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Accounting and VAT Support for Foreign-Owned Companies in Bulgaria

Whether your Bulgarian company has just been registered or has already been trading for years, the accounting setup must match its actual activity. We help you define the requirements, prepare the handover and coordinate onboarding with a Bulgarian accounting partner.

The accounting engagement and the professional filings are provided directly by the selected accounting partner. Start in BG remains responsible for the coordination and transparent handover described in your proposal.

Request an accounting and VAT reviewSee what information we need

Your situation

Which situation are you in?

Pick the situation closest to yours. You get the next step that follows from it — and the matching answer is already selected in the form further down.

Pick a situation above. We will show you what needs clarifying first in that case, and what the next step is.

  • Newly incorporated company

    Set accounting up before the first document exists

    The company exists, so the obligations have started. We clarify what the business actually intends to do, whether a VAT registration is due and which information the accounting partner needs to take it on.

  • Existing company changing accountant

    Order the handover before anything is cancelled

    A change of accountant rarely fails on the new accountant; it fails on the records. We clarify what has to be handed over, which cut-off date makes sense and what the incoming partner wants to see up front.

  • VAT registration required or uncertain

    Check which registration basis applies, instead of guessing a number

    A VAT registration obligation can arise for very different reasons — turnover, intra-EU transactions, services bought from or supplied to businesses abroad, online sales, or a voluntary registration. Which basis applies decides both the timing and the obligations that follow.

  • Company with employees or payroll

    Set payroll and its reporting up together

    As soon as somebody is employed — including the managing director — registration, payroll and social security come with it. That is a workstream of its own, not an add-on to bookkeeping.

  • Inactive or low-activity company

    Clarify the minimum obligations rather than suspending them

    A company without revenue is not a company without obligations. What remains to be done depends on the company's status — usually far less work than founders fear, but not none.

  • Overdue filings or unclear compliance status

    Take stock before the backlog grows

    When filings are open, or nobody is certain what was submitted, taking stock is the first step. We prepare that so an accounting partner can judge the scope of the remedial work.

What can be coordinated

Accounting is not a single line item but several workstreams with very different workloads. These are the ones our partners can cover:

  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Recording the period's documents, reconciling the accounts and producing the reports that show where the company stands.

  • VAT registration and VAT filings

    Checking which registration basis applies, carrying out the registration, and the ongoing filings once they start.

  • Annual financial statements and tax return

    Preparing the annual accounts, the corporate income tax return and the submissions that belong to the year end.

  • Payroll and social-security administration

    Registering employees, running the monthly payroll and making the reports that go with it.

    Availability varies by partner

  • Communication with the revenue administration

    Correspondence and submissions to the National Revenue Agency, where these fall within the accountant's engagement.

    Availability varies by partner

  • Accounting onboarding after company formation

    The ordered handover straight after registration, so no gap opens up between formation and the first month.

  • Accountant transition and document handover

    Taking stock of the records, agreeing the cut-off date and supporting the move to the new partner.

    Availability varies by partner

  • Cross-border questions

    Coordinating specialist input where the facts reach beyond Bulgaria — for example services spanning several countries.

    Availability varies by partner

Not every partner provides every service. Availability and scope are confirmed in the individual proposal.

What Start in BG does and what the accountant does

The question that comes before price on any accounting enquiry is: who am I actually engaging here? So the answer sits above the form rather than in the small print.

  • Start in BGClarifies the operational requirement

    Accounting partnerAssesses the accounting engagement

  • Start in BGCollects the initial business information

    Accounting partnerConfirms professional scope and fee

  • Start in BGCoordinates introductions and handover

    Accounting partnerPerforms bookkeeping and filings

  • Start in BGRecords what was handed over and when

    Accounting partnerIs responsible for content and submission

  • Start in BGSupports communication in German or English

    Accounting partnerCommunicates with authorities within the engagement

  • Start in BGStays the contact point for coordination

    Accounting partnerHandles correspondence on professional matters

  • Start in BGTracks the open onboarding actions

    Accounting partnerMaintains the professional deadlines

  • Start in BGDocuments what was agreed for the handover

    Accounting partnerMaintains the accounting records

  • Start in BGMakes responsibilities and costs visible

    Accounting partnerInvoices its services directly

  • Start in BGTakes no professional responsibility for accounting

    Accounting partnerBears responsibility for its professional services

You appoint the accounting partner directly. Start in BG does not submit accounting or tax filings; those are performed solely by an appropriately qualified provider under a separate engagement.

Information that determines the scope and fee

There is no monthly price on this page, and that is not an omission. Accounting cannot honestly be priced from a company name — the work follows what the business actually does. These are the factors that decide it:

  • Asked in the form

    Active or inactive company

    Whether transactions arise at all changes the workload more than anything else.

  • Asked in the form

    VAT registration status

    A registration brings its own recurring filing obligations with it.

  • Asked in the form

    Monthly document volume

    Purchase and sales invoices are the real unit of measure in bookkeeping.

  • Asked in the form

    Employees and payroll

    Staff is a workstream of its own, not a surcharge on the bookkeeping.

  • Asked in the form

    Domestic, EU and non-EU transactions

    Where customers and suppliers sit decides how transactions are recorded.

  • Asked in the form

    Start timing

    Whether you start retrospectively, immediately or on a planned date changes the entry effort.

What else changes the workload (6)

  • E-commerce, marketplace or cash activity

    Platform and cash business brings its own record-keeping requirements.

  • Multiple currencies or bank accounts

    Every extra account and foreign currency adds reconciliation work.

  • Overdue records

    Unprocessed periods are remedial work and are scoped separately.

  • Annual closing requirements

    The year-end close is a service of its own, with its own time requirement.

  • Language and reporting requirements

    Reports in your language and your format are additional work.

  • Shareholder and intercompany transactions

    Transactions between related people and companies need more care.

You receive a defined scope and a price before appointing the provider. Until then no engagement and no cost arises.

What happens after company registration

Between the commercial-register entry and the first accounting month sits a short but concrete sequence. This is what it looks like:

  1. Step 1: Company receives its EIK and formation documents

    With the register entry the company exists — and the ongoing obligations start with it.

    See company formation →

  2. Step 2: Activity and VAT needs are clarified

    What the company actually does decides which registrations apply and how much bookkeeping there is.

  3. Step 3: Accounting partner receives the company and owner information

    The partner gets the starting information in one place instead of spread across ten e-mails.

  4. Step 4: Engagement, scope and fee are confirmed

    The partner assesses the case and states scope and fee. Only then does an appointment arise.

  5. Step 5: The document-transfer process is agreed

    How and when records are handed over is settled once instead of improvised every month.

  6. Step 6: First deadlines are recorded

    The relevant dates are captured so the first month does not come as a surprise.

  7. Step 7: The monthly process begins

    From here the accounting runs on its cycle — between you and the partner.

VAT registration is not one single scenario

The most common question on this page is “when do I need a VAT number?” — and the most common answer online is a single figure. That figure is right for one of these cases and misleading for the rest. A registration obligation can arise from, among others:

  • Taxable turnover in Bulgaria
  • Intra-EU acquisitions from other member states
  • Services bought from businesses abroad
  • Services supplied to businesses abroad
  • E-commerce and marketplace sales
  • A voluntary registration
  • Activity carried on without being established in Bulgaria

Which basis applies must be checked against the current Bulgarian and EU rules for your company's actual transactions. This page names the things to check, not the outcome.

Bulgarian taxes — an overview →

Warning signs that need an urgent review

None of these is a catastrophe, but none of them waits either. If one applies to you, taking stock is the first step — not the next quarter.

  • The company has begun trading without anyone keeping the books.
  • Invoices have been issued but it is unclear whether anything was filed.
  • A VAT number is being used without a filing process behind it.
  • The previous accountant has stopped responding.
  • The annual statements may be overdue.
  • Staff are being paid without confirmed payroll administration.
  • Personal and company payments run through the same accounts.
Request an urgent compliance review

Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up most often in accounting enquiries — answered honestly, including where the honest answer is “it depends”.

Does every Bulgarian company need ongoing accounting?

For limited companies such as the EOOD and the OOD, ongoing accounting is part of the company's obligations — including where there is barely any revenue. The workload differs a great deal; the obligation itself does not go away.

Can I use my accountant at home instead?

Bulgarian accounting and the submissions to the Bulgarian authorities require knowledge of the Bulgarian rules and access to the local procedures. Many clients keep their adviser at home for personal matters and have the Bulgarian bookkeeping done locally. Whether that split makes sense in your case belongs in the clarification up front.

Can Start in BG provide accounting directly?

No. We do not keep books and we do not submit tax filings. We clarify the requirement, prepare the handover and coordinate the onboarding; the professional service is provided and invoiced by the accounting partner under its own engagement.

How much does monthly accounting cost?

It depends on the actual activity: document volume, VAT status, employees, cross-border business and any backlog change the workload significantly. That is why this page carries the list of factors that decide the price rather than a figure. The partner states scope and fee before you appoint them.

What if my company has no activity?

A dormant company has fewer obligations, not none. What specifically remains depends on things like whether any transactions arose in the period and whether the company is VAT registered.

Can I change accountants?

Yes. The handover is what matters: which periods are fully processed, which records exist and at what cut-off date the change happens. We take stock of that first so the incoming partner can judge the scope.

When is VAT registration required?

A registration obligation can arise from several very different bases — among them taxable turnover in Bulgaria, intra-EU transactions, services bought from or supplied to businesses abroad, and online sales. Which one applies has to be checked against your company's actual transactions.

Can payroll be included?

With many partners yes, as a workstream alongside the bookkeeping. Availability and scope are confirmed in the individual proposal.

What documents must I send each month?

Usually the period's purchase and sales invoices, the bank statements and the receipts for cash payments; where there are staff, the payroll records come with them. The partner sets out at the start in what form and by when it needs them.

Can you help if filings are already overdue?

We can prepare the stocktake and hand the case to a partner who assesses the scope of the remedial work. What follows from that is the partner's professional judgement — and in part the responsible authority's decision.

Enquiry

Request an assessment

Six answers are required; the rest are optional and start on “not sure” until you change them. The more concrete your answers, the more reliable the assessment — but you do not have to guess at anything.

You appoint the accounting partner directly. Start in BG does not submit accounting or tax filings; those are performed solely by an appropriately qualified provider under a separate engagement.

Clarify my VAT and accounting setup →

Please do not send tax records, invoices, identity documents or bank statements through this form. The partner will request what it needs under its own engagement.

We first review the scope. No accounting engagement or cost arises until the responsible provider confirms the work and you accept the proposal.

Related pages and guides

Further pages and articles about running a Bulgarian company:

The company is running. Let's make sure the obligations run with it.

Tell us where your business stands and what is coming up. We clarify the requirement, tell you honestly what can be coordinated — and what cannot — and prepare the handover to an accounting partner.

Request a review

Last editorial review: 2026-07-31 · Tax and filing obligations change. We review this page regularly — it still does not replace accounting or tax advice.

Request a review

What we can confirm

  • Registering for Bulgarian VAT becomes mandatory once the statutory turnover threshold is exceeded; below it, registration is generally voluntary.

    Official

  • A Bulgarian company comes into existence on entry in the Commercial Register kept by the Registry Agency.

    Official

  • Limited companies must keep ongoing accounts and file their annual financial statements with the Commercial Register.

    Official

  • The common legal forms for small businesses are the OOD (several members) and the EOOD (single member), both with limited liability.

    Official

  • We coordinate the process. Final decisions remain with the responsible institution.

    Our service

What depends on your situation

  • Monthly accounting cost depends on transaction volume and VAT status, and is invoiced by the accountant.

We work these out with you from your own details - a website cannot answer them.

Discuss your situation

Sources and verification

How we verify →

The statements this page relies on, each labelled with where it comes from. The superscript number refers to the source list below.

Editorially reviewed
Sources
2 of 6 statements checked against the primary source

4 statements are still awaiting a check against their primary source.

Statements on this page

  • Registering for Bulgarian VAT becomes mandatory once the statutory turnover threshold is exceeded; below it, registration is generally voluntary.1, 2

    Source check outstanding

  • A Bulgarian company comes into existence on entry in the Commercial Register kept by the Registry Agency.2, 3

    Source check outstanding

  • Limited companies must keep ongoing accounts and file their annual financial statements with the Commercial Register.1, 2, 3

    Source check outstanding

  • The common legal forms for small businesses are the OOD (several members) and the EOOD (single member), both with limited liability.2, 3

    Source check outstanding

  • We coordinate the process. Final decisions remain with the responsible institution.4

    Checked against the source ·

  • Monthly accounting cost depends on transaction volume and VAT status, and is invoiced by the accountant.4, 5

    Checked against the source ·
Show sources (5)
  1. 1.

    National Revenue Agency (NRA)Authority

    Responsible for corporate income tax, personal income tax, VAT registration and social-security contributions.

    Open source →
  2. 2.

    State Gazette (Darzhaven vestnik)Legal basis

    The official gazette. Bulgarian statutes - the Commerce Act, the Corporate Income Tax Act, the Personal Income Tax Act, the VAT Act - apply in the version published there.

    Open source →
  3. 3.

    Registry Agency (Commercial Register)Authority

    Keeps the Commercial Register. A Bulgarian company comes into existence on entry there, and annual financial statements are filed there.

    Open source →
  4. 4.

    Start in BG operational experienceOur own experience

    What we actually observe in the formations we accompany, and the documented scope of our own service.

    No public address - this source is either us, or a body that decides case by case.

  5. 5.

    Accounting and legal partnersProfessional partner

    Specialist input from our accounting and legal partners. A partner's assessment is not an official ruling and does not replace advice on your individual case.

    No public address - this source is either us, or a body that decides case by case.