Circular 152/2025/TT-BTC on the Accounting Regime for Household Businesses

Effective from 01 January 2026 – Key Points to Know

The Ministry of Finance has issued Circular 152/2025/TT-BTC, guiding the accounting regime applicable to household businesses and individual businesses, to be uniformly applied from 01 January 2026. This is an important legal document that replaces previous regulations and directly affects the accounting and tax obligations of household businesses in the coming period.

1. CIRCULAR 152/2025/TT-BTC OFFICIALLY EFFECTIVE FROM 01 JANUARY 2026

Circular 152/2025/TT-BTC regulates accounting record-keeping for:

• Household businesses
• Individual businesses

From 01 January 2026, Circular No. 88/2021/TT-BTC dated 11 October 2021 of the Minister of Finance will officially cease to be effective.

Accordingly, from 2026 onward, household businesses and individual businesses must apply the accounting regime under Circular 152/2025/TT-BTC.

2. PENALTIES FOR LATE TAX REGISTRATION OF HOUSEHOLD BUSINESSES IN 2026

Pursuant to Article 10 of Decree 125/2020/NĐ-CP, as amended and supplemented by Clause 8, Article 1 of Decree 310/2025/NĐ-CP, penalties for late tax registration by household businesses in 2026 are as follows:

Specific penalty levels

• Late by 1–10 days with mitigating circumstances
   ➝ Warning
• Late by 1–30 days (excluding the above case)
   ➝ Fine ranging from VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,000,000
• Late by 31–90 days
   ➝ Fine ranging from VND 3,000,000 to VND 6,000,000
• Late by 91 days or more
   ➝ Fine ranging from VND 6,000,000 to VND 10,000,000

3. CIRCUMSTANCES CONSIDERED AS MITIGATING FACTORS

According to Article 9 of the 2012 Law on Handling of Administrative Violations, mitigating circumstances include, but are not limited to:

• Voluntary remedial actions or compensation for damages;
• Voluntary declaration, sincere repentance, and active cooperation with authorities;
• Violations committed under mental agitation or exceeding legitimate self-defense;
• Violations due to coercion or material/psychological dependence;
• The violator is pregnant, elderly, ill, or a person with disabilities;
• Violations caused by exceptional hardship not attributable to the violator;
• Violations due to limited awareness or backward knowledge;
• Other mitigating circumstances as prescribed by the Government.
   

4. CAN HOUSEHOLD BUSINESSES SELF-DETERMINE TAXABLE REVENUE FROM 01 JANUARY 2026?

Under Article 13 of the 2025 Law on Tax Administration, from 01 January 2026, household businesses and individual businesses are allowed to self-determine revenue and tax obligations, specifically:

(1) Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Personal Income Tax (PIT)

• Cases not subject to tax:
   Household businesses notify the tax authority of the actual revenue generated during the year.
• Cases subject to tax:
   Household businesses self-determine revenue, calculate, and pay VAT and PIT in accordance with regulations.

If E-invoices, including those generated from cash registers connected to the tax authorities, are used, the tax system will automatically support the preparation of tax returns and the calculation of taxes based on invoice data and other relevant information sources.

(2) Other taxes and charges

Household businesses and individual businesses self-determine and fulfill obligations for other taxes and charges in accordance with relevant laws.

5. NOTES FOR HOUSEHOLD BUSINESSES OPERATING ON E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS

For household and individual businesses operating on e-commerce platforms or digital platforms, the following rules apply:

• Platforms with ordering and payment functions:
   ➝ The platform owner (domestic or foreign) is responsible for withholding, declaring, and paying taxes on behalf of household businesses.
   
• Platforms without ordering and payment functions:
   ➝ Household businesses must self-declare, self-calculate, and pay taxes in accordance with regulations.

In summary, from 01 January 2026, household businesses and individual businesses should pay special attention to:

• Applying the new accounting regime under Circular 152/2025/TT-BTC;
• Complying with tax registration deadlines to avoid penalties;
• Proactively determining revenue and tax obligations, especially when engaging in online business and e-commerce.
   

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