What is a supplementary VAT return?
With a supplementary VAT return, you correct a previous VAT return in the event of a VAT discrepancy of more than €1,000. Enter the complete correct amounts for the period or year on the correction form, not just the differences per category. The previously declared VAT total will be settled separately.
When should you file a VAT supplement?
A VAT correction of up to €1,000 is processed in the next return. For more than €1,000, you use the correction form: as soon as possible, at the latest within eight weeks of discovery. This concerns the VAT amount, not the invoice value. You can correct up to five years after the relevant year; that is not permission to wait. Record the discovery date. See the rules for correcting VAT returns.
Correcting VAT amounts of up to €1,000
Process the correction in the section where the amount belongs. Fictional example: you declared €900 too little output VAT and forgot €300 input VAT. The net difference is €600. In your next return, you process the €900 in the correct turnover section and the €300 under input VAT; not just the balance in a single box.
Correcting VAT returns
When correcting your VAT return there are two situations: you declared too much VAT or too little VAT. In both cases, you submit the supplementary return using the same form, but the Tax and Customs Administration processes them differently. Pay only after receiving an additional assessment, so that you use the correct payment reference. For a refund, you receive a decision. Watch for correspondence from the Tax and Customs Administration after filing the supplementary return.
Too much VAT declared
If you declared too much VAT, the Tax and Customs Administration sends a decision stating the refund amount. Payment then follows to your account, although the amount may be offset against other outstanding amounts. Processing usually takes several weeks and follows automatically after you submit the supplementary return.
Underdeclared VAT
If you have underdeclared VAT, you will receive an additional tax assessment. This will state the amount you have to pay plus any interest. Only pay the amount after you have received the assessment so that you use the correct payment reference. The tax authorities always specify a payment term that you must adhere to.
How to submit a VAT supplement
Log in to Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk and choose VAT → VAT return correction. Filing is also possible via suitable software or your adviser. Choose the period or year, fill in the complete correct sections and check the previously declared total. Keep the form and the available proof of submission. Then keep an eye on the decision or additional tax assessment. In the case of a correction without an amount to pay or receive back, no separate message will follow.
How often can you file a supplementary VAT return?
You correct discovered errors within the applicable time limit; waiting for the year-end closing is not always permitted. If you have made an error in a previously submitted supplement, follow the separate route under “Adjusting or resubmitting a submitted supplement”.
Tax interest and penalties
In the event of voluntary correction within three months of the end of the tax year, or correction within that year, the Tax and Customs Administration does not charge tax interest. This does not extend the eight-week period. Correcting too late or failing to correct may lead to a fine; voluntary correction does not exclude a fine in all circumstances. Discovery by the Tax and Customs Administration within the eight weeks may also have consequences.
Amending or resubmitting a supplementary VAT return
When you have made a mistake in a previously submitted supplementary return, you should not immediately submit a second supplementary return. First, you wait for the refund decision or additional tax assessment. After that, if necessary, you lodge an objection within six weeks of the date of the decision or assessment and provide the correct amounts. State in your objection why the earlier supplementary return was incorrect and which figures are correct. Only when there is no response because there was nothing to offset may you submit a new supplementary return. This keeps your administration clear and prevents different supplementary returns from getting mixed up.
