Purchasing a new car for your business requires careful accounting to ensure it’s properly recorded, especially for tax reporting. With Accountable, the process is simple and efficient. This guide walks you through the steps to correctly encode a car purchase.
There are different ways to encode a vehicle, depending on how it was acquired: full purchase, financial lease, or rental. Each option has its own conditions and method of encoding in Accountable.
In this article, we focus on how to encode the full purchase of a car.
Not sure which situation applies to you? Feel free to reach out to our tax team with your documents, we’ll help you determine the correct approach.
Want to understand the differences between leasing, renting, and buying? Read our full comparison here: Leasing, renting or buying a car: which is the best option?
Purchasing a new car and encoding it in Accountable depends on the professional usage of the vehicle. For example, if you purchase a car and use it 80% for private purposes and 20% for professional activity, then you can only declare 20% of the expense as professional.
This means you'll only be able to deduct 20% of the VAT, and the same percentage applies to the income tax deduction.Be aware to not mix it with aAn utility car is only 100% for self activity purposes and is usually like a van that doesn't contain back seats such as the one from this picture
⚠️ Don’t confuse a regular car with an utility vehicle. A regular car is typically used for both personal and business purposes, which limits how much of the cost and VAT can be deducted.
See picture ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Step 1: First, add the vehicle in Accountable. This allows the app to calculate the deductibility based on the data you provide.
Step 2: Upload the purchase invoice for the vehicle.
Step 3: Fill in the required details by selecting the correct category, entering the supplier name, date, VAT, and indicating the percentage of professional usage.
Step 4: Choose the vehicle you’ve already added in Accountable to link it to this invoice.
Step 5: Set up amortisation. If it’s a new car, select 5 years. If it’s second-hand, choose 3 to 4 years depending on the mileage.
Step 6: Click "Save".
Purchasing and encoding a utility vehicle in Accountable is more straightforward than a regular car because these vehicles are typically considered 100% professional. If the vehicle is used exclusively for your self-employed activity, you can declare the full cost as business-related.
Utility vehicles are usually vans or commercial vehicles without rear seats. They are designed to transport tools, materials, or goods and not passengers. In this case, both VAT and income tax deductions apply at 100%, as long as the vehicle is not used privately.
⚠️ Be careful not to confuse a utility vehicle with a standard car. Even if a regular car is used for work, personal use reduces its deductibility. Only vehicles designed purely for professional use, like those shown in the example below, qualify as utility vehicles.
See picture ⬇️⬇️⬇️
⚠️ Note: For a utility vehicle, you don’t need to enter the vehicle in Accountable.
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!
Useful
As a self-employed individual with a sole proprietorship, your income is taxed under the personal in...
Read moreStarting from 2026, all self-employed individuals will need to send their invoices electronically in...
Read moreThe VAT reverse charge is a complicated word for a simple concept. It helps you purchase and sell sm...
Read moreThey always answer right away to any question I have, they provide clear answers, and they are very patient even when I struggle to understand. They try to explain in different ways. They are very helpful, responsive and friendly.
Chiara Marradi
01/05/2026
Everything was great! All my questions were answered quickly and in a friendly manner.
Wenzeslawa Wegener
04/05/2026
In the world where everyone seems to be out to get small entrepreneurs and overwhelm them with new rules, more taxes and reporting obligations, Accountable often feels like the one steady partner that actually wants you to succeed, providing quick, clear and personalised support. Thank you!
Janina Arsenjeva
10/04/2026
This is an amazing application with great support on issues. In short as in day I am addicted to it (in a positive way). I myself is from IT project management and the way they have captured the user requirement, it’s phenomenal.
Sumit Tewary
01/12/2024
UI is great. Feature packed and very easy to use. The team at Accountable were VERY quick to respond and their team of technicians soon had a fix in place. Very happy with the level of service so far. Thumbs up from me!
Dean Osborne
14/06/2023
This program is a lifesaver, and it is always improving. Plus, it has an AI chat feature that is actually useful.
Jeffrey Humble
14/01/2026
The coaching session on tax management was excellent, good material, excellent explanations and very insightful. Combined with the AI I never feel alone with Accountable.
Sergio Barbarino
23/04/2026
The availability of your team to help and guide people to understand their finances better is what really makes Accountable valuable. While the AI is able to give answers to most basic questions, specific scenarios need counsel from a human which your team performs beautifully.
Sofiya Bogdan Neves
18/04/2026
Fast and careful answers from Alina. Top service. Thank you.
Anonymous
15/04/2023
They always answer for questions wherever is via direct e-mail or through app. If they can’t answer fully they will forward you to the right place. Documents were always prepared well and ready to send further to government. Everything is intuitive in the app and easy to sort out even for someone completely green in this field.
Anonymous
22/03/2026
