If you forgot an expense or recorded it incorrectly after submitting your VAT pre-submission, you can add or edit it without submitting a correction in certain cases.
This article covers when you can edit directly, when you must resubmit instead, and the three steps to unlock, edit, and re-lock your VAT pre-submission.
Please note that this article provides general guidance only. Tax rules may vary depending on your individual situation. When in doubt, ask your Tax Coach.
When can you edit without resubmitting?
You can add or edit an expense afterwards without submitting a correction in these cases:
• You forgot an expense and want to add it.
• You want to change an expense, and the change does not affect the VAT amount (for example, you selected the wrong category or VAT period).
When you must correct your VAT pre-submission instead:
• Forgotten or incorrect income must always be corrected by resubmitting your VAT pre-submission.
• Incorrect expenses must also be corrected by resubmitting if the mistake means you paid too little VAT, for example, because too much input VAT was claimed.
For step-by-step instructions, see how to correct and resubmit a VAT pre-submission.
Already submitted your annual VAT return? It replaces your VAT pre-submissions at the tax office. In that case, correct the annual VAT return instead.
How to edit or add an expense
Step 1: Unlock the VAT pre-submission
On the Taxes screen, go to the relevant VAT pre-submission. If you cannot find it, click Show all xxxx in the top-right corner to see all of them. Then click the three dots in the top-right corner of the box and select Mark as not submitted and Mark as not paid, as shown below.
Step 2: Add or edit the expense and assign it to the correct VAT period
Scenario 1: Add a forgotten expense
Upload the missing document on the Expenses screen.
Scenario 2: Edit an expense (for example, if you selected the wrong VAT period)
Now that the VAT pre-submission is unlocked, the previously locked expense can be edited again. Make the necessary changes and save the expense.
Step 3: Mark the VAT pre-submission as submitted and paid again
Using the three dots, mark the VAT pre-submission as submitted and paid again.
Attention: When asked whether you want to create an expense for the payment, select No. You are not making a new payment, and the original payment is already recorded.
If you need to resubmit your VAT pre-submission and the amount to pay or to be refunded changes accordingly, see how to correct a VAT pre-submission.
Accountable has now recalculated the VAT pre-submission, including the documents you just added or changed.
The input VAT from expenses you added later will be taken into account in your annual VAT return at the end of the year.
Whether it makes sense in your case to correct the VAT pre-submission instead can only be assessed by a tax advisor.
Important note on the tax guarantee
After adding or editing an expense without resubmitting, you will see a note that your VAT pre-submission is not guaranteed. This is because the system could not check the added expense before submission.
When you submit your annual VAT return at the end of the year, all expenses are checked again by Accountable's tax checks and are then covered by the guarantee.
🎥 Would you rather watch it live than read about it? In the Accountable Live webinar, we guide you step by step through the web version, from your first entry right through to your tax return. Register for the Accountable Live webinar.
Key takeaways
You can add or edit a locked expense without resubmitting your VAT pre-submission, as long as the change does not affect the VAT amount.
Forgotten income or expenses that caused you to pay too little VAT always require a resubmission.
To edit a locked expense: unlock the VAT pre-submission, make your changes, then mark it as submitted and paid again.
When re-locking, select No when asked about creating a new payment expense.
After editing without resubmitting, the guarantee note will clear when you submit your annual VAT return at year end.
Need help? Chat with us or email support@accountable.eu, we're happy to help.