01.20.23

Option to use PDF as e-invoices further extended & other relevant tax changes

Order 8/2022-XXIII of the Secretary of State for Tax Affairs, dated 13 December 2022, introduced some amendments to the Portuguese 2023 tax calendar.  

These revisions have been summarised below:  

• The possibility to utilise PDFs as e-invoices for tax purposes has once again been extended, now to 31 December 2023, from which point a digital signature will be required on a PDF invoice.* 
• For any fiscal documents, such as invoices, credit notes, etc issued in 2023, businesses will have until the 8th of the following month to submit the Standard Audit File for Tax (SAF-T).  The SAF-T is an internally recognised standard which is used for the exchange of tax information.  

Further important points raised in the Order include the following: 

• The Portuguese Tax Authority (PTA) will promote compliance with the technical specifications necessary for the real-time communication of invoice data, either through webservice in real time, or through a monthly web service. 
• The PTA will also plan to implement a process to issue supporting compliance alerts to taxpayers who do not communicate the data included in their invoices by the 5th day of the following month, or when applicable.  
• Annual inventories can be submitted until the second month following the end the fiscal year. Consequently, the annual inventories for 2022 should be submitted before 28 February 2023. 

*Tungsten is closely following the requirement for PDF’s to be digitally signed in Portugal, especially considering the VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) proposal which re-defines the definition of an e-invoice, as well as modifying the relevance of digital signatures on a PDF.