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Overview

Once filings have been approved by the client, they are required to be filed on the tax portal. There are a number of tax portals which are used for filing and various manners to file. The filing moves through the state flow to reach the sent_for_filing status before submission.

Filing Methods​

Filings can be filed using the following methods:

  • API
  • XMLs
  • Manual capture on portal

API Submission for Germany (ELSTER) and HMRC​

Abacus supports electronic submission of tax filings to various tax authorities, including Germany's ELSTER system and the UK's HMRC.

  • HMRC Submission:

    • Authorization: Before submitting to HMRC, Abacus must be authorized to act on behalf of the business. This involves a secure, multi-step process:
      1. The user initiates authorization from Abacus.
      2. They are redirected to the HMRC website to log in and grant permission.
      3. HMRC redirects the user back to Abacus. Abacus is then authorised to submit filings until the token expires.
    • Submission Process: When a filing is ready for submission, Abacus sends the filing data to HMRC's API. This request includes various mandatory HMRC-specific headers for security and audit purposes .
    • Error Handling: Abacus handles responses from HMRC, including success confirmations and error messages, which are then presented to the user.

  • ELSTER (Germany) Submission:

    • Authorization: Unlike HMRC's interactive flow, ELSTER authorization is typically handled through pre-configured certificates or a separate, less interactive process. Abacus uses these pre-established credentials to authenticate with the ELSTER system.
    • Submission Process: When a filing is submitted to ELSTER, Abacus prepares the data and sends it to the ELSTER API.
    • Permissions: Submitting to ELSTER often requires specific user permissions. Only authorized users can perform this action.
    • Response Handling: Abacus processes the response from ELSTER, indicating success or any errors encountered during submission.

XML Generation (Countries and Filing Types)​

Abacus generates tax returns in XML format for electronic submission to tax authorities in several countries. This ensures compliance with the digital reporting requirements of these jurisdictions.

The system determines which XML to generate based on the Filing Type and the Taxable Jurisdiction of the filing.

XML returns are generated for the following countries and filing types (based on general knowledge and typical requirements):

  • Belgium (BE): VAT (VAT Return)
  • Czech Republic (CZ): VAT (VAT Return), CTS (Control Statement Submission), ECSL (EC Sales List)
  • Italy (IT): VAT (VAT Return)
  • Netherlands (NL): VAT (VAT Return)
  • Poland (PL): VAT (VAT Return), SVAT (Simplified VAT Return), ECSPL (EC Purchase List)
  • Slovakia (SK): VAT (VAT Return), ECSL (EC Sales List), CTS (Control Statement Submission)