VAT/Tax Return Filing & Reports Pack

Key Features

`Tax Return Template` DocType defining the numbered boxes for each country and return type, versioned so old periods keep the layout they were filed under

Child-table mapping rules that bind each return box to specific tax accounts, tax rates, item tax templates, and transaction direction (sale/purchase, standard/reduced/zero/exempt)

`Tax Return` transaction DocType that aggregates `GL Entry` and tax-detail rows for a company and period into a box-by-box output

Explicit reverse-charge handling that posts both the notional output and reclaimable input legs to the correct boxes without double counting

Import-VAT treatment separated from domestic input tax so postponed/deferred import accounting maps to the right boxes

SAF-T / tax-audit-file export scaffolding you extend to a jurisdiction's exact XML/CSV schema

Period-lock enforced via `hooks.py` doc events — submitted-and-locked periods block back-dated edits to tax transactions in that window

`Tax Adjustment Entry` DocType so post-lock corrections flow forward into the next open return instead of silently changing a filed period

Box-level drill-down: click a return figure to open the contributing invoices and GL entries for reconciliation

Whitelisted REST API methods to generate, fetch, and lock returns programmatically, all using parameterized queries

Role profiles and permission rules separating return preparers from the approver who locks and files

Scheduler events that pre-stage draft returns per period and send period-end preparation reminders

Multi-company and multi-currency aware aggregation, filing each registered entity's return against its own tax registration

Variance and sanity checks (output vs. input reconciliation, control-account tie-out) surfaced via client scripts before a return is locked

Built to order, done for you

No DIY setup — a working app, built, installed and supported by ECOSIRE.

You order

Start with a one-time build price. We scope it with you at kickoff.

We build & install

ECOSIRE builds, configures and installs it on your ERPNext.

Go live + support

You go live in about 2–4 weeks, with a post-launch support window.

About this Product

Finance teams filing VAT or sales-tax returns across more than one country quickly hit the edge of what ERPNext gives out of the box. Native ERPNext tracks tax through the Sales Taxes and Charges and Purchase Taxes and Charges tables and can produce a generic tax report, but it has no concept of a jurisdiction-specific return layout — the numbered boxes of a UK VAT100, a UAE FTA VAT201, an EU-style return, or a country SAF-T file. Teams end up exporting the General Ledger to spreadsheets every period, hand-mapping tax accounts to return boxes, and manually reasoning about reverse-charge, import VAT, and partial exemption. That work is slow, error-prone, and impossible to audit cleanly.

The VAT/Tax Return Filing & Reports Pack is a proper Frappe app (its own module, DocTypes, and hooks.py) that ECOSIRE builds to your jurisdictions. At its core is a configurable mapping layer: a Tax Return Template DocType defines the boxes for a given country and return type, and child-table rules map each box to a set of tax accounts, tax rates, item tax templates, and transaction directions (sale/purchase, standard/reduced/zero/exempt, domestic/import/reverse-charge). A Tax Return transaction DocType then runs against a selected company and period, aggregates the underlying GL Entry and tax-detail rows through that mapping, and produces a box-by-box return you can review, adjust, lock, and export. Reverse-charge and import VAT are handled explicitly — the mapping can post both the output and input legs of a reverse charge to the correct boxes so the net is correct without double counting.

Technically, the pack is built for Frappe/ERPNext v15 and v16. Aggregation runs in whitelisted server-side methods (parameterized queries, never string-built SQL), exposed over the Frappe REST API so returns can be generated or fetched programmatically. hooks.py doc events guard period integrity — once a Tax Return is submitted and the period is locked, controllers block back-dated edits to tax transactions in that window, and any correction flows through a controlled Tax Adjustment Entry that lands in the next open return. Client scripts drive the return workspace UI (recalculate, drill from a box down to the contributing invoices, flag variances). Role profiles and permission rules separate who can prepare a return from who can lock and file it, and scheduler events can pre-stage draft returns and send period-end reminders. Where a jurisdiction needs a machine-readable file, the pack ships SAF-T / tax-audit-file export scaffolding you extend to the exact schema.

Because this is build-to-order, you are not downloading a fixed marketplace app. After a short scoping call we confirm your jurisdictions, return layouts, chart-of-accounts and tax mapping, and any audit-file format, then build and configure the app against your ERPNext instance. Typical delivery is 2-4 weeks from confirmed scope. You receive the installable source for your version, UAT on a staging copy of your data, a go-live window, and a support period — not a black box.

What you get

Installable source code (a Frappe app) built for your ERPNext v15 or v16 version, delivered as a git repository you own

Installation and configuration on your instance, including tax-return templates and box mappings for your confirmed jurisdictions

Technical documentation covering the DocTypes, mapping model, hooks, whitelisted API methods, and how to extend an audit-file export

End-user guide plus a live training session for your finance team on preparing, reviewing, locking, and adjusting returns

UAT on a staging copy of your data with a documented rollback plan before go-live

A post-go-live support window for defect fixes and configuration questions

Handover of the git repository with commit history and build/deploy notes

A scoping document capturing the agreed jurisdictions, return layouts, and mapping decisions

Who this is for

Group finance manager, multi-country

Owns VAT/sales-tax compliance across several registered entities and needs one consistent ERPNext-native way to produce each jurisdiction's return without exporting to spreadsheets every period.

Tax / compliance accountant

Prepares the actual returns and needs box-by-box figures they can drill into, reconcile against the GL, and defend in an audit — plus a clean path for post-lock adjustments.

ERPNext system administrator

Maintains the instance and wants a properly packaged Frappe app with clear DocTypes, permissions, and hooks that upgrades cleanly across v15/v16 rather than ad-hoc customizations.

External accounting firm serving GCC/EU clients

Runs periodic filings for multiple ERPNext clients and needs configurable per-country templates and audit-file export scaffolding they can adapt per engagement.

How VAT/Tax Return Filing & Reports Pack Compares

Criterion	ECOSIRE	Custom Build	Competitor	ERPNext Native
Return layout	Box-by-box per jurisdiction via configurable `Tax Return Template`	Whatever you scope and build yourself	Usually one country's fixed layout	Generic tax report, no numbered-box return
Multi-jurisdiction	Multiple countries and return types from one template model	Possible but you build each one	Typically single-jurisdiction focus	No jurisdiction-specific concept
Reverse-charge & import VAT	Explicit two-leg mapping and separate import-VAT boxes	Depends on your build effort	Varies; often partial	Manual, spreadsheet-driven
Period lock & adjustments	`hooks.py` lock + forward-flowing `Tax Adjustment Entry`	Must be designed and built	Rarely enforced	No return-level period lock
Audit file / SAF-T	Export scaffolding extended to your schema	Built from scratch	Only if that country's app includes it	Not provided
Fit to your accounts	Mapped to your chart of accounts and tax templates in scoping	Fully bespoke	Assumes standard setup	Generic, unmapped
Ownership & support	You own the git repo; defined support window	You own it; you maintain it	Vendor-controlled, subscription	Community support only
Delivery	Build-to-order, 2-4 weeks, UAT + rollback	Open-ended internal timeline	Instant install, generic fit	Already in ERPNext, limited

Frequently Asked Questions about VAT/Tax Return Filing & Reports Pack

How long does delivery take?

This is a build-to-order product, not an instant download. After a scoping call to confirm your jurisdictions, return layouts, and tax mapping, typical delivery is 2-4 weeks from confirmed scope. Wider multi-country rollouts or custom audit-file formats can extend that, and we agree the timeline in the scoping document before work starts.

Which jurisdictions and return types do you support?

The pack is jurisdiction-configurable rather than fixed. We build the `Tax Return Template` boxes and account mappings for the specific countries and return types you tell us in scoping — for example UAE FTA VAT201, UK VAT100, EU-style returns, or GCC/regional sales-tax filings. Additional jurisdictions can be added later using the same template model.

Which ERPNext versions does it run on?

We build for Frappe/ERPNext v15 and v16. We target the exact version and patch level of your instance so the app installs cleanly, and the code follows standard Frappe app conventions (DocTypes, `hooks.py`, whitelisted methods) so it survives routine upgrades.

How are updates and support handled?

Every build includes a post-go-live support window for defect fixes and configuration questions. Because you receive the full git repository, you own the code and can maintain it in-house or engage ECOSIRE for ongoing changes, version upgrades, or new jurisdictions under a separate support arrangement.

Does it change how ERPNext posts tax, or how filed periods stay protected?

It reads from your existing tax data — `GL Entry` and the sales/purchase tax detail rows — so your day-to-day invoicing is unchanged. Once a return is submitted and its period is locked, `hooks.py` doc events block back-dated edits to tax transactions in that window; corrections flow through a controlled `Tax Adjustment Entry` into the next open return, so a filed period is never silently altered.

Can we file directly to the tax authority from ERPNext?

The pack produces the box-by-box figures and, where scoped, machine-readable audit-file/SAF-T output. Direct e-filing depends on whether the authority exposes an API and what accreditation it requires. Where a supported filing API exists we can scope an integration on top of the return output; otherwise the pack prepares the exact figures and file for submission through the authority's portal.

Can it handle reverse-charge and import VAT correctly?

Yes. Reverse-charge is mapped so both the notional output and the reclaimable input legs post to the correct boxes, giving the right net without double counting. Import VAT is treated separately from domestic input tax so postponed or deferred import accounting maps to the boxes your jurisdiction requires.