Classify accounting documents Not only is it a fundamental task, but it also serves as a "shield" to help businesses control tax risks and ensure financial transparency in the context of digital transformation in 2026. This article provides in-depth guidance, updates on the latest regulations and technological trends (AI, electronic documents), and clarifies classification criteria, processing procedures, and common mistakes to avoid, enabling businesses to operate efficiently and legally.
What are accounting documents?
According to Clause 3, Article 3 of the 2015 Accounting Law:
“Accounting documents are papers and information carriers that reflect economic and financial transactions that have occurred and been completed, serving as the basis for recording in accounting books.
Simply put, accounting documents are records of economic transactions, including inventory receipts, contracts, invoices, etc., aiming to provide complete, accurate, and transparent information about a business's financial transactions.
The role of classifying accounting documents
The systematic classification of accounting documents offers many practical benefits:
- For the accounting department: Helps organize records neatly, shortens search and reconciliation time, and reduces errors in journal entries. (Reference needed) accounting services This will help ensure accurate classification right from the start, leading to transparent data handover and control.
- For management purposes: It helps business owners closely monitor cash flow, tightly control assets, and evaluate the performance of each department.
- For regulatory authorities: It is the most important basis for tax inspections, independent audits, or resolving economic disputes arising between parties. Without proper classification of accounting documents, businesses are very likely to have expenses rejected during tax settlement.
Criteria for classifying detailed accounting documents
To effectively manage the financial information system, accountants need to master the following criteria for classifying accounting documents:
Classification by economic content
This is the most common classification method, helping accountants organize documents according to business functions:
- Monetary documents: These include receipts, payment vouchers, advance payment requests, and advance payment settlement slips. This is a sensitive group of documents requiring strict control over signatures and expenditure limits.
- Bank documents: Debit notes, credit notes, payment orders, transfer checks, and authenticated electronic bank statements.
- Inventory documents: Goods receipt, Goods issue slip, Inventory count report. In 2026, these documents will often be linked to QR codes for automated management.
- Sales and revenue documents: Value-added tax (VAT) invoices, sales invoices, and internal warehouse transfer/transport slips. These are the main basis for calculating output tax.
- Payroll documents: Time sheets, payroll records, employment contracts, and salary/bonus increase decisions.
- Documents relating to fixed assets: Fixed asset handover record, fixed asset card, fixed asset liquidation record.
Classification by location of document creation
This criterion helps determine the source and reliability of information:
- Internal documents: These are documents created by the company itself for internal circulation (e.g., payment vouchers, inventory receipt vouchers). Their reliability depends on the company's internal control procedures.
- External documents: These are documents prepared by other entities when they have transactions with the business (e.g., purchase invoices from suppliers, bank statements). These are the most objective basis for proving the legitimacy of expenses.
Classification by level of generalization
Classification by level of overview helps accountants view documents at different levels of information, from original documents to summaries, thereby optimizing bookkeeping and data control. Specifically, the document system is divided into the following groups:
- Original documents: These are created directly when an economic transaction occurs (e.g., retail invoices, receipts). They are the first and most important piece of evidence.
- Summary vouchers: These are created by accountants to consolidate data from multiple original vouchers of the same type. Their purpose is to simplify the bookkeeping process and provide an overview of a group of transactions during a period (e.g., a daily retail sales invoice summary).
Classification by legal nature
To ensure that documents not only serve accounting purposes but also fully meet legal requirements during inspections and audits, classifying them according to their legal nature helps businesses clearly identify which documents must comply with the prescribed forms and which can be flexibly designed according to the specifics of their operations, as follows:
- Mandatory documents: Forms and templates standardized by the State in terms of form and content (such as invoices, receipts, and payment vouchers). Businesses are not allowed to change the basic structure.
- Guidance documents: Businesses can design their own forms to suit their specific production and business characteristics (e.g., project tracking form, internal handover record), as long as they ensure that the core information elements comply with the Accounting Law.
Regulations regarding the validity and content of documents
For accounting documents to be valid, the documents themselves must meet stringent standards in terms of content and form.
Principles of preparing accounting documents
To ensure transparency and legal evidentiary value, all accountants preparing accounting documents must strictly adhere to the following fundamental principles to accurately reflect the nature of economic transactions:
- Timeliness: Documents must be prepared immediately when an economic transaction occurs. Documents must not be backdated or prepared before the actual transaction takes place.
- Completeness: All required content elements must be filled in, such as document name, number, date of issue, party information, content, quantity, unit price, and total amount.
- Rules for writing numbers and words: The amount in words must exactly match the amount in numbers. Do not abbreviate important phrases that could cause misunderstanding. For paper documents, do not use red pen and do not erase.
Required content elements
Regardless of whether it's a paper or electronic document, to be considered valid, it must have the following:
- Document name and number: For identification and retrieval within the system.
- Date of creation: Determines the time when the economic transaction occurred.
- Subject information: Name and address of the unit or individual creating and receiving the document.
- Transaction description: The nature of the transaction must be described briefly but clearly.
- Quantitative details: Quantity, unit price, and total amount. Note: The currency on the document must be Vietnamese Dong (VND). If a foreign currency is used, the exchange rate must be clearly stated.
- Signatures: Signatures of the preparer, approver, and relevant parties. For electronic documents, a legally valid digital signature is mandatory.
- Language and numerals: Use Vietnamese. If any foreign language is used, a translation must be included. The numerals used are Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2…).
Regulations regarding signatures on accounting documents
Signatures are a crucial element in verifying the responsibility of the parties involved for the transaction that occurred:
- Responsibility of the signatory: The person signing the document is responsible for its content. The head of the unit (Director) or their authorized representative bears ultimate responsibility for the legality of the transaction.
- Digital signatures on electronic documents: By 2026, most businesses will be using digital signatures. These digital signatures must be issued by a legally recognized digital signature certification service provider and must remain valid at the time of signing.
- Handwritten signatures: For paper documents, signatures must be made with a ballpoint pen or ink pen (pencils and red pens are not allowed). One person cannot sign on behalf of multiple different positions on the same document (for example, signing as both the preparer and the chief accountant).
Professional document flow process
The classification of accounting documents is only effective when it is part of a tightly controlled workflow:
- Step 1 – Create or Receive: Documents are generated as soon as a transaction occurs.
- Step 2 – Verification: The accountant checks the legality, reasonableness, and accuracy of the data.
- Step 3 – Recording: Based on the verified documents, make the journal entry and input the data into the software.
- Step 4 – Storage: Organize by time and type for later retrieval.
Accounting documentation system and management terms of use
To implement the classification of accounting documents in practice, businesses need to build a synchronized document system and issue internal management regulations.
Establish regulations for managing accounting documents in accordance with the Accounting Law.
Businesses need to specify the terms of use and management of documents in their financial regulations:
- Approval hierarchy: Clearly defines who has the authority to sign and approve payment vouchers and invoices according to specific spending limits.
- Document flow process: Clearly define the path of documents from the sales department to the accounting department and into the archives.
- Privacy Policy: Regulations regarding access to electronic document data and management of digital signatures.
Key indicator document groups
Based on fundamental accounting principles, businesses need to focus on closely controlling the following key document groups to ensure that financial information is always up-to-date, accurate, and legally compliant:
- Currency and Payments Group: Prioritize electronic documents and online money transfer orders.
- Inventory Group: Integrating data from the intelligent warehouse management system (WMS).
- Fixed Assets Group: Technical documentation and electronic handover records.
Archiving accounting documents: Time limits and formats.
Archiving is the final but extremely important step in the document processing procedure.
The prescribed retention period
Based on their usefulness and the inspection requirements of relevant authorities, the retention periods for accounting documents are clearly divided into the following groups to allow businesses to proactively decide on their destruction or preservation:
- Minimum retention period of 5 years: For accounting documents used for internal management and operation of the unit (not directly involved in bookkeeping and financial statement preparation).
- Minimum retention period of 10 years: For accounting documents directly used to record accounting entries and prepare financial statements, and for annual accounting books and financial statements.
- Permanent archiving: For accounting documents that are historically significant and have important economic, security, and defense implications.
Electronic storage methods
In 2026, businesses will be encouraged to store documents on cloud storage platforms. Electronic documents stored must meet the following requirements:
- It can be accessed and used for reference when needed.
- The data format remains exactly as it was created, sent, or received.
- Information identifying the origin, destination, and date and time of sending or receiving is included.
Conclude
Classifying accounting documents is not just a business operation but also a core foundation that determines the transparency and financial security of a business. In the context of 2026, with the explosion of electronic documents, proper, complete, and scientific classification will help businesses optimize operations, minimize errors, and especially avoid the risk of tax arrears during audits.
Despite the increasing support of technology, the essence of accounting remains accuracy, compliance, and strict control. Therefore, businesses need to proactively improve processes, upgrade systems, and train personnel so that the classification of accounting documents is not only "legally compliant" but also becomes an effective management tool, creating a sustainable competitive advantage.
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 is moderated by: Mr. Le Hoang Tuyen – Founder & CEO of Man, CPA Vietnam Auditor with over 30 years of experience in Accounting, Auditing and Financial Consulting.
Frequently Asked Questions about Classification of Accounting Documents
As long as the document is valid and authenticated by the service provider at the time of signing, it remains legally valid for life during the storage period.
While printed copies may be used for internal management, the original electronic copies must still be stored in accordance with regulations for inspection purposes. What happens if my digital signature expires while I'm storing the document?
Can businesses print electronic documents onto paper for archiving?
