Year-End Checklist for a Foreign-Owned Serbian d.o.o.: What to Decide Before 31 December 2026
Most of a Serbian company’s year-end is not paperwork in March — it is a handful of decisions that have to be made before 31 December, because the balance-sheet date fixes the numbers. For a foreign-owned d.o.o. those are: which size class you will land in, whether you need an auditor, how the stock count will run, which unpaid invoices to deal with, and what the 2027 payroll changes mean for your budget.
The filings come later: financial statements to the Business Registers Agency (APR) by 31 March 2027, the corporate income tax return within 180 days of year-end. By then, everything below is already locked in.
The checklist at a glance
| When | What | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Now to November | Project your size class for 31 Dec 2026 | Sets reporting rules and possible audit for 2027 |
| Now | Check whether 2026 statements must be audited | The auditor contract was due by 30 September |
| November | Appoint the inventory committee, plan the count | Count is dated 31 December |
| November–December | Review receivables older than 60 days | Decides what is deductible for 2026 |
| December | Update 2027 payroll: new minimum wage and tax-free allowance | Both change on 1 January 2027 |
| By 31 March 2027 | File financial statements with APR | Late or missing filing is an offence |
| Within 180 days of year-end | File the corporate income tax return (PDP) | The 15% tax on the 2026 result |
Which size class will your company be in?
Every Serbian company classifies itself as micro, small, medium or large on its balance-sheet date. The test is two out of three: average headcount, operating revenue and total assets.
| Class | Average employees | Operating revenue | Total assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | up to 10 | up to €700,000 | up to €350,000 |
| Small | up to 50 | up to €8,000,000 | up to €4,000,000 |
| Medium | up to 250 | up to €40,000,000 | up to €20,000,000 |
Euro amounts are converted at the National Bank of Serbia’s official middle rate on the balance-sheet date. The result applies to the following year. It decides whether you report under the Ministry of Finance rulebook for micro entities, IFRS for SMEs or full IFRS, and whether medium status brings a mandatory audit. Headcount is a monthly average, not the number on 31 December. We explain the edge cases, in Serbian, in our guide to classifying legal entities by size.
Do you need an auditor for 2026?
Under Article 26 of the Law on Audit, a statutory audit is mandatory for medium and large companies, for public companies, and for any company whose total revenue in the previous year exceeded €4,400,000. Total revenue includes financial and other income, not just sales.
Article 32 requires the audit contract to be signed by 30 September of the year being audited. If your 2025 revenue crossed the threshold and you have no contract yet, you are already late. Sign one now rather than let it surface when APR checks your March filing. For 2027 the same deadline falls on 30 September 2027, so plan it into next year’s budget if you are growing fast.
The stock count is dated 31 December
The Law on Accounting (Article 20) requires every company keeping double-entry books to count its assets and liabilities and reconcile the books to the count on the balance-sheet date. That covers fixed assets, cash, receivables and payables, not only goods. The count cannot be done after the fact from a spreadsheet in February.
In practice this means a written decision on the count, a committee whose members are not the people responsible for the assets they count, and confirmations of open balances sent to customers and suppliers before year-end. If the company’s only director lives abroad, agree now who in Serbia will sign the count lists.
Unpaid invoices: act before the balance-sheet date
A customer who has not paid is a tax question as well as a cash question. Under Article 16 of the Corporate Income Tax Law:
- a write-down (ispravka vrednosti) of an individual receivable is deductible if at least 60 days have passed between its due date and the end of the tax year. For 2026 that means invoices due on or before 1 November 2026;
- a final write-off (otpis) is deductible only if the receivable was booked as income, is written off as uncollectible, and you can show that you sued, started enforcement, or filed the claim in the debtor’s liquidation or bankruptcy;
- write-downs of receivables from a party to whom you simultaneously owe money are not deductible up to the amount you owe them.
VAT follows a stricter rule: you can reduce output VAT on an unpaid invoice only on the basis of a final court decision closing the debtor’s bankruptcy, or a certified court settlement.
2027 payroll: two numbers change on 1 January
If your company employs staff in Serbia, update the 2027 budget now:
- the minimum wage rises to RSD 405 net per hour from 1 January 2027 (Government decision, Official Gazette RS 75/2026), up from RSD 371;
- the tax-free portion of salary rises from RSD 34,221 to RSD 37,369 per month for a full-time employee. This is now law: the Personal Income Tax Law amendment published in Official Gazette RS 80/2026 applies from 1 January 2027.
Withholding tax is calculated under the rules in force on the day the salary is paid. So a December 2026 salary paid in January 2027 uses the new allowance. Contribution rates do not change: 19.9% from the employee and 15.15% on top for the employer. For the full employer-cost calculation see the 2027 minimum wage and employer cost, or run your own figures in the salary calculator.
What happens in the spring
The regular annual financial statements and the statistical report go to APR by 31 March 2027, together with the notice of size classification. Companies subject to audit add the auditor’s report, the adoption decision and the annual business report by 30 June 2027. The corporate income tax return and tax balance are due within 180 days of year-end. The mechanics are covered in annual financial statements in Serbia and corporate income tax in Serbia.
Profit you intend to distribute to a foreign parent can only be paid once the statements are adopted. If you are planning a dividend for 2027, the timeline and withholding tax are in salary vs dividends.
FAQ
Our company had no activity in 2026. Do we still file? Yes. A company with no business events and no assets or liabilities in its books files a statement of inactivity with APR by 31 March instead of financial statements. It is then treated as a micro entity for the following year.
Can a foreign director sign the year-end filings? Filings with APR are signed with a qualified electronic signature of the legal representative. A director without a Serbian-recognised qualified certificate needs a workable route well before March.
Is the stock count needed if we only sell services? Yes. The count covers all assets and liabilities, including equipment, cash, receivables and payables, not just inventory.
How we help
For foreign-owned companies we run the year-end as a project, not a scramble: size and audit check in autumn, count planning in November, a receivables review in December and payroll updates before the first 2027 salary. See our accounting services in Serbia and pricing, or contact us.
Note: this article is general information based on Serbian law as in force on the date shown. Thresholds are converted at the NBS rate on the balance-sheet date; check your own figures with your accountant or auditor.