A business can easily file more than 40 returns a year. The aim is not only to file on time but to state the tax payable in advance: instead of a last-day surprise, you know the amount mid-month.
Filing calendar (summary)
| Return | Who files? | Deadline | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAT (No. 1) | VAT payers | 28th of the following month | Same day |
| VAT (No. 2, reverse charge) | Buyers applying withholding, buyers of foreign services | 28th of the following month | Same day |
| Withholding and premium (MUHSGK) | Payers of wages, rent, professional fees | 26th of the following month | Same day |
| Stamp duty | Issuers of documents subject to stamp duty | 26th of the following month | Same day |
| Provisional tax | Balance-sheet and operating-account taxpayers | 17th of the second month after the quarter | Same day |
| Corporate tax | Capital companies | End of April | End of April |
| Annual income tax | Sole traders, professionals, those with rental income | End of March | March and July (two instalments) |
| Ba–Bs forms | Purchases and sales above a threshold | End of the following month | — |
Current deadlines and extensions are in the tax calendar; the strip at the top of the site shows the next deadline.
Withholding and premium return
Wages, rent, professional fees and other payments subject to withholding, together with SGK notifications, are combined in one return. The business pays the tax it withheld on behalf of employees and landlords with this return. How withholding works: Withholding rates.
VAT return
VAT paid on purchases is deducted from VAT charged on sales; a positive balance is paid, a negative one carried forward. Withholding transactions, exempt sales and exports go in separate tables. Refundable transactions follow a separate VAT refund process.
Provisional tax
Advance tax on the profit of the first three quarters: 25% for companies, the income tax tariff for individuals; credited on the annual return. No provisional return is filed for the fourth period. Profit estimates feed into your cash planning. Provisional tax guide · Calculator
Annual returns
- Corporate tax: accounting profit, non-deductible expenses, exemptions, prior-year losses; 25% (different for banks and financial institutions). Corporate tax return · Calculator
- Income tax: business, professional, rental and other income combined; withholdings credited. Income tax brackets.
If a deadline is missed
Late filing triggers an irregularity penalty; late payment, late payment interest. Voluntary disclosure is possible before the administration detects it. Tax penalties and voluntary disclosure · Late payment interest.
What you receive
- Around the 20th each month: draft amounts of VAT, withholding and SGK payable
- After filing: assessment slips and payment deadline
- At quarter ends: provisional tax estimate
- Before year end: a tax planning meeting (Tax advisory)
Common mistakes
- Reporting withholding sales as ordinary sales on the VAT return.
- Forgetting rent withholding on the withholding return (especially for new premises rented mid-year).
- Filing provisional tax without depreciation and accrual entries.
- Ba-Bs amounts not matching counterparties (a mismatch letter follows).
- Leaving payment to the last day and missing bank hours.
Frequently asked questions
I filed but did not pay? The return is valid; late payment interest of 3,7% a month runs from the due date. Late payment interest
Must returns be filed with no activity? Yes. While registration continues, VAT, provisional and annual returns are filed as "no activity". The withholding return is not filed for months with no payments.
Can I see my returns? Each return and assessment slip is emailed to you; your Ready Return and Internet Tax Office passwords stay with you.
Sources
Tax Procedure Law No. 213; VAT Law No. 3065 arts. 39–41; Income Tax Law No. 193 arts. 98 ff. and 120 repeated; Corporate Tax Law No. 5520 arts. 14–15 and 32; current GİB tax calendar.