Guide
Annual financial statements: deadline, documents and filing
The regular annual financial report is filed with APR by 31 March, and the tax balance and tax return with the Tax Administration within 180 days of the year-end.
The annual financial statement, that is the regular annual financial report for the previous business year, is filed with the Business Registers Agency (APR) by 31 March of the current year, exclusively online and with a qualified electronic signature. It is filed by every legal entity and entrepreneur keeping double-entry books, and it shows your company's assets, liabilities and business result. Separately, the tax balance and tax return are filed with the Tax Administration through the ePorezi portal, and they set the final liability for corporate income tax or self-employment income tax, with a deadline of 180 days after the year-end. It is a legal obligation with different deadlines for APR and for the Tax Administration, and accurate, on-time reports protect you from penalties and give you a clear picture of how the business is doing. With us the annual statement is part of regular monthly bookkeeping, so the figures are kept in order all year, not only in March.
What you should know
- The regular annual financial report is filed with APR by 31 March of the current year for the previous business year, exclusively online with a qualified electronic signature.
- The tax balance and tax return are filed with the Tax Administration via the ePorezi portal within 180 days of the year-end, that is by 30 June for companies whose business year equals the calendar year; legal entities file the PB1 and the PDP return, while entrepreneurs with books file the PB2 and the PPDG-1S return. We track every deadline for you through the tax calendar.
- The two obligations do not overlap: filing the report with APR does not replace filing the tax balance and return with the Tax Administration, and the other way round.
- It is filed by every legal entity and entrepreneur keeping double-entry books; if the company had no activity at all and has no assets or liabilities, a statement of inactivity is filed instead of the report.
- The annual statement includes the balance sheet, income statement and statistical report; medium and large entities also submit notes to the financial statements.
- Legal entities are classified as micro, small, medium or large by average headcount, operating revenue and total assets, which determines the scope and content of the reports.
- The statement of inactivity has the same deadline as the report itself, 31 March. A company with no business events at all during the year files the statement rather than a full report, and this is the deadline dormant companies most often miss.
- When the business year is not the calendar year, the deadlines run from the date the report is drawn up: 3 months for the report and 6 months for the documentation. A consolidated annual report is due by 30 April, and extraordinary financial reports within 60 days of being drawn up.
| Obligation | Filed with | Deadline | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular annual financial report | APR (online, with qualified electronic signature) | By 31 March of the current year | Balance sheet, income statement, statistical report |
| Statement of inactivity | APR (online, with a qualified electronic signature) | By 31 March of the current year | Statement of inactivity |
| Documentation accompanying the annual report, and voluntary audit | APR (online, with a qualified electronic signature) | By 30 June of the current year | The prescribed accompanying documentation, plus the audit report where the audit is voluntary |
| Tax balance and tax return (legal entities) | Tax Administration via ePorezi portal | 180 days after year-end (by 30 June for calendar year) | PB1 and PDP return |
| Tax balance and tax return (entrepreneurs with books) | Tax Administration via ePorezi portal | 180 days after year-end (by 30 June for calendar year) | PB2 and PPDG-1S return |
How we handle it
- 01 Bookkeeping review Before drafting the statements we review and clean up all postings and reconcile customers, suppliers and account balances for the whole business year.
- 02 Closing entries We post depreciation, exchange differences, provisions and other closing entries so the business result is stated correctly.
- 03 Drafting the statements We prepare the balance sheet, income statement, statistical report and, where required, the notes to the financial statements.
- 04 Tax balance and return We compile the tax balance and prepare the tax return: for legal entities the PB1 and the PDP return, together with the corporate income tax calculation, and for entrepreneurs with books the PB2 and the PPDG-1S return.
- 05 Filing and confirmation We file the financial statement with APR by 31 March, and the tax balance and return with the Tax Administration via the ePorezi portal within 180 days of the year-end, and provide you with confirmations of successful submission.
Frequently asked questions
By when must the annual financial statement be filed with APR?
The regular annual financial report is filed with APR by 31 March of the current year for the previous business year, exclusively online with a qualified electronic signature.
Which forms do legal entities and entrepreneurs file with the Tax Administration?
Legal entities file the PB1 tax balance and the PDP return, while entrepreneurs keeping books file the PB2 and the PPDG-1S return, via the ePorezi portal within 180 days of the year-end.
What is filed if the company had no activity at all?
If the company had no activity at all and has no assets or liabilities, a statement of inactivity is filed instead of the financial report.
Do flat-rate entrepreneurs file annual financial statements?
No. A flat-rate entrepreneur does not keep double-entry books, only the KPO ledger, so there is no regular annual financial report for APR. The obligation starts once you move to full books, which is covered in the guide on switching from flat-rate to books.
How much does preparing the annual financial statement cost?
In our company packages, preparing and filing the annual report with APR is included in the yearly engagement, with no separate March invoice. Those packages start at 18,500 RSD per month, and the final price depends on the number of documents, headcount, VAT status and industry, so the clearest place to check it is our monthly bookkeeping service.
Can the report be filed on paper?
No. The regular annual financial report is filed with APR exclusively online and signed with a qualified electronic signature, while the tax balance and tax return go through the ePorezi portal.
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