VAT accounts and record-keeping

A taxable person is required to keep records of his economic activities in order to allow the VAT regulations to be applied and for checks to be carried out.

The basic records to be maintained for VAT purposes include the following:

• a purchase ledger listing all purchase invoices
• a sales ledger listing all sales invoices                 
• a book of daily receipts, if applicable
• a list of fixed assets and a number of special accounts

The obligatory retention period laid down by the VAT legislation is seven years. Longer periods apply in certain cases.

Invoice records must be filed in Belgium (unless electronic invoicing is applied).

The format in which invoice records are to be stored is the original format in which they were issued, although, under certain conditions, paper invoices can be digitised by scanning.