Highlights
Local term
Daň z pridanej hodnoty (DPH)
VAT Rates – standard
20%
Rates news
VAT Rates – reduced
10%; 0%
VAT number format
SK 1234567890
Registration threshold
€49,790. Nil for non-residents; €10,000 for pan-EU digital services and goods OSS return. Intra-community acquisitions €14,000.
VAT Group
Permitted
VAT recovery foreign businesses
Permitted, but non-EU businesses need reciprocity
Fiscal Representative
Not required except for non-residents with certain import cases
Currency
Euro €, January 2009
Administration
Introduction
The Slovak Republic introduce VAT in January 1993. It joined the European Union on 1 May 2004
VAT laws
Slovak Act No. 222/2004. Daňový poriadok (Act No. 563/2009 on Administration of Taxes (Tax Procedural Code). Also EU VAT Directive which takes supremacy as part of EU membership
Tax Authorities
Finančné riaditeľstvo SR (Financial Directorate of the Slovak Republic). Non-residents deal with Bratislava office
VAT Rates
Standard rate
20%
Rates news
Reduced rates
10%: books and newspapers; accommodation; certain foodstuffs; medicines; 0%
Zero-rated
Intra-community passenger travel by air and sea; Exports and intra-community supplies of goods; gold to central banks; services related to vessels and aircraft
Exempt
Education; financial services; health, hospital, and social welfare; public postal; letting immovable property; betting and gambling; welfare services; international passenger transport; certain copyrights
Scope of VAT
Scope of VAT
Provision of domestic taxable goods and services; EU imports; intra-community acquisitions; Distance selling of goods B2C (OSS or IOSS); receipt of services or goods via the reverse charge
Time of supply
Goods & Services (general rule)
The earlier of supply of goods (delivery, control) services (provision) or payment. Services’ tax point after three months if not invoice raised. Prepayment follow the general rule, and thus create a tax point with VAT liability
Reverse Charge
General rule applies, so provision of supply becomes the tax point.
Continuous Services
Based on time of payment for goods or services. If this stretches of twelve month period, then the last working day of the twelve months.
Imports
At the time of clearance into the Slovak Republic after Customs
Goods on approval and return
As per general rule, when customer accepts goods and under their control
Registration
VAT registration threshold
€49,790. Nil for non-residents; €10,000 for pan-EU digital services and goods OSS return. Intra-community acquisitions €14,000.
Voluntary VAT registration
Permitted for residents only
VAT number format
SK 1234567890
VAT Group
Two or more taxable persons connected by management, shareholding or economic objectives may form a VAT group. They must be resident. Holding companies with no taxable activities or non-residents are excluded. Group members adopt a single VAT number, with a single consolidated return completed by the nominated representative member. Intra-group transactions are exempted from VAT.
Non-residents
Permitted. No Fiscal Representative required.
Fiscal Representative
Not required. Non-residents without a VAT number may do so via a resident Fiscal Representative where there is an onward intra-community supply.
Digital Services
The Slovak Republic participates in the EU single One Stop Shop (OSS) VAT return for digital, telecoms and broadcast services. This was formerly the MOSS regime until 30 June 2021
Pre VAT registration costs
Permitted for business related goods or services purchased in the year of VAT registration or the calendar year before.
VAT Invoices
Issuance
Within 15 days of tax point. Or by 15th of the month following intra-community supplies or reverse charge. Invoices not required for B2C transactions.
Content
Date; unique sequential invoice number; name and address of supplier and customer; Customer VAT number for intra-community supplies or reverse charge; date of supply or advance payment if different from invoice date; Description, quantity or units etc of supply of goods or services; price per unit; taxable amount; VAT charged; rate (broken out if supplies at different rates); total; explanation if zero-rated supply.
E-invoices
Pre-clearance e-invoicing proposals
Simplified invoices
Permitted for transactions not exceeding €100. For retail where online VAT cash register used (see separate), permitted if transaction does not exceed €1,000 (€1,600 if non-cash e.g. credit card). Not permitted for intra-community supplies. Details of customer and breakout of VAT not required.
Self-billing
Permitted by mutual written agreement between the supplier and customer. Details of how the supplier will agree to the invoice must be specified in the agreement.
Retention of invoices
Ten years. Paper invoices may be digitised. Invoices and records may only be maintained outside of the Slovak Republic if permission sought from the tax office – which must be renewed each year.
FX rules
Other currencies may be used, but must show VAT due in €. Should use ECB or Slovak Central Bank rate at tax point date. Alternatively, may follow customs rates if tax authorities are notified.
Invoice corrections
Credit notes with reduced disclosures may be used. Must refer to original invoice number and reason for adjustment. May follow the simplification invoice requirements.
Compliance
Right to deduct
Excluded: Restaurant, catering and entertainment for business purposes
Call-off stock
Following the EU’s 2020 Quick Fix harmonisation reforms, stock may be transferred from an EU state to an customer location/warehouse in the Slovak Republic without triggering a VAT registration and supply for a non-Slovak supplier. Title has not passed until the customer takes the goods for production and sale. At which time a zero-rated transaction may be effected. This must happen within 12 months of the original movement
Reverse Charge – B2B
In addition to cross-border B2B services being subject to the RC, the following are in Slovak Republic: goods and services provided by non-resident if the customer is resident and VAT registered (even if supplier is VAT registered); domestic RC on natural gas and electricity; scrap metal; CO2 emissions; certain commodity grains and similar crops; iron and steel; mobile phones, computer chips and other high-value goods when invoice exceeds €5,000; and construction works.
Cash discounts
Discounts taken-up at time of invoicing should be reflected in invoice. If taken-up afterwards, and adjusting credit note should be used.
Bad debt relief
Import VAT deferment
Import VAT deferment from 2024
VAT warehouse
There is no VAT warehouse facility in Slovak Republic. Imports may enter bonded warehouse for trading prior to clearance into the country and the payment of customs or VAT. Certain transactions within a bonded warehouse are not exempt for VAT.
Supply & install
A non-resident providing install for assets as a service should use the reverse charge if their customer is a resident VAT registered businesses. This switches the VAT reporting to the customer.
Use and enjoyment services
The Slovak Republic has not introduced any of the use and enjoyment VAT options for services
Capital goods adjustment period
Movable property: four years. Immovable property: 20 years
Non-residents VAT recovery
EU businesses may apply for Slovak VAT reclaims through the electronic portal of the tax authorities of their company of residency (8th Directive). Quarterly claims above €400 permitted, with final claim above €50 by 30 Sept of following year. Non-EU businesses must submit a paper-reclaim with supporting invoices via the Slovak authorities directly (13th Directive). Slovak Republic does require a reciprocal agreement with the country of residence of the claimant. Non-EU businesses do not have to appoint an Slovak resident Fiscal Representative for the reclaim process
VAT on Digital Services
The Slovak Republic follows the EU VAT on digital services regime, introduced in 2015. This includes participation in the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) single EU VAT return (formerly MOSS until 30 June 2021)
Live events
Distance selling threshold for goods
Nil. Following the EU ecommerce VAT package reforms from 1 July 2021, local Slovak VAT must be charged on all sales by non-Slovakian EU e-commerce sellers shipping from within the EU. Imported distance sales not exceeding €150 liable to Slovak sales VAT with IOSS return option
Cash accounting scheme
Permitted for businesses with an annual turnover not exceeding €100,000.
VAT registered cash tills
Online cash registers – eKasa – linked to the tax office were introduced in 2008
Statute of limitations
Five years
Other
N/a
VAT Returns
Frequency
Monthly. Quarterly if annual turnover in prior year was below €100,000
Filing method
Electronic
Deadlines (inc payments)
Returns and any VAT payments are due by the 25th of the month following the reporting period.
VAT credits
Refunded if not recoverable in return after the one where it first arouse. Tax payers on monthly returns with over twelve months good compliance record may receive refund immediately on submission of return subject to any audit.
Corrections
Supplementary return in the month when the error is detected.
Non-residents
Permitted following similar rules to residents. Fiscal representative not required for non-EU businesses
Other filings
Monthly European Sales Listing for goods and services supplies without any threshold by 25th of month following. ESL’s may be filed quarterly if reported values do not exceed €50,000 in prior four quarters. Intrastat monthly by the 15th of the following month for supply of goods above threshold: dispatches: €1 million; arrivals: €1 million. A Slovak monthly domestic VAT supplies ‘Control Statement’, including reverse charge transitions, must be submitted by 25th of the month following reporting month. This lists sales and purchases line-by-line for VAT.
SAF-T
N/a
Penalties & interest
Missed returns sliding fine scale: €30 to €16,000. Late interest charges on unpaid VAT is x4 bank prime rate, and at least 15%. For missdeclared VAT amounts, the fine is the higher of 10% or three times the prevailing prime rate. This may be reduced by voluntary disclosure prior or during a VAT audit.
B2C Distance Selling returns