VAT administration in cloud tools, what to set up first
VAT returns oblige you to keep every invoice for seven years under the AWR, even if the supplier goes out of business. Set up your tools and retention so you are not dependent on a single SaaS account.
Try this first
- 1Pick an accounting tool that can file VAT returns directly with the Belastingdienst, that saves manual retyping and typos.
- 2Set up automatic export of invoices and receipts to separate cloud storage or a local backup, in PDF form.
- 3Check whether the tool can also pull in purchase receipts via email forwarding or a scan app, that cuts paperwork.
- 4Verify the VAT codes for your activities, especially if you sell internationally or digitally, ask your accountant and not ChatGPT.
- 5Set a fixed weekday for administration, otherwise it piles up until the end of the quarter and turns into a panic.
- 6Keep payment evidence, bank-feed statements or receipts, separately from the accounting tool on your own drive.
When to bring us in
If your VAT return barely makes the deadline or you have doubts about VAT codes for a new service, hire a tax advisor. Vectel can clean up the tooling so that advisor produces faster work.
See also
- First IT setup as a freelancer, what do you actually needNot everything at once. One laptop, a mailbox on your own domain, a password manager, a backup. That covers the first year.
- Hiring your first employee, what IT to arrange before day oneLaptop, account, mailbox, access to the right folders. In that order, not all of it at 9 a.m. on day one.
- Moving to a new office, IT checklistInternet and power have the longest lead times. Plan at least three months out, not three weeks.
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