VAT Reports (Lytning Analytics)

Use this page when you need the VAT totals for a fiscal period (output VAT on sales, input VAT on purchases, net VAT due), or when your accountant or bookkeeper asks for the figures.

Goal

Lytning Analytics demo store — screens may differ slightly by version.

You need the VAT totals for a chosen fiscal period — output VAT on taxable sales, input VAT on purchases, and the net amount — so you can file or hand the figures to your accountant.

Where this happens

• In the Core App: open Reports & Analytics → VAT Reports (top-level sidebar group).
• Direct URL: https://analytics.pos.co.zm/vat-reports (opens the same report in a new tab; single-sign-on signs you in).

Prerequisites

• You are signed in to the Core App as supervisor or franchise admin.
• Your role has Reports permissions.
• Pop-ups are allowed for the Core App URL.
• You know the fiscal period your accountant or ZRA needs (the dates are not invented — confirm with your accountant or the tax authority if you are not sure).

Steps

1. Open VAT Reports from the Core App

1. In the Core App sidebar, open Reports & Analytics.
2. Click VAT Reports.
3. A new browser tab opens at Lytning Analytics, signed in.

2. Pick the fiscal period

1. Choose a Timeline preset: Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days, Last Month, This Month, or This Year. The chosen From and To dates are appended to every card-click URL.
2. To pick a custom range, click the Custom button, then enter Start Date and End Date and apply.
3. Confirm the displayed From: YYYY-MM-DD To: YYYY-MM-DD line before reading the figures.

3. Open a Tax Reports card

The page shows a Tax Reports section with one B2B card and one B2C card per tax label loaded from the API.

• Each card title is {TaxName} ({TaxLabel}).
• The B2B card subtitle reads Business to Business • (tax rate as a percentage).
• The B2C card subtitle reads Business to Customer • (tax rate as a percentage).

Click any card to open the matching PDF in a new tab. If no tax categories appear, the page shows the fallback message "Loading tax categories... If no categories appear, please check your connection or contact support."

4. Open the VAT Summary card

Scroll to the VAT Summary section and click VAT Total Summary — the card with the subtitle Overview of all VAT transactions. The VAT Summary PDF opens in a new tab.

5. Open an Input VAT card

Scroll to the Input VAT Reports section. It has two cards: Input VAT (Stock Purchases) with subtitle VAT paid when purchasing stock (opens the stock-input VAT PDF), and Input VAT (Non-Stock Purchases) with subtitle VAT paid on non-stock purchases (opens the non-stock input VAT PDF). Click a card to open the matching PDF.

Smart Invoice disclaimer (Zambia)

For Zambia, VAT input claims require Smart Invoice-generated receipts from 1 January 2026. The VAT Reports totals only count sales and GRVs that have a Smart Invoice Mark ID + QR code. If a sale is missing a Smart Invoice receipt, it will not appear in the input-VAT figure the way ZRA expects.

The Wiki never promises a tax outcome. For any filing decision, confirm with your accountant or with ZRA. See ZRA Smart Invoice for the receipt check.

Expected result

• Every tax label in the system is shown as both a B2B and a B2C card.
• The VAT Total Summary card opens the period VAT summary PDF.
• The two Input VAT cards open the period stock and non-stock input VAT PDFs.
• Each click opens a new browser tab with the period-bounded URL.

Edge cases

• The new tab does not open. Allow pop-ups for the Core App URL and try again.
• You land on the Analytics sign-in page. Sign back in to the Core App and open the report again.
• No tax cards appear. The page shows the fallback message — check the connection or contact support.
• The period is empty. Confirm the Timeline date range, the store, and that sales were saved (not held on the till).
• Totals do not match the till. Confirm VAT codes are assigned on every item; an item with no VAT code will not contribute to the VAT figure.
• Smart Invoice receipts are missing from the total. Check System & Settings → Till & Payments → Smart Invoicing for connection status; tell your supervisor if receipts are still not producing.

Related

• ZRA Smart Invoice
• Lytning Analytics
• Cash-up & finance
• Reports
• Integrations