{"id":18589,"date":"2025-05-05T15:48:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T13:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/?p=18589"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:49:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T13:49:11","slug":"legal-retention-period-invoices-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/legal-retention-period-invoices-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"The legal retention period for invoices in Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Are you self-employed in Belgium? Then you\u2019ve probably asked yourself how long you need to keep your invoices. It\u2019s a question our tax coaches hear often.&nbsp;The retention period for invoices is an essential part of managing your business, but the rules aren&#8217;t always clear. Let&#8217;s take a look together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long do you need to keep invoices when you\u2019re self-employed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In Belgium, you need to keep your invoices and accounting documents for 10 years.&nbsp;<\/strong>Until a few years ago, the retention period was 7 years, but this has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In concrete terms, this means that invoices issued in January 2025 must be kept until December 31, 2035, and you can put them through the shredder as of 1 January&nbsp;2036.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u26a0\ufe0f&nbsp;<strong>Note that there are a few exceptions to this rule:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Investments:<\/strong>&nbsp;Invoices for purchases that you depreciate over several years must be kept for up to 7 years after the last depreciation. For example, you purchased a new mobile phone in 2023, and the last depreciation was in 2025. You therefore need to keep this invoice until 31 December 2032.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Real estate:<\/strong>&nbsp;According to the Belgian VAT Code, documents relating to buildings or land must be kept for 15 years. Since real estate is often depreciated over a long period of time, you\u2019ll need to keep these documents in your records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Failure to comply with these time periods may result in fines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do I have to keep invoices for 10 years?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be wondering why the retention period for invoices is so long. Here are the main reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tax audits:<\/strong>&nbsp;The tax authorities can go back 3 or even 7 years in their audits. If documents are missing, you risk a fine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Burden of proof<\/strong>: Invoices prove your income and expenses in your tax return and VAT return.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Financial monitoring:<\/strong>&nbsp;Thorough and correct administrative management gives an accurate overview of your financial situation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Legal protection:<\/strong>&nbsp;Invoices serve as proof in the event of a dispute with your clients or suppliers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Digital or paper: in what format should you keep your invoices?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can keep your invoices in digital or paper format. As a general rule, you should keep administrative documents in the format in which you received them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tax authorities accept digital copies provided they are legible and complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benefits of keeping invoices in digital format:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Saves space<\/strong>: no need for overflowing filing cabinets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Easier to search<\/strong>: find what you\u2019re looking for in seconds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Better protected<\/strong>: less risk of loss in the event of fire or water damage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More accessible<\/strong>: easy and instant access to your admin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Better for the planet<\/strong>: less paper waste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udca1&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/e-invoicing\/\"><strong>E-invoicing<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;will&nbsp;become mandatory as of 2026. Download Accountable to comply with e-invoicing guidelines, store all your invoices digitally, and have instant access to all your admin at any time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to do in the event of a tax audit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine you find out you\u2019re being audited by the tax authorities and need to show your invoices from a few years ago. What do you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve kept everything carefully, there&#8217;s no reason to panic.&nbsp;<strong>With Accountable, you can find and export all the necessary documents in just a few clicks. The perfect way to stay calm in case of an audit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udca1Many freelancers make&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/blog\/9-common-invoicing-mistakes-and-how-to-fix-them\/\">errors when preparing their invoices<\/a>. And this can cause problems in the event of an audit. Invoicing software like Accountable helps you avoid these kinds of mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re self-employed in Belgium, you\u2019re required by law to keep your invoices for 10 years. Establishing a good system and using digital tools like Accountable can make this obligation a piece of cake!<br><strong>Are you tired of stressing about keeping track of your invoices and other administrative obligations?&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accountable.eu\/en-be\/\"><strong>Try Accountable for free and discover how easy accounting can be<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you self-employed in Belgium? Then you\u2019ve probably asked yourself how long you need to keep your invoices. It\u2019s a question our tax coaches hear often.&nbsp;The retention period for invoices is an essential part of managing your business, but the rules aren&#8217;t always clear. Let&#8217;s take a look together. How long do you need to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[269],"tags":[248,254],"class_list":["post-18589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-important-things-to-know","tag-bookkeeping","tag-invoice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The legal retention period for invoices in Belgium - Accountable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As a self-employed person in Belgium, you need to keep all your accounting records for 10 years. 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