{"id":31054,"date":"2026-08-21T03:30:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T01:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/help-center\/%f0%9f%87%a7%f0%9f%87%aa-closing-your-financial-year-in-accountable-the-complete-checklist\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T03:30:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T01:30:44","slug":"%f0%9f%87%a7%f0%9f%87%aa-closing-your-financial-year-in-accountable-the-complete-checklist","status":"publish","type":"help_center","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/%f0%9f%87%a7%f0%9f%87%aa-closing-your-financial-year-in-accountable-the-complete-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea Closing your financial year in Accountable: the complete checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\ud83d\udca1 Why does year-end closing matter?<\/h1>\n

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As a sole trader in Belgium, your financial year always runs from 1 January to 31 December. That date is when your tax picture gets locked in, the amount you’ll be taxed on next year is determined by what’s in your books on 31 December.<\/p>\n

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Taking a few minutes to run through this checklist before year-end can make a real difference to your tax bill. Here’s what to look at.<\/p>\n

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\u2705 1. All your professional expenses are recorded<\/h3>\n

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Go through your unprocessed expenses and add any you might have missed. Every deductible expense you don’t record increases your taxable profit, and your tax bill.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udca1 Need inspiration?<\/b><\/p>\n

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Browse the list of deductible expense categories directly in Accountable under Expenses \u2192 categories<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Or read through this blog<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2705 2. Your social security contributions are up to date<\/h3>\n

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In Accountable, open the Social contributions<\/b> module to see what you’ve already paid and whether a regularisation payment is expected.<\/p>\n

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Key point: social security contributions count in the year you pay<\/b> them, not the year they relate to. Paying a regularisation before 31 December can reduce both your taxable profit and your future contributions.<\/p>\n

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\u2139\ufe0f If you have a significant regularisation due, paying it before the year-end rather than in January can be worth it fiscally.<\/p>\n

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\u2705 3. You know how much income tax to expect<\/h3>\n

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In Reports \u2192 Overview<\/b>, you’ll find an estimate of your personal income tax for the year. If the figure is high, you can still make a prepayment before 20 December to avoid a tax surcharge.<\/p>\n

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\u2705 4. Your stock is recorded (if you sell goods)<\/h2>\n

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If you had unsold goods on 31 December, their purchase value counts as your year-end stock. You record this in Accountable under Income tax \u2192 Stock<\/b>.<\/p>\n

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Stock directly affects your gross margin and therefore your taxable income, don’t overlook this if you’re active in trade or crafts.<\/p>\n

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This article<\/a> explains in detail how to calculate your stock variation.
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\u2705 5. Your copyright invoices are handled correctly<\/h3>\n

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Copyright income is taxed in the year the invoice is paid<\/b>, not the year it was issued. If you issued a copyright invoice in 2025 that hasn’t been paid by 31 December, you can move it to 2026 in Accountable.<\/p>\n

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\u2139\ufe0f Open the unpaid invoice \u2192 Actions \u2192 Edit<\/b> \u2192 uncheck “Record this document on this date” \u2192 update the date to 2026.<\/p>\n

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\u2705 6. All your sales invoices are marked as paid or unpaid<\/h3>\n

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Review your open invoices in Accountable and make sure every payment you’ve actually received is recorded. An invoice incorrectly marked as open will skew your reports and can cause issues in your tax return.<\/p>\n

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\u2705 7. You’ve exported your important documents<\/h3>\n

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Download a copy of your data via Settings \u2192 Export my data<\/b>. Invoices, expenses, reports, keep a local copy alongside what’s stored in Accountable.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udca1 In the event of a tax audit, you’ll need to provide all your supporting documents. Accountable keeps them, but a local backup is always a good habit.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udcc6 What comes after 31 December?<\/h3>\n

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Once the year is closed, here’s what’s coming up in the first weeks of the new year:<\/p>\n

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