Amidst the booming e-commerce sector in Vietnam, tax management for online businesses is becoming increasingly stringent. On March 9th, the Tax Department held a press conference to announce new regulations under Government Decree 68/2026/ND-CP and Circular 18/2026/TT-BTC of the Ministry of Finance. These are important changes that all businesses operating on e-commerce platforms need to understand in order to comply with the law.

In particular, one of the most noteworthy points is the mandatory issuance of electronic invoices for businesses with annual revenue of 1 billion VND or more. This marks a significant step forward in increasing transparency in online business operations and ensuring consumer rights.

New regulations on revenue thresholds and tax declarations.

Decree 68/2026/ND-CP clearly defines revenue levels and corresponding tax obligations. For business households with annual revenue under 500 million VND, they need to report actual revenue and declare taxes using form 01/TKN-CNKD, submitting it to the tax authority no later than January 31st of the following year.

Ms. Pham Thi Minh Hien, Deputy Head of the International Tax Policy Department of the Tax Department, emphasized a new point in this decree: the mandatory requirement for business households to notify the tax authorities of their bank account numbers or e-wallet numbers. This helps tax authorities monitor the flow of money more closely.

For household businesses with annual revenue ranging from over 500 million VND to 3 billion VND, they can choose to apply the personal income tax calculation method based on a percentage of revenue, declaring and paying taxes quarterly. However, those with revenue exceeding 3 billion VND or who choose to calculate tax based on actual income will have to follow a more complex declaration process, with monthly or quarterly provisional tax payments depending on the scale of their revenue.

The obligation to issue electronic invoices is limited to a threshold of 1 billion VND.

According to the new regulations, businesses with taxable value-added tax revenue of 1 billion VND or more per year are required to use electronic invoices. This is an unavoidable legal obligation to ensure transparency in commercial transactions and protect consumer rights.

For businesses with multiple locations, invoices will use a single tax identification number, but the address of each business location must be clearly stated on the invoice. This helps avoid confusion and ensures accuracy in tax declarations.

A special case to note is that newly established businesses or those with previous year's revenue below 1 billion VND but whose revenue in the current year reaches 1 billion VND or more must register to use electronic invoices within 30 days from the last day of the tax period in which their cumulative revenue reached this threshold.

The tax authorities are also studying a specific mechanism for applying invoices to business households in traditional markets with revenue exceeding 1 billion VND. The goal is to ensure compliance with invoice regulations while remaining consistent with the transaction characteristics of this area.

Mechanism for authorizing invoicing on e-commerce platforms.

One of the issues of concern for many online businesses is the authorization of e-commerce platforms to issue invoices. According to Circular 32/2025/TT-BTC, businesses can fully authorize e-commerce platforms to issue invoices for sales transactions and services provided on the platform.

When authorization occurs, the e-commerce platform is responsible for notifying the tax authorities. The electronic invoice will show full information of both parties, including the name, address, and tax identification number of both the seller and the e-commerce platform. In practice, this mechanism has already been implemented on several large platforms when sellers authorize the platform.

Representatives from the Tax Department affirmed that, according to Decree 70 on invoices and supporting documents, when a sale of goods or provision of services occurs, the seller must issue an invoice in accordance with the law. Therefore, for individuals and business households selling goods on e-commerce platforms with annual revenue of 1 billion VND or more, issuing and issuing invoices is a mandatory obligation that cannot be refused.

Currently, the tax authorities are working closely with e-commerce platforms and the E-commerce Tax Department to widely implement the invoice authorization mechanism. The goal is to provide maximum convenience for sellers in complying with regulations on invoices and documents when doing business on e-commerce platforms.

Future direction

The regulatory agency is drafting amendments to the Decree on invoices and supporting documents, including regulations on lump-sum invoices and cases where invoices are not required. This aims to resolve practical difficulties and create a legal framework that is more suitable to the specific characteristics of each type of business.

Tightening tax management and mandating electronic invoicing not only helps the State manage revenue more effectively but also creates a transparent and fair business environment for all businesses. Consumers also have better protection of their rights when they have complete invoices and documents for each purchase transaction.

For businesses operating on e-commerce platforms, understanding and complying with new regulations is not only a legal obligation but also a way to build credibility and achieve sustainable growth in the increasingly fierce competitive environment of e-commerce.