Submission of accounting books to Business Register for companies.

In the first months of the year, it is advisable to thoroughly review the accounts of the previous year, reconcile banks, correct any incorrect balance, and in this way, be able to prepare the accounting books and have an early start for the following Corporate Tax.

Legalizing accounting books is a formal obligation established in the Regulations of the Business Register and the General Tax Law, by which the presentation of certain documents related to the accounting of the last financial year and other corporate books is mandatory.

Unlike the annual accounts submitted each year to the Business Register, the accounting books are private information that can’t be downloaded online on the Business Register website.

Who has to submit the accounting books?

All Limited Companies in Spain are required to legalize their accounting books each year. Self-employed people do not have to submit them.

What is the deadline to submit the accounting books to the Business Register?

The submission period is four months following the fiscal year-end close. For most companies, the fiscal year coincides with the year and finishes on December 31. Therefore, the filing deadline ends on April 30.

Kinds of accounting books in Spain

• Journal. In which all the company’s accounting entries appear ordered by date.

• Inventory and Annual Accounts Book. The documents that provide information on the company, its evolution, and its final situation at year-end are shown in the following documents:

– Initial and final balance sheets (January 1 and December 31).

– Profit and loss account. 

– Quarterly balance of sums and balances.

• Other corporate books that must also be submitted to the Business Register are the book of minutes of the General Board and the book of registered shareholders in limited companies.

How are the accounting books submitted to the Business Register?

Although legalizing them on paper in the Business Register of the region where the company has its registered office is still possible, I submit all my clients’ accounting books electronically.

It is necessary to have the Legalia software provided by the Business Register. Set up the general company data and import all the books that must be sent in XLSX or PDF format. Subsequently, with my digital certificate, I send a ZIP file with all the files generated by the Legalia software.

Depending on the date they are submitted and the processing time of each Business Register, in a few days or a few weeks, in the worst case, I will receive notifications with the correct record of the accounting books.

How much does submitting the accounting books to the Business Register cost?

The Business Register charges fees for each presentation. The amount is approximately 30-50 euros, depending on how many books are submitted, which I pay directly to the Business Register. I will include them in my next invoice to each client.