Submit withholding tax
Appropriate roles: Account admin | Billing admin
Overview
In certain countries or regions, Cloud Solution Provider program (CSP) partners receive invoices that include taxes. However, some of these partners might need to pay taxes to their local government instead of Microsoft.
To avoid paying taxes to both Microsoft and their local authority, partners can request to offset the taxes from their previous invoices by submitting a withholding tax (WHT) request. This request should include the tax certificate from the local authority where the taxes are paid.
Important
Submit withholding tax requests only for partially paid invoices.
For fully paid or unpaid invoices, submit the WHT request by opening a ticket with Microsoft support with the following information included:
- A completed copy of the Withholding Tax Credit Form (filled out)
- A signed or scanned copy of the withholding tax certificate or receipt
You can see the cleared amounts in Partner Center on the Billing history page under Last payment or on the Billing overview (NCE) page under Paid amount.
Submit a tax withholding request
Sign in to Partner Center and select Billing.
To upload a withholding tax receipt for legacy invoices:
Go to the Billing history page and select Submit new next to the invoice you want to upload the receipt. The Submit new link takes you to the Tax withholding request – new page.
To upload a withholding tax receipt for new commerce invoices:
Go to the Billing overview (NCE) page and select the invoice you want to upload the receipt. Select New request to go to the Tax withholding request – new page.
Review the invoice details before you submit it.
Enter the Withholding total under Tax withholding details.
Withholding total is the amount you expect to be credited.
Attach a tax certificate.
To request tax withholding, attach a digital copy of your tax certificate. Your local tax agency issues this certificate when you pay your taxes. The invoice tax amount on the certificate must match the amount on your request.
Send a paper copy of your tax withholding request if you're located in Germany. See German tax withholding.
Important
- Amount totals must match the invoice line item from the attached tax certificate.
- The attached digital copy of tax certificate files must be a PDF, JPEG, PNG, or GIF.
- File names must not contain spaces or special characters.
- File sizes can't exceed 1 MB.
Submit the tax withholding request.
Note
- Your request is either approved or returned to you for corrections.
- If your request is sent back to you, change the withholding tax amount and replace the certificate if there's a problem with it.
- To check the status of your requests, go to the Withholding tax page of the invoice from either the Billing overview (NCE) or Billing history page. The Billing history page also shows the status.
Update request and resubmit it
In some cases, the review team might ask you to fix and resubmit your request before approval. In this case, the status changes to Pending partner action.
To correct and resubmit the request, use the following steps:
Sign in to Partner Center and select the Billing workspace.
To review or update a request for a legacy invoice:
- Select Billing history page.
- Look for the tax withholding requests.
- Requests needing your attention is marked as "Pending partner action."
- To view details, click on the tax withholding request ID and status.
To review or update a request for a new commerce invoice:
- Go to Billing overview (NCE) page.
- Select the invoice you want to update.
- Select New request to see the request details.
Under Status select Update and resubmit.
Read the reviewers' comments that describe what needs to be changed.
Make the corrections by either resubmitting an updated certificate or adjusting the withholding amounts.
Submit the request.
When you submit the request, the review team reviews it and either approves it or asks for more changes.
Approved requests
You see the approved amounts reflected on the billing history or billing overview (NCE) page, depending on whether it's a legacy or new commerce invoice. These amounts appear in the Paid amount or Last payment column next to the relevant invoice.
Key points to remember:
Approved tax withholding requests are executed against your invoice.
Completed requests are processed within 10 business days.
We aim to make the process as smooth and transparent as possible for you.
Important
Previous invoices aren't regenerated or reissued. The clearance amount is simply applied to the previous month's payments.
Processing withholding tax requests takes about two days if the tax certificate and the amount are correct. If changes are required, processing takes longer because corrections must be made and resubmitted.
To ask about withholding tax credit requests, contact Partner support with the request ID.
German tax withholding
Partners who submit German tax withholding requests must mail hard copies of their withholding tax certificate to the following address:
ATTN: EOC Tax Team Marianne Gannon Microsoft EMEA Operations Centre One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland
Questions and assistance about tax withholding requests
Partners should use the process described previously to submit withholding tax receipts. They shouldn't use support requests. However, partners with questions about tax withholding submissions can submit support requests. Provide the Request ID while submitting a new support request.
Important
Partners shouldn't contact support if their request status shows Completed. This can be found on the Withholding tax page. The Paid amount or Last payment reflects the tax withholding amount within 10 days after the request is Completed.
Important
Merge withholding tax receipts for invoices generated in a month for various billing periods and submit them as a single receipt in Partner Center.