Viewing the Tax Declaration Report
The Tax Declaration shows a summary of sales and purchase taxes for a specific period, such as a quarter, with the net tax you owe or that is owed to you, for use when you file your tax return. This guide explains how to view the report and its filters, how the report decides which invoices fall in each period, and how to add backdated invoices so they’re included in a period you haven’t filed yet.
Contents
Viewing the tax declaration
- From the main menu, click Reports.
- Click Accounting Reports.
- Choose Tax Declaration.
- Set the filters you need, then click Show Report.
- You can print the report, or export it as CSV, Excel or PDF.
- To see the tax details with the same filters, click View Tax Report. From the tax report, you can go back by clicking View Tax Declaration.
- To create the period’s tax settlement entry, click Settle Declaration (it appears for users with permission to manage journal entries).
Report filters
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Tax | Choose a specific tax, or All Taxes. |
| Revenue Type | Issued (Accrual): all invoices issued in the period, by their date. Fully Paid: fully paid invoices, by the date of the last payment. Partially Paid (Cash): partially or fully paid invoices, by the date of the last payment. |
| Date Range | The declaration period. For a quarterly declaration, set the first and last day of the quarter manually (for example, 01/07 to 30/09 for the third quarter). |
| Currency | Shows the report in all currencies converted to the base currency, or in a specific currency. |
| Branches | Appears if the Branches app is enabled. |
Report content
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Sales | For each tax: sales, Edits (returns, credit notes and debit notes), and Tax Due. |
| Purchases | For each tax: purchases, Edits (purchase returns and notes), and Paid Tax. |
| Others | Taxes from other sources, such as expenses, incomes, assets and journal entries: Adjusted, Taxable Amount, and the taxes. |
| Total | Net tax = tax due on sales − tax paid on purchases. |
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Note: The tax declaration shows totals only. To see the invoices and transactions behind each figure, use View Tax Report.
What is included in the declaration for a given period?
- The declaration includes every invoice whose Invoice Date falls within the selected period, regardless of the day it was actually created in the system.
- When you choose Fully Paid or Partially Paid (Cash) in Revenue Type, sales invoices are included by the date of their last payment, not the invoice date.
- Purchase invoices, returns and notes are included by their date, and journal entries by the entry date.
- Drafts aren’t included in the tax declaration until you issue them.
Adding backdated invoices to a previous period’s declaration
If you haven’t filed the quarter’s declaration yet and have unrecorded invoices that belong to that quarter, you can create them with a date inside the quarter so they appear in its declaration. Example: to include an invoice in the third quarter, set its date between 01/07 and 30/09.
Before you start, make sure that
| Condition | Details |
|---|---|
| You can edit the invoice date | The account owner can always change the date. Other users need the Edit Invoice Date permission in their role. Without it, the date field is locked to today’s date, or the message You cannot change the date of the invoice appears. |
| The period isn’t closed | If the date falls in a closed period, the message You can not add, edit, or delete a transaction in this date (the invoice date) within a closed period appears. Open the period first, or ask the administrator to open it. |
Steps
- Open Create Invoice (or a purchase invoice, expense or return, depending on the transaction).
- Enter the invoice details as usual.
- Change the Invoice Date to the correct date within the required quarter.
- Check the Issue Date (in accounts with e-invoicing enabled), as described in the next section.
- Save the invoice as a draft and review it, then issue it.
- Open the Tax Declaration for the quarter, and make sure the invoice appears in the figures.
Important for accounts with e-invoicing enabled (ZATCA)
- The Issue Date is what’s sent to the Authority, not the invoice date, and it defaults to today. The tax declaration in the system, however, is based on the Invoice Date.
- You can’t edit or delete the invoice after issuing it, so check the date carefully before issuing. If you issued it with the wrong date, the fix is to issue a credit note to cancel it, then create a new invoice.
- The Authority doesn’t accept a future issue date.
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Warning: A tax invoice is usually issued on the actual issue date, and the quarter in which the tax is due is determined by the supply date and the Authority’s regulations. The system lets you record backdated invoices, but whether that’s correct for tax purposes is the business’s responsibility. We recommend checking with your accountant or tax advisor before issuing backdated invoices.
Closing the period after filing the declaration
After filing the quarter’s declaration, it’s best to close the period so no invoice or transaction can be added or changed with a date inside it, and the declaration figures stay matched to what you filed:
- Open Closed Periods.
- Click add, or open Add closed period directly.
- Set the To date to the last day of the quarter (for example, 30/09), and add a description such as: Q3 declaration.
- Save.
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Note: The system closes all dates up to the selected date, including invoices, payments, purchase invoices, expenses, journal entries and stock movements. You can open the period temporarily when you need to make a change, then close it again. Drafts aren’t affected by closing.
FAQ
I created a backdated invoice. Why doesn’t it appear in the declaration?
- Make sure the invoice isn’t a draft.
- Make sure the Invoice Date is within the report period.
- If Revenue Type is Fully Paid or Partially Paid (Cash), the date of the last payment is used, not the invoice date.
- Check the branch, currency and tax filters.
Why can’t I change the invoice date?
Either you don’t have the Edit Invoice Date permission, or the date is in a closed period, or the invoice is issued and e-invoicing is enabled.
The figures of a declaration I filed earlier changed. Why?
Because an invoice or transaction was added or changed with a date inside that period after you filed the declaration. To prevent this, close the period after filing the declaration.
Is there a ready-made quarterly option?
No. Set the start and end dates of the quarter manually in Date Range.