This article is intended for users who invoiced copyright income in Accountable between January 1, 2026 and April 9, 2026, and who do not have an Arts Certificate. In this situation, some invoices that have already been issued may need to be corrected so that the withholding tax is calculated correctly.
🚨 Before correcting your invoices, check whether the withholding tax linked to the invoice or invoices concerned has already been paid and declared. |
If the withholding tax has already been paid and declared, the person who paid and declared it (you or your client) will need to contact the FPS Finance to find out how to regularize the situation.
If the withholding tax has not yet been paid or declared, there is no need to contact the FPS Finance at this stage.
If your client was supposed to pay and declare the withholding tax, make sure to inform them quickly that you will be sending one or more credit notes as well as one or more corrected invoices with the correct withholding tax amount.
⚠️ Correcting an invoice in Accountable does not correct a declaration or payment that has already been made (via form 273S).
ℹ️ If your invoices were created outside Accountable and then imported into the tool, the correction must still be made in Accountable. You will therefore need to create the credit note or credit notes directly in Accountable for the invoices concerned. |
Invoicing copyright with Creative Shelter ?If you use Creative Shelter to invoice your copyright income, no correction is required. Creative Shelter already takes into account whether or not you have an arts certificate when processing the invoice. 💡 You only need to indicate in your tax settings whether you have an arts certificate or not. The system will then adjust the amounts accordingly for your tax return. All the steps here. |
Situation | Who pays/declares the withholding tax? | Does the invoice need to be corrected? | What should be done in Accountable? | Is it necessary to contact the FPS Finance? |
Invoice issued in Accountable | You | No | Indicate in Settings > Taxes whether you have an Arts Certificate | Yes, only if you do not have an Arts Certificate |
Invoice issued in Accountable | The client | Yes (see the steps later in this article) | See the steps below in this article | Yes, only if you do not have an Arts Certificate |
Invoice created outside Accountable | The client or you | Depends on the situation | If a correction is needed: see the steps below in this article | Depends on the situation |
Invoicing via Creative Shelter | Creative Shelter | No | Indicate in Settings > Taxes whether you have an Arts Certificate | No action needed |
Follow the steps below to correct your invoices in Accountable.
Start by checking whether the withholding tax was:
The person concerned will need to contact the FPS Finance to find out how to correct the declaration or payment. |
ℹ️ This temporary setting allows the credit note to use the same calculation as the original invoice and cancel it correctly. |
To create a credit note from each invoice that needs to be corrected:
⚠️ If several invoices need to be corrected, you must create one credit note per invoice. |
💡 From that moment on, the system will no longer apply flat-rate deductions. |
The withholding tax will then be calculated on the gross amount invoiced for copyright income, without flat-rate deductions. ⚠️ If you corrected several invoices and created several credit notes, make sure to create the same number of corrected new invoices. |
If you are subject to VAT and have not yet submitted your VAT return for the invoices concerned, you can correct your documents before filing it.
Start by checking whether the withholding tax was:
The person concerned will need to contact the FPS Finance to find out how to correct the declaration or payment. |
ℹ️ This temporary setting allows the credit note to use the same calculation as the original invoice and cancel it correctly. |
To create a credit note from each invoice that needs to be corrected:
⚠️ If several invoices need to be corrected, you must create one credit note per invoice. |
💡 From that moment on, the system will no longer apply flat-rate deductions. |
The withholding tax will then be calculated on the gross amount invoiced for copyright income, without flat-rate deductions. ⚠️ If you corrected several invoices and created several credit notes, make sure to create the same number of corrected new invoices. |
💡 Make sure that the documents are linked to the VAT quarter you are about to submit. |
If you have already submitted your VAT return, you still need to correct your invoices in Accountable.
If you are still within the deadline to modify the relevant return, you can go to Taxes > VAT return for the relevant quarter and mark it as not submitted and not paid.
🚨 If you are no longer within the deadline to correct this VAT return, you must still create the credit notes and the corrected new invoices in Accountable. In that case, these documents must be linked to the current VAT quarter, meaning the quarter following the one in which the original invoices were created. You will therefore need to file a standard VAT return, rather than an amended VAT return. |
Start by checking whether the withholding tax was:
The person concerned will need to contact the FPS Finance to find out how to correct the declaration or payment. |
ℹ️ This temporary setting allows the credit note to use the same calculation as the original invoice and cancel it correctly. |
To create a credit note from each invoice that needs to be corrected:
⚠️ If several invoices need to be corrected, you must create one credit note per invoice. |
💡 From that moment on, the system will no longer apply flat-rate deductions. |
The withholding tax will then be calculated on the gross amount invoiced for copyright income, without flat-rate deductions. ⚠️ If you corrected several invoices and created several credit notes, make sure to create the same number of corrected new invoices. |
🚨 If you are no longer within the deadline to correct the VAT return concerned, you should not submit a corrective return. In that case, the credit notes and corrected invoices must be linked to the current VAT quarter, and you will need to submit a standard VAT return. |
If this applies to your situation, here are the steps to submit a correction to your VAT return:
🧭 Step | ✅ Via Accountable (sans XML) | 📨 Via fichier XML |
1️⃣ Connection | Log in to Accountable | Log in to Accountable |
2️⃣ Access to Declaration | Go to Taxes | Go to Taxes |
3️⃣ Unlocking | Mark as undone | Mark as undone |
4️⃣ Correction | Modify Revenues/Expenses | Modify Revenues/Expenses |
5️⃣ Download | Not necessary | Receive XML file via email |
6️⃣ Submission | Submit to SPF Finances | Upload XML file to Intervat |
7️⃣ Finalization | Direct submission via Accountable | Reference + signature on Intervat |
You can find the steps to submit a corrected VAT return here.
💡 Make sure that the documents concerned are linked to the VAT quarter you are about to submit. |
Why do I need to temporarily answer “Yes” in the tax settings?Because the credit note must use the same withholding tax calculation as the one applied to the original invoice in order to cancel it correctly. When do I need to answer “No” in the tax settings?You must answer No after creating the credit note or notes, and before creating the corrected new invoice or invoices. Why do I need to contact the FPS Finance?Because the declaration and payment of the withholding tax are not done through Accountable, but through form 273S, any correction made in Accountable does not automatically update them. The person who paid and declared the withholding tax must therefore contact the FPS Finance to find out how to regularize the situation. In which case is it not necessary to contact the FPS Finance?If the withholding tax linked to the invoice or invoices concerned has not yet been paid or declared, there is no need to contact the FPS Finance at this stage. What should I do if my client was supposed to pay and declare the withholding tax?In that case, inform your client quickly that you will be sending them one or more credit notes as well as one or more corrected new invoices with the correct withholding tax amount. |
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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