Did you know you can claim VAT back on your home internet and your mobile phone plan? Monthly bills from providers like Claro, Movistar, Tigo or ETB carry VAT, and that VAT counts toward your refund just like a restaurant or supermarket receipt. Mobile plans also carry the 4% consumption tax (INC), which counts too. Home internet carries VAT when your home is in stratum 4, 5 or 6; in strata 1 to 3 it is usually VAT-free, so there is nothing to claim.
What it adds up to: an example
Say you have a Claro mobile plan and home internet in a stratum 4 home:
- Mobile plan: COP 100,000 before tax. VAT at 19% = COP 19,000, plus INC at 4% = up to COP 4,000.
- Home internet: COP 90,000 before tax. VAT at 19% = COP 17,100.
- Back to you each month: about COP 40,100.
- Over a year: about COP 481,200, from two bills you pay anyway.
Your bill prints the exact VAT and INC amounts, and those are the numbers we claim. The INC on mobile plans applies to the part of the plan above a small monthly threshold, so on cheaper plans it is a little lower or zero.
What you need to do
- Upload each monthly bill: forward the e-invoice email, or upload the PDF in your portal or on WhatsApp.
- That's it. We read the bill, check the VAT and add it to your next claim.
One thing to check first
The bill must be issued in your name with your Cédula de Extranjería, not a colleague's or your embassy's. If the account was opened under another name or document, ask the provider to update the holder details so the next e-invoice (factura electrónica) shows your full name and Cédula de Extranjería.
These bills come every month, so they add up fast over a filing season. Upload them as they arrive and we take care of the rest.