Important Disclaimer: This guide is a work in progress and not complete. It's meant to be used as a rough guide to get you started please double check the rules with
Recording Transactions in a Spreadsheet
First, create a spreadsheet to start organising your data. The spreadsheet should include columns for the date of the transaction, the invoice or receipt number, a brief description of the goods or services, the amount before VAT, the applicable VAT rate (21%, 9%, 0%, or exempt), the VAT charged on the sale or purchase, the total amount including VAT, and a category column.
Example VAT Data Sheet
| Date | Invoice Number | Description | Amount (excl. VAT) | VAT Rate | VAT Amount | Total Amount | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-10 | INV-1001 | Sale of office chairs | €2,000 | 21% | €420 | €2,420 | 1a Leveringen/diensten belast met hoog tarief |
| 2024-01-20 | INV-1002 | Consulting services | €1,500 | 9% | €135 | €1,635 | 1b Leveringen/diensten belast met laag tarief |
| 2024-02-15 | EXP-2001 | Purchase of office supplies | €500 | 21% | €105 | €605 | 5 Voorbelasting |
| 2024-02-25 | EXP-2002 | IT services from EU supplier | €800 | 21% | €168 | €968 | 4b Leveringen/diensten uit landen binnen de EU |
| 2024-03-06 | INV-1003 | Export of machinery | €3,000 | 0% | €0 | €3,000 | 1e Leveringen/diensten belast met 0% of niet bij u belast |
| 2024-03-15 | EXP-2003 | ChatGPT Plus Subscription (US) | €20 | 21% | €4.20 | €24.20 | 4a Leveringen/diensten uit landen buiten de EU |
We will cover how to handle that last Category in the next step: Applying VAT Rates