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Practical manual for Income Tax 2023.

Accounting and registration obligations of taxpayers who carry out economic activities

Note: At the end of this section, access is provided to a summary table of the accounting and registration obligations discussed below.

In general

Regulations: Articles 104.2 Law IRPF and 68 Regulation IRPF

In the area of IRPF the accounting and registration obligations of the owners of economic activities are structured according to the following detail:

A. Entrepreneurs who carry out commercial activities in normal direct estimation :

  • Accounting adjusted to the provisions of the Commercial Code and the General Accounting Plan.

    Precision: In accordance with the provisions of the Commercial Code and the General Accounting Plan, the latter approved by Royal Decree 1514/2007, of November 16 ( BOE of November 20), the specific books that must be kept are the following: Inventory Book and Annual Accounts, which will be opened with the initial balance sheet and in which the trial balances with sums and balances must be recorded, at least quarterly, as well as the closing inventory of the year and the annual accounts, and Daily Book, which must record, day by day, all operations related to the company's activity. Royal Decree 1515/2007, of November 16 ( BOE of November 21) approves, as a complementary rule of the General Accounting Plan, the General Accounting Plan for SMEs and the specific accounting criteria for micro-enterprises.

B. Entrepreneurs who carry out non-commercial activities under normal direct estimation and all entrepreneurs under simplified direct estimation :

  • Sales and income record book.

  • Book record of purchases and expenses.

  • Capital goods record book.

C. Professionals in direct estimation, in any of its modalities :

  • Income record book.

  • Expense record book.

  • Capital goods record book.

  • Record book of provisions of funds and supplies.

D. Businessmen and professionals in objective estimation.

  • Investment asset registration book (only for taxpayers who deduct amortization).

  • Sales and income record book (only for holders of activities whose net income is determined based on the volume of operations, i.e. holders of agricultural, livestock, accessory forestry activities and natural product processing activities).

    In any case, the holders must keep, numbered in date order and grouped by quarter, the invoices issued in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation governing billing obligations, approved by Royal Decree 1619/2012, of November 30 ( BOE of December 1), and the invoices or other types of documentary evidence received, as well as the supporting documents for the signs, indexes or modules applied.

Entities under the income attribution regime that carry out economic activities must keep a single mandatory books corresponding to the activity carried out, without prejudice to the attribution of income that must be carried out in relation to their partners, heirs, commoners or participants.

Note: Except for taxpayers who carry out commercial business activities whose performance is determined using the normal direct estimation method, the rest of personal income tax taxpayers who carry out economic activities are required to keep the record books determined in each case by personal income tax regulations, even when they keep accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Commercial Code.

  1. Summary table: Accounting and Registration Obligations