Stripe in Slovakia: VAT, OSS, fees and invoices

Running a business in Slovakia gives you access to global payment platforms, and Stripe is often one of the first options to consider. A technically correct integration is not enough, however. Payments, fees and supporting documents must also be recorded correctly and aligned with Slovak accounting and tax obligations.

Short answer: Stripe is usually only a payment service provider (PSP). The Slovak business therefore remains responsible for tax logic, VAT and OSS, invoicing, and the accounting treatment of fees. If you sell digital services to customers in the EU—especially consumers—the setup should be reviewed before turnover and reporting become a problem.

1. Stripe is not the seller of your services

The most important point is that Stripe normally acts only as a payment service provider (PSP).

From a legal perspective, you sell the service or SaaS product directly to the customer. Your business is therefore responsible for configuring the tax logic correctly and paying the relevant taxes.

An exception available from 2026 is Stripe Managed Payments, where Stripe takes on the role of Merchant of Record. With a standard Stripe account, however, the responsibility remains with your business.

2. VAT, OSS and digital services

Special place-of-supply rules under Section 16 of the Slovak VAT Act apply when selling digital services such as SaaS, online courses or access to a platform. What does this mean in practice?

B2B sales within the EU

When a business in another EU member state buys the service, the familiar reverse-charge mechanism will usually apply.

B2C sales within the EU

The rules are different for B2C sales—sales to consumers or customers without a valid VAT number.

If the total value of the relevant cross-border B2C sales within the EU does not exceed €10,000 in a calendar year, Slovak VAT treatment may apply if all conditions are met. Once the €10,000 threshold is exceeded, VAT is charged according to the customer’s country—for example, 27% in Hungary or 20% in Austria.

The One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme offers a practical way to report this VAT. The business registers in one member state, whose tax authority then distributes the collected VAT to the relevant countries.

3. Stripe fees

Stripe fees are generally not covered by the VAT exemption applicable to certain financial services.

The Irish Stripe entity therefore issues a consolidated Tax Invoice for its fees, with the tax obligation transferred to the Slovak business under the reverse-charge mechanism.

In practice, this may require registration under Section 7a of the Slovak VAT Act and payment of 23% VAT. A VAT-registered business may also deduct this tax where the statutory conditions are met.

4. Revenue is not just the payout amount

Because Stripe is not the Merchant of Record in a standard setup, the full amount charged to the customer is recorded as revenue.

It is not enough to record only the net payout that Stripe sends to the bank account after deducting its fee. The Stripe fee is recorded separately as an expense, with its precise tax treatment depending on the accounting and tax regime used.

5. Stripe Invoicing

Documents generated automatically through Stripe Invoicing may not always contain every detail required by Slovak rules. Their content and the wider invoicing process should therefore be reviewed before they are relied on for accounting.

This issue has long made fully automated use of Stripe more difficult in Slovakia.

Services such as Fintoro can connect to Stripe and generate invoices adapted to Slovak requirements. Even with such a solution, you should verify how customers enter company information at checkout and how those details are transferred to the final document.

When to consider a Merchant of Record

If you sell worldwide, exceed €10,000 in annual EU B2C sales, but are not yet operating at enterprise scale, a Merchant of Record such as Polar.sh may be worth considering.

The higher fee can significantly reduce administration and, in some cases, leave you with only one accounting document per month. A Merchant of Record acts as the seller to the customer and assumes a substantial part of the indirect-tax obligations.

At Accquix, we work with Stripe and other payment platforms. If you want to set up Stripe accounting in Slovakia without tax chaos, see our page on Stripe accounting for Slovak businesses.

This article is for information only and does not replace individual tax advice.