The Vietnam Tax Policy Updates for February 2026 have been officially released, marking a significant shift in the regulatory framework for VAT, CIT, FCT, and tax administration procedures. For FDI enterprises operating in Vietnam, staying closely aligned with these Vietnam Tax Policy Updates is the key to maintaining compliance, optimizing cash flow, and preparing for future tax audits.

1. Value Added Tax Updates

Advertising Revenue from YouTube Subject to 10% VAT Rate

According to Official Letter No. 1068/CT-CS issued on February 12, 2026, the information in the Vietnam Tax Policy Updates clarifies the VAT obligations for digital content creators:

• Period before July 1, 2025: In cases where a company receives revenue sharing (typically 55%) from Google (YouTube) through video uploads, this total income is identified as revenue from advertising activities. Accordingly, the enterprise is mandatory to declare and pay VAT at a rate of 10%.

• Period from July 1, 2025 onwards: VAT policies will be strictly applied according to the Law on Value Added Tax No. 48/2024/QH15. Businesses should pay special attention to invoice and document conditions to correctly apply these new regulations.

2. Corporate Income Tax & Foreign Contractor Tax

Reforming Documentation Procedures for International Transactions

This month’s Vietnam Tax Policy Updates record significant efforts in reducing administrative procedures related to CIT and FCT:

• FCT Compliance: An important change is the abolition of the requirement to submit copies of business licenses or practice certificates of foreign contractors to the tax authorities. Instead, taxpayers only need to store these documents at the enterprise’s headquarters for tax administration inspection purposes upon request.

• CIT Finalization: The tax administration authority has issued new general declaration forms for CIT and host country profits, helping to simplify calculations for petroleum activities (including forms 03-1A, 03-1B, 03-1C/TNDN).

• Collateral Assets: Quarterly tax declaration dossiers for credit institutions declaring on behalf of taxpayers with collateral have also been officially abolished, helping to reduce the periodic reporting burden.

3. Personal Income Tax Updates

Significant Simplification of Family Circumstance Deduction Dossiers

A prominent highlight in the Vietnam Tax Policy Updates this time is the reduction of unnecessary paperwork for PIT from salaries and real estate transfers:

• PIT from Salaries & Wages: Employees and businesses no longer have to submit copies of tax deduction documents if the paying organization has sent full electronic data to the tax administration system.

• Dependent Registration: Separate dependent registration forms (Form 07/DK-NPT-TNCN, 07/THDK-NPT-TNCN) are officially abolished. Instead, this information will be integrated directly into the individual’s first-time tax registration process.

• Real Estate Transfer: Dossiers are simplified to the maximum by removing the requirement to submit copies of identity cards (CCCD) and notarized transfer contracts. Taxpayers only need to provide simple photocopies instead of originals or certified copies as before.

4. Land Use Tax & Petroleum Activities

New Forms to Improve Management Efficiency

To improve efficiency in tax administration, the Vietnam Tax Policy Updates have introduced updated forms:

• Non-agricultural Land Use Tax: A new declaration form has been issued, allowing taxpayers to directly register for tax exemption or reduction on the declaration without having to prepare a separate dossier as previously required.

• Petroleum Sector: Natural resource tax, CIT, and host country profits have now been consolidated into general declaration forms for both provisional calculation and year-end finalization, creating data synchronization.

5. Tax Administration: Penalty Framework under Decree 310

Effectively starting from January 16, 2026, Vietnam Tax Policy Updates emphasize the amendments in Decree No. 310/2025/ND-CP. This decree changes the face of tax administration activities through:

• Invoice Penalties: Adjusting the fine bracket for acts of issuing invoices at the wrong time or failing to issue invoices according to regulations.

• Aggravating Circumstances: Clearly defining “large-scale” violations based on the number of violating invoices or the total amount of tax evaded (including VAT, CIT, etc.).

• Right to Accountability: Updating new procedures allowing taxpayers to exercise their right to accountability before official administrative sanction decisions are issued.

6. Transitional Provisions for 2026

Understanding the transition period is the most critical part of the Vietnam Tax Policy Updates to avoid systematic errors:

• For the 2025 Tax Period: Businesses continue to perform declaration and finalization according to the old forms prescribed in Decree 126/2020/ND-CP and Circular 80/2021/TT-BTC.

• For Tax Periods from 2026 onwards: All new forms mentioned in this Vietnam Tax Policy Updates newsletter regarding VAT, CIT, and FCT will officially become mandatory.

Conclusion

The updates in the Vietnam Tax Policy Updates for February 2026 show a clear trend: Simplifying administrative procedures while tightening tax discipline through digitalization. Proactively adjusting to these new regulations is a vital factor for every business.

At Vina TPT, we specialize in handling complex situations related to VAT, CIT, and FCT. Our team of experts is always ready to ensure that your tax administration processes are fully compliant with the latest changes from the Vietnam Tax Policy Updates.

Contact Vina TPT today for professional tax advice!

In practice, the amount of VAT tax refund that a business may receive is often significant, especially when the deductible input VAT eligible for refund reaches VND 300 million or more. For this reason, tax refund procedures are always a matter of concern for domestic enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises (FDIs), and accounting departments.

The article below summarizes the cases eligible for VAT tax refund under the Law on Value Added Tax 2024, while clarifying the applicable conditions and important notes that businesses should understand when carrying out refund procedures.

1. What is a VAT tax refund?

A VAT tax refund is the return by the tax authority of VAT amounts that an enterprise or individual has paid or is entitled to deduct, provided that the legal conditions are satisfied. This typically applies when input VAT exceeds output VAT or when special tax incentive policies are available.

Carrying out a VAT tax refund helps reduce financial pressure on businesses, improve working capital, and encourage investment, exports, and other incentivized economic activities. It also helps ensure fairness in tax collection and avoids situations of overpayment.

Example: Company H exports fashion products (T-shirts) and is not required to pay output VAT because the applicable VAT rate is 0%. During the period, the company incurred VND 70 million in input VAT for raw materials. Under the regulations, Company H may receive a VAT tax refund of VND 70 million from the tax authority to offset the tax already paid.

2. Cases eligible for VAT tax refund

Under Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024 and the related guiding documents, businesses and organizations may be entitled to a VAT tax refund in certain situations.

Below are 9 common cases eligible for VAT tax refund under the current regulations.

Case 1: VAT tax refund for exported goods and services

Pursuant to Clause 1, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024 and Article 29 of Decree 181/2025/ND-CP, businesses engaged in export activities may be entitled to a VAT tax refund in the following cases:If a business has both exported goods and domestic sales, it must separately account for the input VAT relating to export activities.

If separate accounting is not possible, the input VAT for exported goods is determined based on the ratio of export revenue to total taxable revenue.

After offsetting against the VAT payable for domestic sales, if the remaining input VAT is VND 300 million or more, the business may be granted a VAT tax refund. However, the refund amount must not exceed 10% of export revenue.

Some export-related cases eligible for refund include:

Note: A VAT tax refund is not available for imported goods that are subsequently exported to another country without processing or manufacturing in Vietnam.

Case 2: VAT tax refund for investment projects

Under Clause 2, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024 and Article 30 of Decree 181/2025/ND-CP, a business with an investment project may receive a VAT tax refund if the following conditions are met:

If the investment project has been completed but the business did not apply for refund during the investment phase, it may still submit a VAT tax refund dossier within one year from the project completion date.

Note: A VAT tax refund is not available in the following cases:

• The enterprise has not fully contributed its charter capital as registered
• The project belongs to a conditional business sector but the required conditions have not yet been met
• The business fails to maintain the required business conditions during operation
• The project involves exploitation of natural resources or minerals (except oil and gas exploration and field development projects), or production projects using extracted minerals that have been processed into other products as prescribed by law

Case 3: VAT tax refund for goods and services subject to the 5% VAT rate

Under Clause 3, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024 and Article 31 of Decree 181/2025/ND-CP, businesses that only produce or supply goods and services subject to the 5% VAT rate may receive a VAT tax refund if:

If the business produces or supplies multiple categories of goods or services subject to different VAT rates, it must separately account for the input VAT of the activities subject to the 5% rate.

If separate accounting is not possible, the input VAT for such activities is determined based on the ratio of revenue from goods and services subject to the 5% VAT rate to total taxable revenue during the refund period.

After offsetting against VAT payable from other business activities, if the remaining input VAT is VND 300 million or more, the business may be considered for a VAT tax refund.

Case 4: VAT tax refund upon dissolution or bankruptcy

Under Clause 4, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024 and Article 32 of Decree 181/2025/ND-CP:

A business applying the deduction method, upon dissolution or bankruptcy, may be entitled to a VAT tax refund if:

• It has overpaid VAT, or
• It still has input VAT not yet fully deducted

In cases where a cooperative group is converted into a cooperative, or a branch is dissolved, the enterprise or cooperative inheriting the business may continue to deduct or request a VAT tax refund for the uncredited VAT amount in accordance with the regulations.

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Case 5: VAT tax refund for goods carried upon exit from Vietnam

Under Clause 5, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024 and Article 33 of Decree 181/2025/ND-CP:

Case 6: VAT tax refund for ODA-funded programs and projects

Under Clause 6, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024:

Case 7: VAT tax refund for subjects entitled to diplomatic privileges and immunities

Under Clause 7, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024:

Case 8: VAT tax refund under international treaties

Under Clause 8, Article 15 of the Law on Value Added Tax 2024:

Organizations or business establishments may receive a VAT tax refund if such refund is granted under a decision of the competent authority or under an international treaty to which Vietnam is a party.

Case 9: VAT tax refund under a decision of a competent authority

In addition to the cases above, a business establishment may also receive a VAT tax refund when a competent state authority issues a refund decision in accordance with the law.

3. Frequently asked questions about VAT tax refund

Question 1: How long does a VAT tax refund take?

After receiving the VAT tax refund dossier, the tax authority will classify it into two categories:

Case 1: Refund first, inspection later

Within 6 working days from the date the tax authority issues a notice of dossier acceptance, the tax authority will take one of the following actions:

• Issue a refund decision if the dossier is eligible
  
• Transfer the dossier to the “inspection before refund” category if inspection is required
  
• Issue a notice of non-refund if the dossier does not meet the conditions

If the tax authority finds that the dossier contains unclear information or discrepancies compared with its data, it may request the taxpayer to provide explanations or supplement the dossier.

Note: The time taken by the taxpayer to provide explanations or supplement the dossier is not included in the refund processing time.

Case 2: Inspection first, refund later

For dossiers subject to prior inspection, the tax authority will carry out an inspection or audit at the taxpayer’s premises to determine the refundable VAT amount.

The processing time in this case must not exceed 40 days from the date the tax authority issues the notice of dossier acceptance.

After the inspection is completed, the tax authority will issue either a refund decision or a notice of non-refund if the dossier is not eligible.

Question 2: After receiving the refund decision, how long does it take to receive the money?

After issuing the refund decision, the tax authority will transfer the refund amount to the taxpayer within 3 working days if the refund is made via bank account.

In some cases where further verification is required, the payment period may be extended but must not exceed 6 working days from the date of the refund decision.

Question 3: What is the difference between VAT tax refund and VAT deduction?

A VAT tax refund means the tax authority returns the remaining input VAT not yet fully deducted to the business in certain cases prescribed by law, such as export activities, investment projects, or subjects enjoying special incentives.

By contrast, VAT deduction means the business offsets input VAT against output VAT payable. If, after offsetting, some input VAT remains unused, that amount is carried forward to the next tax declaration period for continued deduction.

This is also a common issue businesses look into when they want to understand how to get VAT refund in Vietnam in each specific situation.

Question 4: What is the minimum amount required to be eligible for VAT tax refund?

Under the current regulations, a business is only considered for a VAT tax refund if the input VAT not yet deducted is VND 300 million or more.

If the remaining undeducted input VAT is below VND 300 million, the business will not receive a refund and must continue carrying it forward to the next declaration period for deduction.

Although the rules on VAT tax refund are clearly provided in the law, in practice the process of preparing the dossier and working with the tax authority is often quite complicated, especially for businesses with limited experience in handling refund dossiers.

Even a minor error in the dossier, invoice, or supporting document may cause the tax authority to request additional documents or prolong the processing time. For this reason, many businesses choose to cooperate with a professional tax consulting firm to ensure that the dossier is properly prepared and the refund process is optimized.

4. VAT tax refund service process at Vina TPT

Typically, the VAT tax refund support process is implemented through the following steps:

Step 1: Consultation and refund eligibility assessment
Vina TPT discusses with the enterprise to understand its tax status, business model, and the specific refund case. Based on this information, our specialists will evaluate the eligibility for a VAT tax refund and propose an appropriate implementation approach.

Step 2: Review and preparation of the refund dossier
Vina TPT’s specialists assist the enterprise in reviewing invoices, supporting documents, tax declarations, and other relevant materials to ensure the dossier is complete and compliant before submission to the tax authority.

Step 3: Submission of the dossier and working with the tax authority
The dossier is submitted to the tax authority (directly, by post, or electronically). Vina TPT supports communication and explanations if additional information is required.

Step 4: Monitoring and receiving the refund amount
After the dossier is approved, the tax authority issues the refund decision and transfers the refund amount to the enterprise’s bank account. 

The processing time for a VAT tax refund dossier is typically:

• Approximately 6 working days for cases of refund first – inspection later.
• Up to 40 working days for cases of inspection first – refund later.

If your business needs detailed advice on VAT tax refund conditions or support in preparing a refund dossier, the specialists at Vina TPT are ready to assist so that your business can complete the procedure quickly and in compliance with the regulations.

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Managing in-house financial records often drains vital time and capital that should be spent on business expansion. Instead of struggling with complex tax compliance and reporting, savvy businesses are turning to outsourced bookkeeping to reduce overhead costs and guarantee professional accuracy. 

This article explores how outsourced bookkeeping services as a strategic growth engine, highlighting the specific challenges it solves, the seamless workflow provided by Vina TPT, and the ideal timing to transition for maximum operational freedom.

1. What is Outsourced Bookkeeping?

Outsourced bookkeeping means delegating your daily financial tasks: transaction recording, bank reconciliations, invoice management, financial statements, VAT/CIT reporting, and compliance to a professional external team. Unlike hiring a full-time accountant (with high salary, benefits, and training needs), you pay a fixed monthly fee for expert, scalable support.

This model is perfect for SMEs and foreign-invested companies in Vietnam that want to avoid local accounting complexities while staying compliant with VAS, IFRS, and tax regulations.

Learn more about Vietnamese accounting standards (VAS)

2. Key Challenges of In-House Bookkeeping That Slow Growth

In-house bookkeeping often creates hidden barriers:

• High salary costs for qualified accountants (VND 15 – 30 million/month + insurance and bonuses).
• Constant training to keep up with frequent law changes (VAT adjustments, e-invoice mandates, CIT updates in 2026).
• Risk of penalties from errors in reporting or late filings (fines can reach tens of millions VND).
• Management time wasted on admin instead of sales, product development, or market expansion.
• Difficulty scaling during rapid growth or seasonal peaks without adding headcount.

These issues can consume 20–30% of operational budget and delay business momentum.

3. How Outsourced Bookkeeping Accelerates Business Growth

Partnering with Vina TPT for outsourced bookkeeping drives faster growth by:

• Offering predictable low costs, typically 30% cheaper than in-house, freeing capital for marketing, hiring, or R&D.
• Ensuring expert compliance, our team is always updated on 2026 regulations, eliminating penalty risks and audit stress.
• Providing scalable support, handle increased transactions or headcount seamlessly without hiring extra staff.
• Delivering faster, accurate reporting and real-time financial insights for better strategic decisions.
• Allowing focus on core business, leaders concentrate on sales, innovation, and expansion instead of paperwork.

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4. How Vina TPT’s Outsourced Bookkeeping Service Works

Vina TPT’s service is designed to be simple, secure, and efficient for foreign and local businesses.

Process overview:

1. Free consultation & needs assessment: We discuss your business size, transaction volume, current setup, and goals.
2. Secure data handover: Transfer existing records (bank statements, invoices, contracts) via encrypted portal.
3. Daily/weekly bookkeeping: Our certified accountants record transactions, reconcile accounts, manage payables/receivables, and prepare trial balances.
4. Monthly compliance & reporting: Deliver accurate financial statements, VAT/CIT returns, e-invoice filings, and tax declarations on time.
5. Ongoing advisory & support: Unlimited queries, year-end audit preparation, and strategic financial guidance.

All work is 100% compliant with Vietnamese laws, using secure cloud tools. Pricing is transparent and flexible, starting from VND 3 million/month based on volume (no hidden fees).

5. When to Choose Outsourced Bookkeeping

This serivce is the strategic choice for newly established startups, SMEs with 1 to 50 employees, and high-growth firms looking to scale without administrative friction. It is particularly essential for businesses navigating complex compliance requirements, such as VAT, CIT, and e-invoicing allowing leadership to mitigate regulatory risks while focusing entirely on expansion. By transitioning to this service, companies can ensure professional financial management while maintaining the agility needed to thrive in a competitive market.

6. Conclusion

Outsourced bookkeeping eliminates major growth barriers: high costs, compliance headaches, and time lost on admin. With Vina TPT, you get reliable, expert support at a fraction of the cost—freeing your team to focus on what drives success: expansion and innovation.

Ready to accelerate your growth? Contact Vina TPT today for a free consultation and personalized cost-saving assessment. Let our experts handle your bookkeeping so you can build your future in Vietnam.

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