All you need to know about Austrian annual VAT returns

Most companies registered for VAT purposes in Austria must submit an annual VAT return by the end of April or June of the following year – depending on the submission method. This is a recapitulative return for informative purposes. This return is also known as Umsatzsteuererklärung or form U1. The form is published by the tax authorities and updated every year.

What are Austrian annual VAT returns?

Annual VAT returns in Austria are a summary VAT return for an entire year. In these returns, you repeat the information that you already reported in periodic (monthly or quarterly) VAT returns during the previous year. These returns do not have an associated payment unless you are correcting previously reported data. Therefore, they are an informative filing used by the tax authorities to reconcile your reporting obligations.

Similar returns exist in Spain, Belgium or Italy. You can check more information about each of these annual returns in our country manuals.

What is the deadline for submission?

Annual VAT returns is Austria must be submitted within the following deadlines:

-          by the 30th April of the following year, if the submission is made via paper form;

-          or, by the 30th June of the following year, in case of e-filing. 

If this day falls in weekend, deadline will be moved to the next working day.

When the annual VAT return is not due?

Austrian annual VAT return might not be due in the following cases:

• For small taxpayers whose supplies have not exceeded the amount of EUR 30,000 in the calendar year and did not have VAT payable for the same calendar year.
• Taxpayers that have not made any transactions in Austria during the reporting period.
• Taxpayers that only performed reverse charge supplies unless additional VAT credit wants to be claimed.
• Farmers subject to simplified VAT regime unless additional VAT credit wants to be claimed.

In any case, the above exceptions must be verified case by case to confirm that indeed the annual VAT return is not due.

Submission of Annual VAT returns

Normally, you should submit annual VAT returns in Austria via electronic means – the tax authorities’ platform. However, when the online services are not set up, paper forms may be accepted by the authorities, unless they understand the taxpayer is subject to mandatory e-filing.

Assessment decision on annual VAT returns in Austria

Tax authorities in Austria review Annual VAT returns submitted to verify if they meet their calculations, which are based on the previous quarter or monthly VAT returns submitted. As a result of this verification, they will issue an assessment decision.

Tax authorities might consider on their final decision that there is an extra VAT liability or credit due for payment or refund respectively, or even deny an additional credit claimed via the annual VAT return.

Usually, the assessment decision is issued within the following two weeks after the submission of the annual VAT return. If the taxpayer is using the Austrian online services, this decision can be downloaded from the online portal, otherwise, the decision will be sent by post.

Mismatches on the expected annual VAT return result and the actual amount reported will be reflected at the bottom of the decision, and normally these are the last three rows with amounts. When there is no difference between “Festgesetzte Umsatzsteuer” and “Bisher vorgeschriebene Umsatzsteuer” – with an allowed rounding difference of 1 EUR, it means that the tax authorities consider that the VAT position did not vary compared to the periodical filings. However, when there is a difference, this must be investigated.

Finally, in case an additional VAT payment must be made based on the annual VAT return preparation and submission, it shall be considered as a late payment for the month or quarter they correspond to, and penalties will apply accordingly. Additional VAT payments are generally due within one month from the time the date of the assessment decision of the tax authorities is received.

Get help with Austrian annual VAT returns

Marosa is a VAT compliance and tax technology firm specialized in VAT for all European countries. We can help you reviewing your annual VAT return, preparing the return based on your periodic filings or also taking over on your Austrian VAT number for all future VAT, Intrasat and ESL reporting

You will be allocated a single team for Austria and any potentially additional country in Europe. This team will include German speakers that can deal with the Austrian tax authorities on your behalf.