.

When cloud AI analyses a receipt, it pulls the tax rate and tax amount along with the merchant, date, and totals. Portmoneo then groups those values by the jurisdiction you select and shows a recoverable figure. That number is a planning aid built from the documents you scanned — not a filed claim and not a promise from a tax authority.

The receipt scanning pipeline supplies the tax lines; VAT recovery aggregates them.

Which Jurisdictions Does the Wizard Cover?

The wizard supports 12 jurisdictions, and each has its own terminology — VAT, GST, input tax credits, or deductible expenses.

Europe: Germany (DE), France (FR), Spain (ES), Italy (IT), Romania (RO), United Kingdom (GB)
Americas: United States (US), Canada (CA), including province selection
Middle East: United Arab Emirates (AE), Saudi Arabia (SA)
Asia-Pacific: Australia (AU), Indonesia (ID)

You pick where an expense applies, and Portmoneo frames the recoverable and deductible figures for that region instead of applying one global rate. Currency is stored per receipt as captured, so figures from different countries do not get silently merged.

Which Receipts Can You Claim VAT On?

Generally the ones that show tax separately. If a receipt has no VAT or GST line, there is nothing to recover from it.

Where a tax line is present, treatment still depends on the category and the country. Business software and office supplies are commonly fully deductible; meals, fuel, and vehicles are often partial or capped. The wizard applies the framing for the jurisdiction you chose, but categories and limits vary, so treat the total as a summary to verify rather than a final number.

Portmoneo filters to what is on the document. It does not guess tax that is not printed, and it does not invent rates.

Is Portmoneo a Tax Filing Service?

No. Portmoneo is a record-keeping and export tool. It does not file VAT returns, income tax, Making Tax Digital submissions, or IRS e-files, and it does not advise you on what to claim.

That distinction matters. Reclaim rules are specific: HMRC’s guidance on charging, reclaiming, and recording VAT covers what a valid VAT record must show, the IRS recordkeeping guidance explains proving a deduction, and the CRA’s keeping records pages set out retention expectations for GST/HST. Portmoneo organises the numbers; you or your accountant file them.

For country-by-country capture habits, see receipts for taxes by country and the wider self-employed tax deductions guide.

Do You Calculate Mileage or Per-Diem?

No. Portmoneo has no mileage or per-diem calculation. It recovers tax and deductibility from receipt line items only.

If you claim mileage rates or daily allowances, track those in a tool built for it and keep this app for receipts. Saying otherwise would be a feature we do not ship.

How Do You Export a Tax Report?

Premium produces a dedicated tax report in PDF and CSV, built from your recovered figures and approved expenses. Free can still export CSV for general expenses; the tax report itself is Premium.

There is no live connector to QuickBooks, Xero, Dext, or Exact. The report is a file you share through Android’s share sheet — email it to your accountant or import the CSV. The receipt to Excel page shows the columns and formats in detail.

Capability	Free	Premium
Receipt scans	5 per day	Unlimited
History	90 days	Full ledger
General export	CSV	CSV, PDF, Excel
Tax report export	—	PDF / CSV
Ads	Yes	None

Who Is VAT Recovery For?

Solo freelancers, contractors, and self-employed people who pay tax on business purchases in one or more of the supported jurisdictions and want the figures organised before an accountant sees them.

It is not for multi-seat finance teams, and it is not a bank-sync tool — Portmoneo never asks for a bank login. If you need approvals workflows or a live accounting feed, this is not that product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover VAT with no VAT number?

VAT recovery depends on your registration status and local rules, not just on having receipts. Portmoneo organises the tax lines; ask your accountant whether you are entitled to reclaim.

Does VAT recovery work in the United States?

The US has no VAT, so the US entry works with deductibility and sales-tax framing instead. Treat the figure as an organisation aid and confirm it against your return.

Does it handle Canadian provinces?

Yes. Canada supports province-level selection, including HST provinces such as Ontario and the QST treatment in Quebec. Confirm the rate with your accountant before filing.

Does Portmoneo file my VAT return?

No. It prepares records and exports. Filing happens in your own software or through your accountant.

Can I export the numbers for my accountant?

Yes, as a Premium tax report in PDF or CSV. Free exports CSV for general expenses.

Start Recovering Tax Records on Android

Install Portmoneo from Google Play, scan a receipt that shows tax, choose your jurisdiction, and review the recoverable figure. Upgrade to Premium when you need the tax report for your accountant. Your ledger stays local-first, and you never hand over a bank login.