{"id":37751,"date":"2026-10-31T02:34:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T01:34:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/help-center\/do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T02:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T01:34:45","slug":"do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2","status":"publish","type":"help_center","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Do all expenses count for my VAT?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Not all expenses count for your VAT return. Only expenses that meet three specific conditions allow you to recover VAT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Please note that this article provides general guidance only. Tax rules may vary depending on your individual situation. When in doubt, ask your Tax Coach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">This article explains each of the three conditions you need to meet to recover VAT on a professional expense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"1-only-purchase-invoices-with-your-own-vat-number-impact-your-vat\">1\/ Does the expense have a purchase invoice with your VAT number?<\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">You can only recover VAT from purchase invoices, not receipts. Those invoices must have your own VAT number printed on them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">For these expenses, make sure the <b>Invoice<\/b> tick box is checked in the <b>Add\/Edit Expense<\/b> screen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<div class=\"intercom-container intercom-align-left\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/downloads.intercomcdn.com\/i\/o\/194726531\/a162106f29d6ecd0b45cdc1e\/Create+Expense+2+Update.png?expires=1793469600&amp;signature=797834f61d6b339c0d0962796df50f4434015f37d94b3df6e248d3f550d6d3b5&amp;req=dSkjEct4mIJeFb4V1XW4gd0BYtrbVlqpwUoJijjdGYxvWMeEAnn86ZU4Ds%2BP%0ACnCqQMJdVEd834XzMxpG1iTkmw%3D%3D%0A\" width=\"1495\" height=\"1090\" style=\"height: auto\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"2-only-expenses-with-document-attached-count-attach-a-proof-always\">2\/ Is a proof document attached to the expense?<\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Accountable only counts expenses that have a proof document attached. This is also a best practice in case of a tax audit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"3-bear-in-mind-that-specific-accounting-categories-do-not-allow-you-to-recover-vat\">3\/ Does the expense category allow VAT recovery?<\/h1>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Certain accounting categories, such as restaurant costs or insurance, are not VAT-deductible. This is set by the tax code, not by Accountable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">\u200b<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"font-degular\" id=\"key-takeaways-en\">Key takeaways<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Only <b>purchase invoices<\/b> (not receipts) with your VAT number printed on them allow you to recover VAT.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Always <b>attach a proof document<\/b> to every expense, especially for a potential tax audit.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Some categories, such as <b>restaurants<\/b> and <b>insurance<\/b>, are not VAT-deductible by law.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"font-inter\">\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">In Accountable, check the <b>Invoice<\/b> tick box in the <b>Add\/Edit Expense<\/b> screen for expenses that qualify.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"no-margin font-inter\">Need help? Chat with us or email support@accountable.eu, we&#8217;re happy to help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can I always deduct VAT on my professional expenses?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","help_label":[565,571],"class_list":["post-37751","help_center","type-help_center","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Do all expenses count for my VAT? - Accountable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do all expenses count for my VAT? - Accountable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can I always deduct VAT on my professional expenses?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/help-center\/do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Accountable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/downloads.intercomcdn.com\/i\/o\/194726531\/a162106f29d6ecd0b45cdc1e\/Create+Expense+2+Update.png?expires=1793469600&amp;signature=797834f61d6b339c0d0962796df50f4434015f37d94b3df6e248d3f550d6d3b5&amp;req=dSkjEct4mIJeFb4V1XW4gd0BYtrbVlqpwUoJijjdGYxvWMeEAnn86ZU4Ds%2BPCnCqQMJdVEd834XzMxpG1iTkmw%3D%3D\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.accountable.eu\\\/en-be\\\/help-center\\\/do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.accountable.eu\\\/en-be\\\/help-center\\\/do-all-expenses-count-for-my-vat-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Do all expenses count for my VAT? 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