After reading this article, sellers will learn

  • ✅ When to register a business and when only tax registration is needed
  • ✅ Differentiate between household declaration and household tax assessment
  • ✅ Types of business: offline, online, asset rental
  • ✅ Regulations on accounting regimes for businesses from 2026

1. Do I need a business registration to sell online?

Case 1: Selling only online (no physical store)

According to regulations: Business registration is not mandatory, but tax registration is required.

If you:

  • Sell goods via Facebook, Zalo, TikTok
  • Sell on e-commerce platforms (Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop)
  • Do not have a fixed business location

→ You need to go to the Tax Department in your place of residence to register for tax. Your tax identification number will be your Citizen Identity Card number.

Important Note

Although regulations do not mandate business registration, some local Tax Departments still require a business license before tax registration.

Recommendation: Contact the Tax Department in your place of residence directly to inquire before proceeding.

Case 2: Having a physical store or business location

Business registration is mandatory at the Commune/Ward People's Committee where the business location is situated.

Process:

  1. Submit the household business registration application at the Commune/Ward People's Committee
  2. Receive the Household Business Registration Certificate (with a household business code)
  3. This code is also the tax identification number for the household business

Case 3: Asset rental (house, car, equipment...)

Business registration is not mandatory, only tax registration is required.

However, similar to online sales, some localities may have different requirements.

2. What's the difference between household declaration and household tax assessment?

These are two different methods for calculating taxes for household businesses:

Criteria Household Declaration Household Tax Assessment
Subject Revenue > 500 million VND/year Revenue ≤ 500 million VND/year
Tax Calculation Method Self-declare actual revenue Tax authority determines a fixed tax amount
Tax Declaration Period Monthly or quarterly Annually (receive notification from tax authorities)
Invoices Must use electronic invoices Not mandatory
Accounting Books Must keep records Simpler
Digital Signature Required Not mandatory

Example: Ms. Lan sells cosmetics

Situation 1: Ms. Lan sells online via Facebook, with revenue of about 300 million VND/year. → Ms. Lan falls into the household tax assessment category or declares on a per-transaction basis.

Situation 2: Ms. Lan opens a shop, with revenue of 800 million VND/year. → Ms. Lan falls into the household declaration category, must declare taxes quarterly, and use electronic invoices.

3. What about selling through e-commerce platforms?

When you sell on e-commerce platforms with payment functionality (Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop...), the platform will:

  • ✅ Deduct taxes directly from each order
  • ✅ Pay taxes on your behalf to the state treasury

This means: For the revenue that has been deducted by the platform, you do not need to declare taxes again.

But note:

If you sell both through platforms and outside of platforms (Facebook, Zalo, your own website...), then:

  • Portion deducted by the platform → No need to declare
  • Portion sold outside the platform → Must declare taxes yourself

❓ Question: If annual revenue is less than 500 million VND, can the deducted tax be refunded?

If your total annual revenue is less than 500 million VND (exempt from tax), but taxes were deducted by the platform during the year → There is no specific guidance yet on tax refunds; new circulars need to be awaited.

4. Accounting regulations for businesses from 2026

Key New Points

From 2026, businesses must implement accounting regimes (keep records), depending on the revenue group:

Group Revenue/year Number of Accounting Books
Group 1 ≤ 500 million VND 1 type of book (revenue book)
Group 2 > 500 million - 3 billion VND 1 type of book
Group 3, 4 > 3 billion VND 4 types of books

Good news: The accounting regime for businesses is very simple and not as complex as for companies. You don't need to understand debits/credits or accounting principles to do it.

Do businesses have to submit financial statements?

No. Financial statements only apply to companies/enterprises.

5. Who can do accounting for businesses?

According to regulations, the following individuals are permitted to do accounting for businesses:

  • ✅ Business owner
  • ✅ Parent, spouse, child, sibling of the business owner
  • ✅ Manager or operator at the business
  • ✅ Warehouse keeper, cashier (concurrently)
  • ✅ External accountant or accounting service provider

In other words: Almost anyone can do accounting for a business, as long as the owner agrees.

6. Opening a bank account for a business

If you have a business license:

Bring your Household Business Registration Certificate to the bank to open an account in the name of the household business.

If you only have tax registration (online sales):

Bring your Tax Registration Certificate to the bank to open an account.

Checklist: Starting your business correctly

  • Determine business type: Online sales / Physical store / Asset rental
  • Contact the local Tax Department to inquire about registration requirements
  • Register business (if required) at the Commune/Ward People's Committee
  • Register for tax and obtain a tax ID number
  • Open a separate bank account for the business
  • Learn about tax declaration obligations (read the next article)

Common Mistakes

  1. Thinking that selling online requires no registration → Incorrect! Tax registration is still required.

  2. Using a personal account for business → It is advisable to open a separate account for easier management and transparency when tax authorities conduct inspections.

  3. Not keeping purchase invoices → If you are a household declaring taxes, you need invoices to prove deductible expenses.

  4. Overlooking revenue from sales outside platforms → Platforms only deduct taxes for sales made on the platform; you must declare the remaining portion yourself.

7. Summary

Selling goods online or offline is always associated with tax obligations and financial management responsibilities. Understanding when to register a business, when only tax registration is needed, and grasping the current tax management methods will help sellers avoid legal risks and operate their businesses more sustainably. In the context of increasingly popular multi-channel sales, manual management of orders, revenue, and cash flow can easily lead to errors. GTG CRM supports sellers in centrally managing orders from various channels such as e-commerce platforms, social networks, and proprietary sales channels, while also aggregating revenue and generating reports for tracking and tax declaration. This is a solution that helps sellers operate effectively and comply with current regulations.

GTG CRM helps you manage orders from multiple sales channels (Shopee, Lazada, Facebook...) in one place, automatically calculate revenue, and generate reports for tax declaration. Learn more →

Turn what you've just read into real results — apply it now with GTG CRM, for free.

Apply Now