Temu tax advice for a growing business
The service is for self-employed professionals, companies and brands selling through Temu that need to coordinate tax management with the rest of their business. We start by identifying the entity that holds the account and checking which reports and supporting documents are available for its specific operations. We can also review your starting position if you are preparing to become a seller or want to change advisers.
If you already sell on Amazon, Miravia or your own store, we treat Temu as part of the same business activity. Reviewing the channels together helps identify duplicated transactions, differences between periods and missing documents before closing the accounts. See the scope of our eCommerce accounting service to assess all your channels.
What we work on with you
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Preparing the activity for tax purposes
We review the selling entity, tax details and obligations associated with your operations. We document who holds the stock, who dispatches the goods and how you receive sales information. Platform account approval and tax registration for a business are different processes: we agree which tasks the firm handles and which procedures you must complete in your account.
The first step is to distinguish three identities: the company or self-employed professional making the sale, the entity invoicing the platform services and the account holder receiving payments. We check these details in your documents, along with the tax identification number (NIF) and billing information. This helps us spot whether a new store has been linked to a different entity from the rest of the business.
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Accounting for sales and settlements
We match the available reports to orders, refunds, adjustments and bank movements. A settlement receipt needs documentation explaining its underlying transactions; recording only the transfer leaves out information needed to understand the result.
If there are outstanding balances, withheld amounts or offset charges, we request the details to distinguish receipts, expenses and sums still to be received. Temu’s European seller agreement provides for fee deductions and security deposits; we verify which movements actually exist in your account without applying the same terms to every store. Source: European seller agreement, sections 3 and 6.
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Expenses, purchases and inventory
We review invoices for suppliers, transport, platform services and other documented costs. We agree how to receive inventory data and details of incidents affecting stock or the cost of goods.
This work is coordinated with your business accounting service, so that the Temu channel fits into the business records.
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VAT and international sales
We analyse shipment origins and destinations, stock locations, customer types and sales terms. If countries or transaction flows require further review, we identify them before specifying returns, registrations or coordination with third parties.
The OSS one-stop shop can simplify certain VAT obligations for sales to EU consumers when its requirements are met. Selling on Temu does not, by itself, mean you must use it or that it covers every transaction. If you store goods in another country, we examine that flow separately. Reference: AEAT, one-stop shop schemes.
For service invoices, we check the issuer, its country and the VAT shown before determining the tax treatment. A “Temu commission” label or a deduction from a settlement does not replace an invoice or, by itself, determine which return is required.
The obligations included are specified in the tax advisory proposal, identifying any work that needs a separate assessment.
An example to explain a Temu settlement
Hypothetical, simplified example; it does not describe Temu’s fees or a real MGE case. Imagine a period with €6,050 collected from buyers for domestic sales subject to 21% VAT. There are documented refunds of €605, substantiated platform charges of €300 and a €200 balance awaiting release. With no other movements, the transfer would be €4,945: 6,050 − 605 − 300 − 200.
In this scenario, sales after refunds total €5,445 including VAT: a taxable amount of €4,500 and €945 in output VAT. Charges are reviewed separately against their invoices; the outstanding €200 does not automatically become an expense. The €4,945 received in the bank is the net receipt, rather than the sales figure or profit.
To reproduce this reconciliation for your business, we need the period’s details, refunds and opening and closing balances. If an adjustment relates to a previous month, we link it to its original document before closing the period.
The information your Temu accounts need
| Situation | What we review | What we request |
|---|---|---|
| Receipts that do not match orders | Settlements, adjustments and payment dates | Complete reports for the period and bank statements |
| Refunds or compensation | Connection to the original sale and its documentation | Incident details and supporting documents |
| Sales across several channels | Separation by channel and combined business records | Exports from each channel and invoicing records |
| Stock or shipments outside Spain | Movement of goods and tax implications | Countries, warehouses and operating terms |
For the initial review, prepare a sample covering the same period: orders and sales invoices, refunds, settlement, service invoices and bank statement. Add inventory by location if you hold stock. We do not assume all these documents are downloaded under the same name or in a single file: we check what your account provides.
If you manage the same inventory on Temu and your own store, we need to identify which channel originates each stock movement and how returns are recorded. The aim is to connect units, purchase costs and sales without duplicating business inventory or revenue.
How we get started
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Understand your account
you explain what you sell, through which entity and how you manage shipping and receipts.
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Review the documentation
we check a sample of reports and invoices to define a workable process.
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Agree the service
we set the tasks, responsibilities and delivery dates.
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Work through each period
we organise the information, communicate issues and prepare the obligations covered by the engagement.
The proposal will specify which reports you must provide, who issues and retains invoices, how discrepancies are communicated and which returns are included. If documentation is missing, we explain what prevents the period from being closed and which supporting document we need to proceed.
Fees for Temu accounting and tax services
The quote depends on document volume, number of channels, countries involved and the state of the accounts. We explain what the recurring fee includes and which tasks, such as reconstructing previous financial years or coordinating foreign obligations, require a separate assessment.
Catalogue management, campaigns, buyer support, logistics and integration development are scoped separately and are outside the tax and accounting service described here.