Portugal SAF-T (PT) update

Nov 2023: 1-year delay on the SAF-T Accounting to 2025

Portugal has delay for 1-year the implementation of annual SAF-T Accounting reporting. The new first period of reporting will be 2025 (instead of 2024). The first report will be due early 2026.

The SAF-T accounting systems must record the information to generate the electronic accounting file in SAFT-PT format. This on-demand declaration must include the lists of articles, clients and suppliers, VAT regimes, accounting movements and accounting plan. This will be used for completion of the annual IES reporting statement from 2026. The Accounting SAF-T is due to become mandatory annually from 2025, with the first report due in 2026 for resident businesses.

Portugal Standard Audit File for Tax 2009

Portugal was the first country to implement the OECD’s Standard Audit File for Tax in 2009. It is known as SAF-T (PT) locally, and all income taxpayers are required to comply – meaning resident. SAF-T is standardised format for the reporting of VAT transactions – see below.

Check which other countries have implemented SAF-T.

3 SAF-T (PT) reports for resident businesses

SAF-T (PT) includes monthly XML submissions, reconciled to the VAT return. There is also an annual reporting summary requirement. Data must be prepared on Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT) approved software, and submitted by the 20^th of the month after the reporting period. At present, there are three Portuguese ledgers:

1. Accounting – As per above, due to come into force 1 January 2025, with initial reporting not due until January 2026.
2. Billing reporting – The electronic VAT return in SAFT-PT format must be submitted before the 5th (previously 12th) of each month. The authorities require that the files be generated sequentially and go through an encryption process in which the electronic signature of the previous invoice is implemented as a control system for the file creation process. From 2023 foreign Portugal SAF-T requirements include SAF-T billing
3. Transport documents – Data in real time to the Tax and Customs Authority of Portugal. The solution automatically receives the code and integrates it into the transport document. This code allows the movement of goods.

OECD Standard Audit File for Tax ledger reporting

Since May 2005, SAF-T is recommended in the following five formats (per v2, 2010):

1. General Ledger: journals
2. Accounts Receivable: customer master files; invoices; payments
3. Accounts Payable: supplier master file; invoices; payments
4. Fixed Assets: asset master files; depreciation and revaluation
5. Inventory: product master files; movements

If you need to complete SAF-T submissions, our VAT Filer can accurately populate any country submission with verified VAT or GST data from our VAT Calculator or VAT Auditor services.

Standard Audit File for Tax SAF-T countries