Invoice FAQ

Issuing companies, content, and tax rates for Alibaba Cloud invoices

• Products sold on the official Alibaba Cloud website are provided by different company entities. The issuing company, invoice content, and tax rate vary by product. The actual invoice content is based on the information displayed on the invoicing page.

• The official Alibaba Cloud website (www.aliyun.com) offers various cloud services. To simplify payments, Alibaba Cloud uses an account from Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd. to collect payments for its affiliated companies. If the invoicing entity is different from the payment recipient, you can download the proof documents for the affiliated companies. These documents can assist with financial tasks, such as reimbursement.

The invoice amount issued by Alibaba Cloud is tax-inclusive. The following example shows how the tax is calculated:

• Scenario: A user has an invoice amount of CNY 6,150 (tax included) and the tax rate is 6% (0.06).

• Tax calculation:

  • Price without tax = Price with tax / (1 + Tax rate) = 6,150 / (1 + 0.06) = 6,150 / 1.06 = 5,801.89 (rounded to two decimal places)

  • Tax amount = Price without tax × Tax rate = 5,801.89 × 0.06 = 348.11 (rounded to two decimal places)

• Result: For an invoice amount of CNY 6,150, the tax amount is approximately CNY 348.11.

What to do if the invoicing entity and receiving entity are inconsistent?

If the invoicing entity and the receiving entity are inconsistent, you can download the proof documents for affiliated companies for first-party and third-party Alibaba Cloud products. These documents can assist with financial tasks, such as reimbursement.

• Inconsistent invoicing and receiving entities for first-party Alibaba Cloud products

  The official Alibaba Cloud website (www.aliyun.com) offers various cloud services. To simplify payments, Alibaba Cloud uses an exclusive account from Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd. to collect payments on behalf of its affiliated companies and provides proof documents for these affiliations.

  No.	Affiliated company name	Download proof document for affiliated company
  1	Alibaba Cloud Computing (Beijing) Co., Ltd.	Download PDF
  2	Hangzhou Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.	Download PDF
  3	Alibaba Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.	Download PDF
  4	Alibaba East China Co., Ltd.	Download PDF
  5	Zhiyu Internet Technology Co., Ltd.	Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF
  6	Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd.	Download PDF
  7	Tongyi Yunqi (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd.	Download PDF
  8	Bainian Yunqi (Shanghai) Network Technology Co., Ltd.	Download PDF

• Inconsistent invoicing and receiving entities for third-party products or services from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace

  For products or services purchased from third-party service providers on Alibaba Cloud Marketplace (https://market.aliyun.com), the service provider issues the invoice. If you have questions about the invoicing entity, receiving entity, or other related matters, you can submit a ticket to obtain an explanation letter.

  No.	Alibaba Cloud Marketplace service provider name	Download explanation letter
  1	China United Network Communications Co., Ltd. Hangzhou Branch Note You can directly download and use the explanation letter for the China Unicom Express Connect invoice.	Download PDF

What is the invoicing entity for the large language model Model Studio?

The invoicing entity for Model Studio is Tongyi Yunqi (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Can electronic invoices be used for reimbursement?

Effective May 31, 2024, Alibaba Cloud has fully adopted digital electronic invoicing to comply with the policy from the State Taxation Administration. All invoices are now issued as digital electronic invoices, which include electronic plain invoices and electronic value-added tax (VAT) special invoices. We no longer support requests for previous tax-controlled invoices, such as electronic general VAT invoices and paper special VAT invoices.

The legal validity, basic use, and regulations for electronic invoices are the same as for traditional VAT plain invoices supervised by tax authorities. You can use them for rights protection or reimbursement. Receiving enterprises can use them as official accounting vouchers.

How to determine if digital electronic invoices are supported?

When you request an invoice on the Request Invoice page, you can check the Invoice Type drop-down list on the Confirm Invoice Information page. If the options "Digital Electronic Special Invoice (Electronic)" and "Digital Electronic Plain Invoice (Electronic)" are available, the entity supports electronic invoicing.

For more information about electronic invoices, see Notice on the full adoption of digital electronic invoicing by Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd.

How do I get an invoice for a prepayment?

According to the Administrative Measures of the People's Republic of China for Invoices and its implementation rules, Alibaba Cloud can issue invoices only for consumed orders. Your prepaid balance has not been consumed and does not correspond to any Alibaba Cloud product or service. Therefore, you cannot request an invoice for it. For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

How do I get an invoice for pay-as-you-go products?

After you activate a pay-as-you-go product, a post-payment bill is generated based on your actual resource consumption. A monthly bill for the previous month is generated after the third day of the following month. You can then request an invoice on the Invoice Management page. For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

Are there time or amount limits for invoice requests?

There is no time limit for requesting an invoice. However, you cannot request an invoice after your account is unregistered. There is no amount limit for invoice requests within the range of your actual consumption. For specific operations, see Request an invoice.

How can general taxpayers request electronic invoices?

Electronic invoices are not restricted by taxpayer status. Electronic general VAT invoices have the same legal validity as paper general VAT invoices. For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

Methods to verify invoice authenticity

• You can verify the invoice at your local State Taxation Administration office. The authenticity of an invoice can be confirmed through tax deduction certification. You can also call the local 12366 hotline to confirm the invoice's authenticity.

• Visit the Zhejiang Provincial Office of the State Taxation Administration website and click I want to query > Public Services > Invoice Query. Alternatively, visit the National VAT Invoice Verification Platform to check.

Electronic invoice sample

Alibaba Cloud sells many products on its official website. The issuing company, content, and tax rate vary by product. The following examples are previews of invoice information and are for reference only. The content on the final invoice prevails.

Can the expense type (invoice content) be modified?

No. The expense type of an invoice (the invoice content, such as "Information technology services*Software service fee" or "Information technology services*Technical service fee") is automatically matched by the system based on the products or services that you purchased. It cannot be manually changed to another type (such as "Service fee" or "Support fee") before or after invoicing. For special cases, contact your account manager.

What are the differences in default invoicing rules between personal and enterprise accounts?

How can a personal account issue an invoice with an enterprise header?

The invoice header defaults to the information from your account's identity verification. If you have a personal account and need to issue an invoice with an enterprise header, you have two options. The recommended option is to change your account to an enterprise identity verification, which does not require a special approval process. The other option is to submit an application for manual review. To avoid compliance risks, this option requires sufficient documentation and a strict approval process. For more information, see Issue an invoice with an enterprise header from a personal account.

A personal account cannot issue invoices with two different enterprise headers at the same time. Only one header can be active at a time.

How can a student or teacher with a personal account issue an invoice with a university header?

If you are a student with a personal account and need to issue an invoice with a university header, go to the Invoices > Invoice Information (Title) tab in the console. In the upper-right corner, click Request Corporate Invoice Title, select Individual requesting Corporate Title, and then select the Student identity. Select Application Type and Fill in Information as prompted. After the application is approved, you can use the university header to issue invoices. For detailed operations and limitations, see Manage invoice headers.

The enterprise invoice header requested by my personal account has expired. How do I reapply?

An enterprise invoice header for a personal account is valid for a maximum of 365 days (or 90 days for enterprise special invoices) after approval. After the header expires, you must reapply. You can do this in one of two ways:

• Method 1: Resubmit the enterprise header application. On the Invoice Information page, resubmit the application materials for the enterprise header by following the original process. The review period is 3 to 5 business days.

• Method 2: Change to enterprise identity verification. Change your account's identity verification from personal to enterprise. After the change, you can use the enterprise header for invoicing. For instructions on how to make this change, see Change individual verification to enterprise verification.

How do I request an invoice with a third-party header?

The invoice header defaults to the entity associated with your account's identity verification. To issue an invoice with a different header, see Manage invoice headers.

Can another Alibaba Cloud account issue an invoice on my behalf?

This depends on the account type:

• For personal accounts, invoices must be requested by the original purchasing account. Cross-account invoicing is not supported.

• Multiple accounts with the same enterprise identity verification can enable the enterprise multi-account management service to establish a financial relationship between a root account and its RAM users. The root account can then issue invoices for the RAM users. The invoice header will be one of the valid headers under the root account.

• Accounts with different enterprise identity verifications are not allowed to issue invoices on behalf of each other.

• In distribution and third-party payment scenarios, the invoice must be issued by the distribution partner.

How can an enterprise account apply for multiple invoice headers?

The invoice header for an enterprise account defaults to the entity used for identity verification. To issue invoices with other enterprise headers (multi-header), you must meet the following conditions:

• The account is associated with an account manager.

• The account manager reviews and signs the multi-entity agreement.

To apply, contact your account manager or submit a ticket. Provide your contact information and the target invoice header information. The business team will then assess whether to support adding the invoice header.

How do I request an electronic special invoice?

When you request an invoice, select Digital Electronic Special Invoice (Electronic) for the Invoice Type to issue an electronic special invoice. Digital electronic special invoices are issued faster than paper VAT special invoices and eliminate mailing time, which ensures security. For detailed instructions, see Request an invoice.

How long does it typically take to issue an electronic invoice after a request is submitted?

After you submit a request, you can view the electronic invoice on the Download and Return Invoices page.

• Electronic invoices are generally sent to your email address within one business day.

• Invoices for third-party products from Alibaba Cloud Marketplace are typically issued within seven business days. For more information, contact the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace service provider.

Can a single order or monthly bill be split into multiple invoices with specified amounts?

Yes. You can use the Invoice by Amount method to split the amount of a single order or bill into multiple invoices. For more information, see Request an invoice.

The Request Invoice button is grayed out. What should I do?

You can try refreshing the page, switching to a different browser, or using an incognito browser window. Then, try to request the invoice again on the Invoice Management page. For more information, see Request an invoice.

Why is the monthly bill amount for invoicing different from the bill amount in my consumption records?

The monthly bill in your consumption records is based on the billing time. The monthly bill amount displayed for invoicing is based on the consumption amount before midnight on the last day of each month. Therefore, the two amounts may differ. Any difference will be reflected in the next month's bill.

Why were six invoices issued for three invoicing entities?

• If the selected consumption orders belong to different invoicing entities with different tax rates, they will be split into multiple invoices.

• If any of the following information differs—invoice header name, header tax ID, bank name, bank account, registered address, or registered phone number—the invoices will also be split.

Can I get an invoice for a purchased domain name?

If you have successfully purchased a domain name, you can check the domain transaction type on the My Purchased Domains page and request an invoice based on the table below.

If invoicing is supported, you can follow these steps:

1. On the My Orders page, click Enterprise Service Product Orders, find the Domain Names order number you purchased, and copy the order number.

2. On the Request Invoice page, select Invoice by Order Details, search by the order number, select your purchased order, and confirm the invoice amount and information to issue the invoice. For more information, see Request an invoice.

Two Alibaba Cloud accounts each requested an invoice. How can they be combined into one?

Invoices from different Alibaba Cloud accounts cannot be combined into a single invoice. For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

How do I grant a RAM user permission only to request invoices?

Currently, RAM does not support separate permissions for invoicing.

How are invoices delivered?

You can receive issued invoices by email or by downloading them manually.

• On the Invoice Information (Header) page, you can enter a Default Invoice Receiving Email. After the invoice is successfully issued, it is automatically sent to the email address that you set.

• Alternatively, after the invoice is issued, you can download the electronic invoice with the Issued status on the Download and Return Invoices page.

Which company issues the invoice for the "Wanjing Yike" service, and what is its relationship with Alibaba Cloud?

Invoices for the "Wanjing Yike" service are issued by Zhejiang Queniu Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Zhejiang Queniu Network Technology Co., Ltd. is an affiliated company of Alibaba Cloud that specializes in providing invoicing services for generative AI products such as "Wanjing". If you need a proof document to confirm its relationship with Alibaba Cloud, you can click to download it.

What are the differences between invoicing by order details, by monthly bill, and by amount?

Alibaba Cloud offers several invoicing methods for different scenarios:

For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

How to issue an invoice for a third-party payment order?

Invoices for third-party payment orders are issued by the actual paying account (the payer). The account for which the payment was made cannot issue an invoice for that order.

• The invoice header is consistent with the valid header information under the payer's account.

• If the account for which the payment was made needs an invoice with its own header, the payer must first change their identity verification to the entity of the receiving account or sign a third-party payment agreement. The agreement must be signed or stamped by both parties (signed by individuals, stamped by enterprises).

To sign a third-party payment agreement, you can submit a ticket to obtain the agreement template.

Do the invoice header and the payment account need to be consistent?

The invoice header is determined by the identity verification information of the Alibaba Cloud account and is independent of the payment method or payment account. For example, if a personal bank card is used to pay for an enterprise-verified Alibaba Cloud account, the invoice header is still the entity of that account's identity verification.

In third-party payment scenarios, the invoice is issued based on the identity information of the account that owns the resources. For specific rules, see How to issue an invoice for a third-party payment order?.

How to issue an invoice after my company's business license name has changed?

If your company's business license name has changed, you must first update your account's identity verification information. Then, before you issue an invoice, you must update the header to the latest identity information. You can do this on the Invoice Information (Title) page. For more information, see Manage invoice headers.

How do I change an electronic plain invoice to an electronic special invoice?

You cannot change the type of an issued invoice. You must return the invoice and then request a new one.

The email address for my electronic invoice is incorrect. What should I do?

If you have already issued the invoice, you can download it again from the Download and Return Invoices page. For more information, see 4. View and download invoices.

To change your email address, see Manage invoice headers.

The invoice header is inconsistent with the identity verification entity. How do I issue an invoice?

You can modify the invoice header to match the identity verification entity. For more information, see Manage invoice headers.

Why is the invoice header different from the company name on the exclusive account certificate?

The information on the exclusive account certificate is synchronized with the account identity verification information. Modifying the invoice header, contract, or other documents does not change the company name on the exclusive account certificate.

What should I do if I find an error in the invoice information and need to reissue it?

How do I find the invoice number?

When you return an accounted-for electronic special invoice, you need to note the original blue-letter invoice number. You can find this number on the Download and Return Invoices page by clicking Details in the Actions column and viewing the Invoice Number on the Invoice Record Details page.

When can I request a new electronic invoice after a return?

After you submit a request to return an electronic invoice, the tax authority processes a red-letter credit note for it. You can monitor the invoice status on the Download and Return Invoices page. After the red-letter credit note is complete, you can submit a new invoice request. For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

How do I reissue an invoice after a refund?

After the refund is successful, you can submit a new invoice request on the Request Invoice page. For more information about invoicing operations, see Request an invoice.

How do I return an electronic invoice? Do I need to mail a physical rejection certificate?

No. When you submit an online request to return an invoice, you must state the reason for the return. You do not need to mail a physical rejection certificate.

When issuing a red-letter invoice for a digital electronic special invoice, what is the difference in handling for accounted and unaccounted invoices?

The process for returning a digital electronic special invoice (issuing a red-letter credit note) differs depending on whether the invoice has been accounted for or deducted:

• Not accounted for or not deducted: You can simply request to return the invoice on the Download and Return Invoices page. No extra steps are needed.

• Accounted for or deducted: You must first issue a red-letter confirmation form from the electronic tax bureau. After that, you can request to return the invoice on the Download and Return Invoices page, and enter the 20-digit red-letter confirmation number and the reason for the return. Alibaba Cloud processes the return within 3 business days.

What is an invoice shortfall?

An invoice shortfall occurs when a refund is issued for an invoiced order or bill due to an opt-out or downgrade, causing the actual consumption amount to be less than the original invoiced amount. For example:

• A user pays CNY 1,200 for an order and receives a full electronic special invoice for CNY 1,200.

• The user later opts out and receives a refund of CNY 200, making the actual consumption amount CNY 1,000.

• Now, the actual consumption amount (CNY 1,000) is less than the issued invoice amount (CNY 1,200), resulting in an invoice shortfall of CNY 200.

How do I reissue an invoice when there is an invoice shortfall?

If the system prompts "Cannot submit due to invoice shortfall," it may be because your account has processed a refund, downgrade, or a similar operation that created a shortfall.

• If you requested an invoice before the refund or downgrade, you can either return the invoice and request a new one, or apply the shortfall against a new consumption amount before requesting another invoice.

• If you did not request an invoice before the refund or downgrade, you can go to the Request Invoice page, select a consumed order to offset the shortfall amount, and then request an invoice.

For more information, see Handle invoice shortfalls.

I bought a product with a prepaid card and received a refund. Why is there an invoice shortfall?

When you buy a product with a prepaid card and then receive a refund, the money is returned to your account balance. This creates an invoice shortfall. You can use your balance for new consumption to offset the shortfall.

The system shows my paper invoice has been sent, but I have not received it. What should I do?

On the Download and Return Invoices page, click the Details button in the Actions column for the corresponding invoice to view its details. Use the tracking number from the invoice details to check the shipping information on the EMS official website. If the tracking information shows that the package has been signed for but you have not received it, contact the courier company directly for more information.

How do I return or replace a paper invoice?

You need to verify if the invoicing entities have the same address. If they have the same address, you can mail them together. If they have different addresses, you must mail them separately.

Example:

• If you are returning invoices for "Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd." and "Zhiyu Internet Technology Co., Ltd.," both of which are issued from Hangzhou, you can mail them in one package to the Hangzhou address to complete the return.

• If you are returning invoices for "Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd." and "Alibaba Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.," one is issued from Hangzhou and the other from Beijing. You cannot mail them in one package. You must mail them separately to their respective addresses to complete the return.

Return address for paper invoices

If the invoicing entity is Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd., Alibaba Cloud Computing (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Bainian Yunqi (Shanghai) Network Technology Co., Ltd., Zhiyu Internet Technology Co., Ltd., Alibaba East China Co., Ltd., or Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd., please mail to:

• Address: C3 Small Post Office, Zone C, No. 969 Wenyixi Road, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province [Do not send cash on delivery]

• Contact: Hangzhou Invoice Team

• Phone: 0571-85022088

If the invoicing entity is Umeng Tongxin (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., Alibaba Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., or Alibaba (Beijing) Software Services Co., Ltd., please mail to:

• Address: A-Zone Small Post Office, Alibaba Chaoyang Science and Technology Park, No. 20 Guangshan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing [Do not send cash on delivery]

• Recipient: Dong Chaoyue

• Phone: 0571-85022088

My paper invoice is lost. What should I do?

If your paper invoice is lost, find the corresponding invoice on the Download and Return Invoices page, check the shipping status, and determine the specific situation of your lost invoice.

Which company issues invoices for Model Studio products?

The invoicing entity for Model Studio (including generative AI products like Qwen) is Tongyi Yunqi (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd., not Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd. Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd. acts only as the payment collector.

Therefore, it is normal to see "Tongyi Yunqi (Hangzhou) Information Technology Co., Ltd." as the issuing company on the invoicing page. If you need related proof documents for financial reimbursement, see What to do if the invoicing entity and receiving entity are inconsistent?.

After transferring domain name ownership, which account is used to issue invoices for historical orders?

Transferring domain name ownership does not change the ownership of historical orders. The invoicing rules are as follows:

• Purchase or renewal orders before the transfer: Invoices can be requested only from the original purchasing account, regardless of the current domain owner.

• New renewal orders after the transfer: Invoices are requested from the new owner's account.

For a domain name purchased by an individual, you cannot issue an invoice with the domain's verified enterprise header by default. To do this, you must contact your account manager to add a multi-header.

After changing a personal account to an enterprise account, can historical orders be invoiced under the new entity?

Yes. After an account's identity verification is changed from personal to enterprise, all historical paid orders can be invoiced under the new enterprise entity. Contracts also apply to the new entity's information. To change your identity verification, see Change individual verification to enterprise verification.

Can the issue date of an already issued invoice be changed?

You cannot change it directly. The issue date of an invoice is the actual time it was issued by the system. Re-downloading it does not change the date. If you need an invoice with a new date, you must first return the original invoice and then request a new one. For specific instructions, see What should I do if I find an error in the invoice information and need to reissue it?.

Who issues invoices for third-party products on Alibaba Cloud Marketplace?

The invoicing entity for Alibaba Cloud Marketplace products depends on the service provider:

• Products provided by Alibaba Cloud affiliated companies: Invoices are issued by Alibaba Cloud, following the same process as for Alibaba Cloud's self-operated products.

• Products provided by third-party service providers: The invoice is issued by the third-party service provider. The invoicing entity is the service provider's company, and you must contact them for invoicing matters.

You can check the service provider information on the Alibaba Cloud Marketplace product page to determine the invoicing entity. For third-party products, if you have submitted a request and it has been in the "Applying" state for a long time, you can obtain the third-party service provider's information from the original purchase page and contact them to inquire.

How do I get an explanation letter for an Alibaba Cloud Marketplace invoice?

If you need an explanation letter with an official seal for an Alibaba Cloud Marketplace product where the invoicing and receiving entities are inconsistent, you can submit a ticket to apply.

After changing my identity verification, how do I update the invoice header?

After you change your identity verification, the invoice header is not updated automatically. Go to the Invoice Information page and click Update to latest identity information next to the current header. The system automatically syncs the new identity information as the invoice header, and the old header becomes invalid.

Why is there no invoiceable amount shown on the invoicing page for pay-as-you-go products?

Pay-as-you-go products are billed monthly. An invoiceable bill is generated only after the third day of the following month. If you used a pay-as-you-go product this month, please request the invoice after the third day of next month.

When you are invoicing, select the Invoice by monthly bill method. If you use Invoice by order details, you may not see the bill details for pay-as-you-go products. For the differences between the three invoicing methods, see What are the differences between invoicing by order details, by monthly bill, and by amount?.

After my company name changes, how do I update the invoice header?

The invoice header is consistent with the account's identity verification information. After your company name changes, you must follow these steps in order:

1. First, complete the company name change for your account's identity verification. For instructions, see Change the enterprise entity or update the enterprise name.

2. After the identity verification is changed, go to the Invoice Information page and click Update to latest identity information to sync the new header.

Why can't I directly add or modify the header on the Invoice Information page?

The invoice header is automatically generated by the system based on the account's identity verification information and cannot be manually added or freely modified. To change the invoice header, you must first change your account's identity verification information. After the change is complete, go to the Invoice Information page and click Update to latest identity information.

To use a header that is inconsistent with your identity verification for special reasons, such as a multi-header, you can submit a ticket to inquire.

How can an employee use a personal account to request an invoice with an enterprise header?

Go to the Invoice Information page, click Apply for Enterprise Header, select Personal Application, and in the identity information section, choose Employed. You must upload materials that effectively prove your employment relationship with the enterprise, fill in the invoicing information, and submit the application for review. The review takes 3 to 5 business days.

Materials that can serve as proof of employment include the following:

• Certificate of employment issued by the enterprise

• Social security payment records

• Personal income tax payment records

• Housing provident fund payment records

• Labor contract

The approval of non-standard proof materials, such as a screenshot of your personal DingTalk page, is subject to the specialist's review.

An account can only have one active header at a time. If you have pending invoices with a personal header, issue them first before applying for an enterprise header.

What should I do if the invoice download or export page is blank?

A blank invoice download or export page is usually a browser compatibility issue. You can try the following methods:

• Switch to a different browser (Chrome is recommended).

• Clear your current browser's cache and refresh the page.