Marketing and digital services: 30% tax relief and advertising budgets

1. Identify the service provider and budget payer

Agencies, studios and freelancers should separate consulting, production, channel management, commissions and advertising budgets. The freelancer label does not determine tax treatment: check taxpayer status and income substance. Decree 398 covers business PIT relief; wages or fees are not automatically eligible.

2. Are client advertising funds revenue?

A transfer labelled reimbursement does not settle its tax treatment. Check the platform contracting party, invoice recipient, payment responsibility, authorization and reconciliation evidence. A bundled service must not be arbitrarily split into pass-through funds to reduce revenue. Reimbursed expenses also require a substance and evidence review.

3. Monthly contract example and evidence

Illustration: a client transfers VND 120 million, internally described as VND 20 million service fees and VND 100 million ad spend. That description alone does not establish VND 20 million revenue. Keep contracts, platform invoices, campaign reconciliations, acceptance records and payment evidence for accounting review. Do not disclose ad-account passwords or customer data in public evidence packs.

4. Calculate relief and choose the filing route

Illustration: eligible income tax before this relief, after other incentives if applicable, is VND 50 million. If all conditions are met, relief is VND 15 million and the remainder VND 35 million. Do not multiply revenue by 30%; this is not VAT relief. Companies review sales, service and financial revenue, other income and exclusions; individuals determine revenue under the rules cited in Article 2.

Business individuals review Form 01 with the applicable return. Withholding or filing agents use Form 02 for their responsibilities. Companies self-determine relief when making quarterly CIT payments; the individual’s Form 01 is not a company CIT-relief form.

Suggested workflow: close the period, assess eligibility, calculate tax before relief, calculate relief, check official forms, file through the applicable electronic tax channel, and retain signed files, acknowledgements and payment evidence. These are working steps, not universal portal button names. Review amendment rules for missed relief rather than arbitrarily deducting it from a later payment.

5. Monitor the ceiling and prepare the evidence pack

Individuals exceeding VND 10 billion actual annual revenue reverse relief using Form 03 with the filing for the threshold-crossing period. The specified late-payment exclusion ends at that period’s filing deadline. Companies pay the shortfall and follow Article 24(3) of Decree 252/2026/ND-CP rather than assuming the individual rule applies.

Assign someone to update monthly cumulative revenue and outstanding orders or contracts, with a review date. Retain source records, calculations and reconciliations for independent review. The following is a recommended internal evidence pack, not a universal mandatory attachment list.

6. A practical monthly reconciliation worksheet

Create an internal worksheet with the groups below. Link each row to a transaction or contract and add amount, proposed recognition period, supporting basis and review status. It supports review and does not replace accounting records, returns or official forms.

7. Close the records and resolve exceptions

Step 1: Operations exports source data and records the cutoff. Step 2: The reconciliation owner matches transactions, checks duplicates and explains differences. Step 3: Accounting determines revenue, tax and relief eligibility. Step 4: A reviewer checks calculations against evidence before filing. This is a suggested internal workflow; small businesses may combine roles but should retain an independent review.

Separate supported records from items needing clarification. Assign an owner, expected resolution date and a specific question for accounting or the tax authority. Pending internal reconciliation does not extend a filing deadline; follow the actual applicable timetable and procedure.

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