As a self-employed professional, having the correct VAT type in Accountable is essential for accurate tax reporting. If you are actually a Franchisee (a small business with a yearly turnover below €25,000) but mistakenly selected Exempt in Accountable, the good news is that both types work without VAT on your invoices. The correction is therefore mostly a settings adjustment, with no VAT to refund to your clients.
In this article, we'll walk you through the steps to correct the error and make sure your VAT type is set up properly.
⚠️ Before taking any steps, first verify your VAT type on Intervat. Follow our step-by-step guide here: How to verify your VAT type when setting up your account on Accountable |
Wrong obligations shown in the app: As "Exempt", Accountable does not expect you to submit a yearly client listing. But as a Franchisee, you are required to submit one, so you may miss this obligation.
Incorrect invoice mentions: The legal text shown on your invoices differs per VAT type. With the wrong type, your invoices may reference the Article 44 exemption instead of the Franchise scheme that actually applies to you.
Correcting your VAT type promptly keeps your account accurate and your invoices compliant.
Before taking any other action, cancel all invoices created under the wrong VAT type by issuing credit notes. These credit notes must be linked to the current quarter.
Create credit notes for both revenue and expense invoices.
Make sure the credit notes mirror the original invoices (without VAT, exactly as they were booked).
⚠️ Important: make sure your VAT type is still set to "Exempt" when creating the credit notes. Do not change your VAT type yet. Only switch to "Franchisee" after all credit notes have been correctly created. If you change it too early, the credit notes will be booked under the wrong VAT type and the correction will not be valid.
Revenue | Expenses |
✅ If created in Accountable, generate a credit note from the invoice and link it to the current quarter | ✅ Create credit notes using the same purchase invoices and link them to the current quarter |
💡 Not sure how to create a credit note? These step-by-step guides show you exactly how:
For revenue invoices: How to refund a client or cancel an invoice with a credit note
For expense invoices: How to create a credit note for a previous purchase as a franchisee or exempt business
To be able to change your VAT type, upgrade your plan from Bookkeeping (GROW) to Taxes or Max.
Go to Intervat to double-check your VAT type.
In your Accountable account, go to Account > Settings > Taxes.
Change your VAT type from "Exempt" to "Franchisee".
Don't forget to click Save.
⚠️ Once updated, new invoices will automatically use the correct VAT type. However, any invoices created under the wrong VAT type must be adjusted manually.
Since both types are without VAT, there is no VAT to refund. You only need to make sure your past entries carry the correct VAT type.
💡 Reminder: as a Franchisee, your invoices must show the Franchise scheme mention (the special VAT exemption scheme for small businesses), not the Article 44 exemption one, so re-issuing them with the correct VAT type keeps them compliant.
Go to Expenses in the app.
Select each invoice booked under the wrong VAT type.
Open Advanced Settings, change the VAT type, and save.
Go to Revenue > Tickets.
Select the incorrect entry.
Open Advanced Settings, update the VAT type, and save.
Go to Revenue and select the incorrect invoice.
Click Edit.
Update your business info and VAT type.
Delete and re-enter the items with the correct VAT type.
Save the invoice, and resend it to your client if needed.
Step | Revenue | Expenses |
1. Credit note | ✅ Generate credit notes from the invoices, link to the current quarter | ✅ Create credit notes using the same purchase invoices, link to the current quarter |
2. Upgrade subscription | 🔁 Upgrade from Bookkeeping (GROW) to Taxes or Max | 🔁 Same as for revenue |
3. Change VAT type | ⚙️ Go to Account > Settings > Taxes, change from "Exempt" to "Franchisee", click Save | ⚙️ Same as for revenue |
4. Adjust past invoices | ✏️ Invoices: edit from the invoice, update VAT type, re-enter items, save. Make sure the correct legal mention (Franchise scheme) shows. Tickets: update via Advanced Settings | ✏️ Open each affected invoice, change the VAT type via Advanced Settings, save |
📧 Still have questions? Reach out to us, we're happy to help! 💜
Author - Valesca Wilms
As content marketing lead at Accountable Belgium, Valesca writes about freelancing, self-employment, and taxes based on her own experience as a freelancer.
Who is Valesca ?Thank you for your feedback!
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