As a small professional, whether you're self-employed or a small business, VAT can play a crucial role in your accounting. Explore how online pro accounts can simplify and facilitate the VAT declaration process, enabling you to manage your finances more effectively and focus on what's most important: growing your business.
Which VAT system applies to your business?
Before embarking on the formalities of declaring VAT, you need to define which system you fall under as a small professional (VSE, self-employed or micro-entrepreneur).
The basic VAT exemption system
When sales do not exceed the threshold determined according to your activity, your company is exempt from VAT. In this case, you do not charge value-added tax to your customers. This means you don't have to follow the VAT declaration procedure.
Simplified VAT system
This is a simplified reporting obligation, since the procedure only has to be carried out once a year, provided that the ceiling set for each activity is not exceeded.
Standard actual VAT regime
If you exceed the ceilings for the simplified system, or if your company declares more than €15,000 in VAT per year, you are subject to the normal VAT system.
You can also voluntarily choose to operate under the "régime réel normal", regardless of sales criteria.
VAT returns must be filed every month by a deadline set by the tax authorities.
VAT declaration procedure
To simplify procedures, VAT returns must be filed online. Electronic transmission also applies to payments and refunds, where applicable.
Teleprocedure comprises two different methods:
- Theexchange of computerized forms, also known as EFIwhich consists in declaring and paying VAT from your professional space on the impots.gouv.fr website.
- Electronic data interchange, also known as EDIwhen data transmission to the tax authorities is carried out directly by your accountant.
When you exceed the maximum limits and your company becomes liable for VAT, you can contact the Service des Impôts des Entreprises(SIE). Contact details for your SIE can be found in your online professional space on the impots.gouv.fr website.
You should indicate the date on which the VAT exemption thresholds were exceeded, as well as the VAT system chosen. If you have not received an intra-Community VAT number, now is the time to let us know. For example: micro-entrepreneurs under the basic VAT exemption scheme are not automatically assigned a number when they register.
If you haven't already done so, you'll need to create a professional space on the tax site. In this case, you'll need to activate the services and complete an enrolment form, which may take a few days.
To complete your value-added tax return, you need to have details of receipts invoiced with VAT and invoices on which you yourself have paid deductible VAT.
Depending on your status, you must use different forms:
- For the simplified scheme, this is Cerfa no. 3517-S-CA12, to be completed once a year.
- For the actual regime, Cerfa n° 3310-CA3 must be completed each month.
How do online business accounts simplify your VAT declaration?
Register your direct debit mandates online
With an online business account, you can register an inter-company direct debit mandate directly from your application. This avoids the need for printing and mailing, as well as the risk of VAT rejection.
This is a very important step, because if your bank refuses, you risk incurring penalties.
Displaying VAT on your account statements
Depending on the package you choose for your online pro account, you benefit from a financial management interface with advanced, innovative functionalities. You can associate invoices with each transaction, and have VAT displayed on your account statements.
Depending on the options included in your package, the tool can even automatically calculate VAT.
Regulatory compliance of your invoices
As soon as you change your VAT regime, you'll need to change the way you display the legal information on your invoices. Thanks to the invoicing tool in our online account for micro-businesses and VSEs, you can ensure that your documents are compliant with regulations.
Centralize your expense reports for deductible VAT
All the information you need for your VAT return is in one place, thanks to theexpense report management interface in your online business account.
Archiving digital copies saves you time and enables you to quickly find expense claims for which you have paid VAT.
Managing your accountant's access rights
If you wish to delegate the VAT declaration to a chartered accountant, you can use the online account to open a specific access for the person in charge of your accounting. accounting.
What's more, you can also export your accounts in CSV or PDF format to help you manage your finances.
Creating a sub-account to set aside VAT
The Anytime sub-account works like a piggy bank in which you place the sums you want to dedicate to paying your social security contributions and taxes, or to your projects.
In this way, you build up a cash reserve to avoid unpleasant surprises when you pay the deposit or the balance of the VAT.