On February 19, 2017 on the website of the Belgian Minister of Finance a press release was published in which it is announced that the Belgian Minister of Finance will abolish advance payments for VAT for taxpayers that file VAT returns on a quarterly basis. According to the press release the change was included in the policy note of the Minister in the context of a further simplification of the VAT regulations and of the VAT administration and will now be implemented.

Currently a taxpayer that opts to file VAT-returns on a quarterly basis also has to pay quarterly advance payments. Ultimately on the 20^th of the second and the third month of a quarter a taxpayer has to pay 1/3 of the amount of VAT that was due over the previous quarter. This also applies to entrepreneurs that only send out a few invoices on an annual basis and that sometimes have to pay advance payments for a quarter during which they do not report any sales invoice and over which therefore no VAT will be due.

The press release furthermore states that in order to treat taxpayers that file VAT returns on a quarterly basis and taxpayers that file VAT returns on a monthly basis on an equal footing, the ultimately by December 24 of each calendar year taxpayer that files VAT returns on a quarterly basis will be obliged to pay an advance to payment for the VAT that will be due over the 4^th quarter of that same calendar year.

Click on the language of your choice to be forwarded to the press release in that language as available on the website of the Belgian Minister of Finance (Dutch or French).

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