Invoice duplicate - accounting and tax

Losing or destroying an invoice is a random accident that can happen in any company. In such cases, the solution is duplicate invoices, i.e. documents with content analogous to the original, re-issued by the seller. So how should such a duplicate be booked and accounted for in terms of tax?

A duplicate invoice is issued by the original issuer on his own account, if the original was lost, or at the request of the buyer. It is worth mentioning that from the beginning of 2013 it is no longer necessary to issue duplicates in two copies - it is enough to issue one copy for the page where the damage or loss occurred.

The method of settlement and posting of the duplicate invoice depends on the reason for which it was issued. Therefore, if the original invoice has reached the recipient, has been posted, and the amount shown on it has been included in the VAT and income tax settlement, then the duplicate invoice is not posted as a rule. In this case, it is only a supplement to the accounting documentation.

It is worth remembering that the taxpayer is obliged to keep accounting documents until the limitation period has passed - in this case 5 years from the end of the tax year in which the tax was settled. Therefore, even if the entrepreneur has booked and settled the invoice before its destruction, he is still obliged to fill the gap in his accounting.

However, in a situation where the original invoice did not reach the taxpayer, the duplicate will be the basis for posting the expense. In this case, the entrepreneur treats it as the original invoice - and settles the tax on such principles - in the period of receiving a duplicate or in two subsequent ones. Also upon receipt, the document must be entered in the tax revenue and expense ledger.