Entering 2026, the tax settlement process for the 2025 tax year becomes more complex than ever. The emergence of new regulations on mandatory audits and the tightening of tax management procedures by the General Department of Taxation are posing a major challenge for the accounting community. Are you struggling with the 2026 tax settlement deadline? Are you wondering if your business is subject to audit under Decree 90/2025/ND-CP? This article serves as a guide to help accountants and business owners not only grasp the key deadlines but also identify potential risks from cheap, unprofessional tax services during peak season.
The "golden" deadline for filing tax returns in 2026.
Understanding the 2026 tax filing deadline is the first step to avoiding unnecessary late payment penalties. Based on Circular 1992/CT-CS, effective from June 24, 2025, this year's tax filing schedule clearly distinguishes between two main groups of taxpayers.
For the Income-Paying Organization
For legal entities, the deadline for filing the 2026 tax return is set for the first quarter of the following fiscal year.
- Deadline: The last day of the third month following the end of the calendar year (or fiscal year).
- Specific date: March 31, 2026
The implementation includes:
- Corporate Income Tax (CIT) settlement for the entire year 2025
- Personal income tax (PIT) settlement for the income paid by the organization during the year. This includes settling taxes on behalf of individuals who have authorized the company to settle their taxes.
- Submit the 2025 financial statements to the Tax Authority, the Statistics Authority, and the investment licensing authority (if applicable).
For individuals who directly settle their tax obligations with the Tax Authority.
To allow individuals more time to prepare their documents after receiving tax deduction certificates from businesses, the deadline for filing the 2026 tax return for this group has been extended by more than one month.
- Deadline: The last day of the fourth month following the end of the calendar year.
- Specific date: April 30, 2026.
Note: According to the Tax Administration Law, if the deadline falls on a holiday, the deadline will be extended to the next working day. However, due to the high volume of traffic to the eTax system on the last few days, experts recommend that individuals complete their tax payments before April 25, 2026, to ensure security.
New points in Decree 90/2025/ND-CP on criteria for auditing financial statements for 2025.
One of the reasons the 2026 tax filing deadline is so stressful is determining whether a business is subject to mandatory auditing. If it is, the business must submit audited financial statements along with its tax return.
The latest legal basis
This change stems from Clause 1, Article 37 of the Law on Independent Auditing No. 67/2011/QH12 (supplemented by Law No. 56/2024/QH15 effective from January 1, 2025). The Government subsequently detailed this in Decree 90/2025/ND-CP (effective from April 14, 2025).
Identifying "Large-Scale Businesses" that Require Auditing
According to point d, clause 1, Article 15 of Decree 17/2012/ND-CP (supplemented by Decree 90/2025/ND-CP), enterprises (not FDI, not public companies) are still required to undergo auditing if they meet at least two of the following three criteria:
- Human Resources (Social Insurance): The average number of workers participating in social insurance in 2025 will reach over 200 people.
- Revenue: Total revenue from sales and services in 2025 will exceed 300 billion VND.
- Assets: The total value of assets recorded on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2025, exceeds VND 100 billion.
Note:
- Revenue and asset figures are based on data from fiscal year 2025. Personnel figures are calculated as the average number of employees participating in social insurance over the 12 months of the year.
- Businesses are only considered exempt from mandatory auditing requirements if they fail to meet the above criteria for two consecutive fiscal years. This means that if you are subject to an audit in 2024, but your scale decreases below the threshold in 2025, you may still be required to audit for another year, depending on your prior data.
Four-Week Intensive Plan: A Strategy to Reach the 2026 Tax Filing Deadline
To avoid falling into the "wait until the last minute" psychological trap, accountants need a detailed action plan for March 2026 – the month that will determine the fate of the 2026 tax filing deadline.
Week 1 (March 2nd – March 8th): Closing Phase – Foundation Construction
This is a crucial week for finalizing baseline data. If this week's data is incorrect, all tax returns submitted by the 2026 tax filing deadline will be wrong.
- Reconcile key accounts: Check cash balances, bank deposits (with bank statements), and accounts payable/receivable (debt confirmation statements).
- Inventory and asset review: Finalize inventory figures, tool and equipment allocation tables, and fixed asset depreciation.
- Note: This week, it must be determined whether the business is subject to mandatory auditing regulations under Decree 90/2025. If so, a contract must be signed. audit immediately so they can release the report before March 31st.
Week 2 (March 9 – March 15): Finalize the financial statements and tax return for February 2026.
While focusing on the annual settlement, don't forget your recurring tax obligations.
- Preparing draft financial statements: Completing adjusting entries and detailed notes to the financial statements.
- Deadline for filing February tax returns: According to regulations, the deadline for submitting VAT and personal income tax returns for February is March 20th.
Week 3 (March 16 – March 22): Periodic "Deadline Rush" Phase
This week, pay close attention to March 20th:
- March 20th: Submit tax return for February 2026.
- Handling tax payments: If any tax is due, pay it immediately. Please note that late payment penalties will apply from March 21st.
- Final error review: Compare the consistency between the monthly/quarterly tax returns for 2025 and the figures in the draft financial statements to prepare for the annual tax return.
Week 4 (March 23 – March 31): Safely reaching the deadline for filing the 2026 tax return.
Because it's a crucial week, businesses need to pay close attention:
- March 23-25: Prioritize submitting financial statements and corporate and personal income tax returns. Don't wait until March 30 or 31 to click "Submit".
- Document archiving: After receiving notification of acceptance of the tax return from the tax authority, print the documents, sign and stamp them, and carefully archive the XML file.
Consequences of missing the 2026 tax filing deadline.
Modern tax administration relies heavily on Big Data. Even a one-day delay will automatically trigger a penalty notification.
Administrative penalty
If you submit your tax return late after the 2026 tax filing deadline, the following penalties will apply:
- Overdue from 1 to 30 days: Fines ranging from VND 2,000,000 to VND 5,000,000.
- Overdue from 31 to 60 days: Fine from 5,000,000 VND to 8,000,000 VND.
- Overdue from 61 to 90 days: Fines ranging from VND 8,000,000 to VND 15,000,000.
- Overdue by more than 90 days: The penalty can be up to VND 25,000,000. Specifically, if the payment is overdue by more than 90 days and there is tax payable, this act may constitute the crime of "Tax Evasion".
The burden of late payment penalties for taxes
In addition to administrative fines, businesses also have to pay interest on late payments.
- Amount of tax overdue x 0.03% x Number of days overdue.
For example: The company has an additional corporate income tax liability of 500 million VND after the final settlement. If the payment is delayed by 30 days compared to the 2026 tax settlement deadline, the additional interest payable will be:
|
Interest payable = 500,000 x 0.03% x 30 = 4,500,000 VND |
This expense is not deductible when calculating corporate income tax.
Beware of the risks associated with cheap services.
As pressure mounts to meet the 2026 tax filing deadline, many small businesses or business owners unfamiliar with accounting often turn to individuals/organizations offering "cheap" services on social media groups. This is a fatal mistake that can have repercussions later on.
Identifying unprofessional and unreliable service providers.
During peak season, these units typically exhibit the following characteristics:
- Surprisingly low prices: Just a few hundred thousand to one million VND for a complete tax settlement. In reality, for this fee, they only input raw data without verifying the validity of invoices and documents.
- Lack of up-to-date knowledge: A lack of awareness of the latest legal documents, such as Decree 90/2025/ND-CP which stipulates the entities required to undergo annual audits, is a significant problem. Omitting entities from the audit process can lead to severe penalties later on.
- A fragmented accounting system: Records often only contain declarations, completely lacking accompanying detailed ledgers, general ledgers, payroll records, etc.
The losses that the business has to bear.
Hiring unprofessional services during the 2026 tax season can lead to four serious consequences:
- Type of incidental audit cost: This occurs when the service provider fails to advise on how to complete the necessary documentation (contracts, delivery and receipt records, payment documents). When the tax authorities conduct an audit after 3-5 years, the amount of back taxes that can be collected could reach billions of VND.
- Irreversible systemic error: An accounting error from 2025 that went undetected will lead to discrepancies in 2026 and 2027. Correcting it (retroactive adjustment) would be extremely complex and costly.
- Legal responsibility of the representative: The tax authorities work based on signed documents. When serious violations occur (such as using illegal invoices), the service provider washes their hands of the matter, while the Director faces penalties, and even criminal liability.
- Data loss: In many cases, individual service providers complete the work and deliver the PDF file but fail to provide the original file (Excel, software). When the business needs to make changes or review the work, the provider has already cut off communication.
See more: Professional tax settlement services
Tax optimization strategies before the 2026 tax filing deadline.
To ensure that submitting reports on time for the 2026 tax return is not only fulfilling an obligation but also protecting the company's finances, businesses need to take note of the following:
- Proactively review input invoices: Use the General Department of Taxation's tools to check the operating status of sellers. Absolutely avoid invoices from businesses that have absconded or temporarily ceased operations.
- Establish strict regulations on salaries and bonuses: Personal income tax will be a key focus of inspections in 2026. All expenses for employees must be included in the labor contract and financial regulations to be considered reasonable expenses and avoid being subject to personal income tax assessment.
- Collaborating with legally registered service companies: Units with professional certifications licensed by the Ministry of Finance to provide tax procedure services will have greater responsibility and risk insurance for clients. Teams with CPA (for auditing) and ACCA (for accounting) certifications will provide peace of mind and quality for financial statements.
- Utilizing digital technology: Implementing accounting software capable of automatically reconciling with the Tax authority's electronic invoicing system to minimize human errors.
See details: Advantages and disadvantages of service accounting versus in-house accounting.
Conclude
Tax settlement for 2025 is a long-term process requiring intense focus and a deep understanding of the law. Understanding the 2026 tax settlement deadlines of March 31st for businesses and April 30th for individuals is a minimum requirement. However, to safely navigate this process, businesses need to look beyond the auditing regulations in Decree 90/2025/ND-CP and avoid the pitfalls of cheap, unreliable services.
Start planning for Week 1 now to ensure the tax season unfolds with complete confidence and peace of mind!
Contact information MAN – Master Accountant Network
- Address: No. 19A, Street 43, Tan Thuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Mobile/Zalo: 0903 963 163 – 0903 428 622
- Email: man@man.net.vn
Content production by: Mr. Le Hoang Tuyen – Founder & CEO MAN – Master Accountant Network, Vietnamese CPA Auditor with over 30 years of experience in Accounting, Auditing and Financial Consulting.
