Vertex Validator is the name of the component that validates Tax IDs that are specified by your customers when they buy goods. A valid ID means that the transaction will be processed as a Business-to-Business (B2B) transaction rather than a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) transaction.

Business-to-Business (B2B) transactions are those that occur between two businesses. This can change the tax and liability compared to Business-to-Consumer (B2C) transactions.

To specify a transaction as a B2B transaction, you need to specify the buyer's Tax ID in your requests. You use the the buyer_tax_number field to do so.

If a number is valid, the service will process it as a B2B transaction. If the number is not valid, the service will process it as a B2C transaction.

The buyer_name field is overwritten with name returned by the validation service, when this is available.

Transaction processing

This diagram shows how it can be used with the Store Transaction and Confirm Transaction requests:

The process flow can be as follows. The exact steps can vary in the real world and depend on how the service was integrated with your store or applications:

1. Tax ID sent in Store Transaction request. For example, a Buyer enters Tax ID when purchasing a good on the merchant's store. They enter their Tax ID such as a VAT ID during the checkout. This is sent in the Store Transaction request.
2. Tax ID validated using the cache or the Tax Authority's database of Tax IDs. Other transaction details are processed. The Tax ID is sent to Vertex for e-Commerce in the buyer_tax_number or buyer_tax_numbers field of the Store Transaction request.
3. Vertex Validator validates the Tax ID: Vertex Validator validates the number. The level of the validation can vary from a syntax check to checking the validity of the ID according to the requirements of the applicable Tax Authority and your settings.
4. The validity status, transaction key and other information returned in the response.
5. Transaction Key is sent in the Confirm Transaction request.
6. The Transaction is confirmed and the invoice is sent by the inbuilt Vertex Invoice IQ component.

Post processing

Messages

Messages are described in the Message Processing topic.

Reports

You can view details about validation requests in the Tax Number Validations UI.