As an entrepreneur in Belgium, it’s important to be aware of a lot of legal and administrative obligations. One important obligation is that of customer listing or VAT listing. In this article, we take a closer look at this requirement and explain everything you need to know!
What is a customer listing?
The customer listing is an overview of all Belgian companies you have sent invoices to over the past year for a total amount of at least €250 (excluding VAT). You have to submit this customer list via Intervat before 31st of March each year.
Am I obliged to submit a customer listing?
The VAT administration uses customer listings to understand business relationships between companies. However, not every business is required to submit this listing.
VAT-registered businesses, whether it’s a principal activity or secondary activity and whether they have the legal form of a sole proprietorship or a corporation, must file the customer listing. Small businesses that are exempt from VAT due to a maximum annual turnover of €25.000 must also submit customer listings.
Companies not subject to VAT, which are exempt from VAT due to the nature of their activity, do not have to submit a customer list. However, if they carry out another activity that is subject to VAT, in addition to the one for which they are exempt, they still need to submit customer listings for that particular activity.
Do I have to list all my customers on the customer listing?
When you draw up your customer list, you have to list all your Belgian customers to whom you have invoiced more than €250 (excluding VAT) over the past year. This applies to both VAT-registered and VAT-exempt companies with a turnover of up to €25.000 per year. However, there are some customers who do not need to be listed on the customer listing:
- Private individuals;
- Businesses to whom you have invoiced for less than €250 (excluding VAT);
- Businesses that are not subject to VAT due to the nature of their profession, such as doctors and dentists;
- Foreign companies.
Do I have to submit a customer listing if it is empty?
If your customer listing remains empty, for example because you primarily serve private individuals or use smaller invoice amounts, then the so-called “nil listing” is relevant.
VAT-registered companies, even in the case of an empty customer listing, must submit a so-called “nil listing.” Here, too, the submission must be made annually before March 31.
For VAT-exempt enterprises, they only have to submit a customer listing if there is at least one customer on it. So VAT-exempt small businesses do not have to submit a nil listing if their customer listing is empty.
How do I draw up a customer listing?
To prepare the customer listing, review the list of clients you have worked with in the past year and select:
- Belgian companies to which you have invoiced at least €250 (excluding VAT);
- VAT-paying companies or small companies exempt from VAT due to an annual income of less than €25.000.
On the website of FOD Finances you will find a template that you can use when drawing up your customer list. You can find the template on this page. Once done, submit the customer listing via Intervat.
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur in Belgium, correctly submitting the annual customer list is an important obligation. List all Belgian companies to which you have invoiced more than €250 (excluding VAT) in the past year. If you have no customers who meet the criteria, you must submit a nil listing. Be sure to respect the deadline and submit the customer listing by March 31st of each year. Correct and timely filing will help you avoid penalties and ensure organized records.
Want to know more about the customer listing, or have any other questions? Contact us and we’ll connect you with a partner accountant.
