Important Deadlines by 30 September

Submission of Annual Financial Statements to the Commercial Register

Corporations such as GmbHs and AGs are required to file their annual financial statements with the Austrian Commercial Register within the prescribed deadline. As a general rule, the filing must be completed within nine months after the balance sheet date. For companies with a financial year ending on 31 December, this deadline therefore expires on 30 September. Failure to file on time may result in coercive penalties, which can be imposed not only on the company itself but also on each of its legal representatives.

Renewal of Charitable Status for Tax-Deductible Donations

Non-profit organisations that have obtained tax-deductible donation status (Spendenbegünstigung) must renew this status annually in order to ensure that donations made by their supporters remain tax deductible. The renewal application must be submitted each year through FinanzOnline by a professional representative within nine months after the end of the financial year. Where the organisation’s financial year corresponds to the calendar year, the application must therefore be filed by 30 September.

Reduction of Income Tax Prepayments

Income tax prepayments are generally based on the income tax assessed for previous years. If it is expected that profits in the current year will be lower than in prior years, an application can be submitted to the tax authorities by 30 September requesting a reduction of the current year's income tax prepayments.

The application must include a justification for the anticipated lower profit as well as appropriate supporting documentation, such as interim financial statements or turnover comparisons. The same principle applies to corporate income tax prepayments.

Advance Payment of Income Tax or Corporate Income Tax

If an additional liability for income tax or corporate income tax is expected for the previous year, taxpayers may voluntarily make an advance payment to the tax authorities by 30 September of the following year.

By doing so, taxpayers can avoid the assessment of interest on tax underpayments (claim interest) in full. It is important to specify the correct payment reference when making the transfer to the tax authorities (known as a payment allocation instruction) so that the payment is credited to the intended tax account.

VAT Refund Applications

Austrian businesses that incurred input VAT in another EU Member State during the previous year may reclaim this VAT from the respective Member State.

The application for a VAT refund must be submitted electronically via FinanzOnline no later than 30 September. This deadline cannot be extended. Country-specific rules regarding invoice thresholds and supporting documentation should be taken into account.

The Austrian tax authorities will then forward the application to the relevant EU Member State responsible for the refund.