Vietnam · Tax & accounting
Corporate income tax and annual finalization in Vietnam
Vietnam taxes company profit at 20 percent, paid quarterly in advance and settled once a year. The annual finalization, filed within 90 days of year-end together with your audited financial statements, is the moment it all comes together. We handle the quarterly payments, the finalization, and the reporting around it.
Overview
How corporate income tax works in Vietnam
Corporate income tax in Vietnam is charged on a company’s profit at a standard rate of 20 percent, under the new CIT Law that took effect in October 2025. A company incorporated in Vietnam is taxed on its worldwide income, and foreign companies earning income from Vietnam are now drawn in too.
Unlike most countries, Vietnam has no quarterly CIT return. You estimate and pay the tax each quarter, then file a single annual finalization that reconciles the year. That finalization is filed within 90 days of the year-end, together with the audited financial statements, which is why corporate tax and the year-end reporting are really one exercise rather than two.
Rates
Corporate income tax rates
A standard 20 percent, with lower rates for smaller companies since 2025.
| Annual revenue (prior year) | CIT rate |
|---|---|
| Up to VND 3 billion | 15% |
| VND 3 billion to 50 billion | 17% |
| Over VND 50 billion (standard) | 20% |
The 15 and 17 percent rates came in with the 2025 CIT Law and are based on the previous year’s revenue, not on ownership. They do not apply to a company that belongs to a larger group which is not itself eligible. Separate incentive rates, as low as 10 percent, apply to qualifying high-tech, R&D, and encouraged projects.
The cycle
Quarterly payments and annual finalization
Vietnam collects corporate tax in advance through the year, then trues it up once. You pay each quarter on that quarter’s results, with no return to file, and reconcile everything in the annual finalization.
| Stage | What it is | When |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly provisional payment | Pay CIT on the quarter’s results, with no return filed | By the 30th of the month after the quarter ends |
| Annual finalization return | The annual CIT return that reconciles the full year | Within 90 days of the year-end (last day of the 3rd month) |
| Balance payment | Settle any CIT owed above the quarterly payments | With the finalization |
The 80 percent rule is the one that catches people. Your four quarterly payments together have to come to at least 80 percent of the final annual tax. Fall short and late-payment interest runs on the shortfall from the fourth-quarter deadline, even if you pay the rest in full at finalization. Late payment otherwise accrues 0.03 percent a day, so the quarterly estimate is worth getting close.
Year-end
The annual finalization and reporting
Within 90 days of the year-end, a foreign-invested company files a single year-end package: the audited financial statements, the CIT finalization return, and the statutory reports that go with them, submitted to the tax office, the statistics office, and the investment licensing authority. The CIT figure is built off the audited accounts, so the audit has to be finished first.
For foreign-invested enterprises this is all electronic now; paper filing is no longer accepted. The personal income tax finalization for your staff falls in the same window, which is why the year-end is best run as one coordinated exercise rather than a scramble of separate deadlines.
The audit, the finalization, and the reports all land in the same 90 days. Let our team run the year-end as one package so nothing is filed late or out of sequence.
How we help
Your corporate tax, handled by Emerhub
The quarterly payments, the finalization, and the year-end around it.
Quarterly provisional CIT
We calculate and pay your quarterly CIT on each quarter’s results, kept above the 80 percent line so no interest builds up.
Annual finalization and reporting
The CIT finalization and the year-end package filed within the 90 days, off the audited accounts the return is built on.
Audit and statements
We close the books to Vietnamese standards and coordinate the independent audit the finalization runs off.
Incentives and treaty planning
Qualifying incentive rates, expense deductibility, and double-tax treaty relief applied before the year-end so the result is the planned one.
Common questions
Corporate income tax questions
What company owners in Vietnam ask most.
What is the corporate income tax rate in Vietnam?
The standard rate is 20 percent of profit. Since the 2025 CIT Law, smaller companies pay 15 percent if their prior-year revenue was up to VND 3 billion, and 17 percent if it was between VND 3 billion and VND 50 billion. Qualifying incentive projects can be as low as 10 percent.
When is the annual CIT return due?
Within 90 days of the year-end, the last day of the third month after the year closes. For a 31 December year-end, that is the end of March. It is filed together with the audited financial statements.
Are there quarterly CIT returns?
No. Vietnam has no quarterly return: you estimate and pay the tax each quarter, due by the 30th of the month after the quarter ends, with no filing. The full year is reconciled in the annual finalization.
What is the 80 percent rule?
The four quarterly payments together have to be at least 80 percent of the final annual CIT. If they fall short, late-payment interest runs on the shortfall from the fourth-quarter deadline, even if you pay the balance at finalization on time.
What is the late-payment interest rate?
0.03 percent of the unpaid tax per day. It applies both to amounts paid after a deadline and, under the 80 percent rule, to any quarterly shortfall once the year is finalized.
Do I need an audit?
Yes. Foreign-invested enterprises must have their financial statements audited by a licensed Vietnamese firm each year, and the audited statements are filed together with the CIT finalization.
What rate applies to incentive projects?
Specific projects in high-tech, R&D, encouraged industries, or designated geographies can qualify for incentive rates, with the lowest being 10 percent. These are project-based, not company-wide, and need to be confirmed against the investment registration and the current CIT Law.
What are the penalties for getting it wrong?
Late payment accrues interest at 0.03 percent a day, an 80 percent shortfall draws interest from the fourth-quarter deadline, and a late finalization carries an administrative fine. Filing is now electronic only for foreign-invested companies.
On the ground in Vietnam
Talk to our Ho Chi Minh City team
Tell us your financial year-end and roughly where your profit sits. Our HCMC team will handle the quarterly CIT payments, the audited finalization, and the year-end reports, filed with the tax office and the licensing authority on time.