Monthly VAT: Q10,000 / Q4,000 → Q720 due
If you issue and receive VAT invoices, the month closes as a subtraction: fiscal debit (VAT on taxable sales) minus fiscal credit (VAT on taxable purchases). Defaults of Q10,000 sales and Q4,000 purchases at 12% (Decree 27-92) leave Q720 due. SAT files the official month.
With Q10,000 in taxable sales and Q4,000 in taxable purchases at 12%:
- Fiscal debit: Q1,200 (10,000 × 12%)
- Fiscal credit: Q480 (4,000 × 12%)
- Balance to pay: Q720
Formula: 1,200 − 480 = Q720 payable to SAT.
Formula
Fiscal debit = Taxable sales × 12%
Fiscal credit = Taxable purchases × 12%
Balance to pay = max(0, Debit − Credit)
Credit balance = max(0, Credit − Debit)
Fiscal debit is the VAT you charge on your sales invoices; fiscal credit is the VAT you were charged on your business purchase invoices. The difference is your net position for the month.
Step-by-step example (defaults)
- Taxable sales for the month: Q10,000
- Taxable purchases for the month: Q4,000
- Fiscal debit: 10,000 × 12% = Q1,200
- Fiscal credit: 4,000 × 12% = Q480
- Balance to pay: 1,200 − 480 = Q720
Scenario table (same logic as the engine)
| Taxable sales | Taxable purchases | Fiscal debit | Fiscal credit | Balance to pay | Credit balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q10,000 | Q4,000 | Q1,200 | Q480 | Q720 | Q0 |
| Q25,000 | Q10,000 | Q3,000 | Q1,200 | Q1,800 | Q0 |
| Q50,000 | Q60,000 | Q6,000 | Q7,200 | Q0 | Q1,200 |
| Q100,000 | Q40,000 | Q12,000 | Q4,800 | Q7,200 | Q0 |
Interpreting the result
- Balance to pay: the VAT you must remit to SAT for the period. In the base example, Q720.
- Credit balance: when your taxable purchases exceed your sales (for example, when investing in inventory or equipment), the excess is carried forward. Its treatment (offset or refund) follows SAT rules and procedures.
- Watch your fiscal credit: only VAT on taxable, properly documented purchases (invoices under your NIT, goods or services used in your taxable activity) gives credit rights. Personal, exempt, or undocumented purchases generate no credit.
This tool is an educational monthly estimate of the general 12% model. It does not model exemptions and partial exemptions, exports, special regimes, VAT withholding at source, or complex fiscal-credit proration. For your real filing (SAT form) use your purchases/sales ledger and, if the case is complex, consult an accountant.
Frequently asked questions
Fiscal debit is the VAT you charge on your taxable sales; fiscal credit is the VAT you pay on your taxable purchases. The month's difference is what you remit to SAT or carry forward.
You end with a credit balance. Example: with Q60,000 in taxable purchases and Q50,000 in sales, the credit (Q7,200) exceeds the debit (Q6,000) by Q1,200. The balance's treatment follows SAT procedures; don't assume an automatic refund.
Yes, the interface lets you adjust the rate, but the reference model is the general 12% of the VAT Law (Decree 27-92). Use another rate only if your activity has a confirmed special treatment.
Exempt purchases, personal purchases, purchases not documented with an invoice under your NIT, and purchases unrelated to your taxable activity do not generate fiscal credit. Without a valid invoice there is no credit.
Don't assume it. The treatment of credit balances (offset or refund) follows SAT rules and procedures; this tool only shows the month's arithmetic difference.
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