Manually new/edited order – how to check vat?

If the VAT number validation is not running, perhaps the option to collect VAT data for manual orders is disabled. That option, which is disabled by default, is located at WooCommerce > EU VAT Assistant > Options. Enabling it should be sufficient to trigger the validation of the VAT number for manual orders, when the “Recalculate” button is clicked.

Notes
1. For the validation to run correctly, the order must be saved before clicking the “recalculate” button. The flow should be the following:

1. Edit the order.
2. Enter the VAT number in the billing address section.
3. Save the order.
4. Click on the “recalculate” button. That should trigger the VAT number validation.

Tip: in some cases, you might have to click the recalculate button twice. That’s because the EU VAT Assistant can perform the VAT number validation after WooCommerce recalculates the totals, at which point taxes might already have been added to the order. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to refresh the totals a second time automatically, after the validation, because WooCommerce always prompts the admin before performing that operation.

2. If the order’s meta is_vat_exempt is set to yes (example https://prnt.sc/u9i8am), that will make the order exempt from VAT regardless of the result of the VAT number validation. This is a core WooCommerce feature. To prevent that meta from making an order exempt when the VAT number is not valid, you can either set it to “no” or remove it altogether. When meta is_vat_exempt is missing, or set to no, the EU VAT Assistant sets the order exemption on the fly, using the VAT number validation result instead.

Oh, I totally overlooked the option to enable it. Thanks for your detailed explanation. It’s all clear now. ??