As a flat-rate entrepreneur in Serbia, you pay most of your tax obligations monthly, on the same schedule month after month. It sounds simple, but a single missed 15th of the month triggers interest, reminders and, in the worst case, a freeze on your account. In this article we explain when you pay, how you pay, and exactly what awaits you if you are late.

What is the payment deadline?

The monthly advance payment of tax and contributions is due by the 15th of the month for the previous month. Based on your registration, the Tax Administration determines the fixed monthly amounts you pay throughout the year. In practice this means: the obligation for January is paid by 15 February, for February by 15 March, and so on.

If the 15th falls on a Sunday or a public holiday, the deadline moves to the first following business day. Even so, the safest approach is not to wait until the last day, because the bank needs time to post the payment, and interest accrues from the first day of delay.

What you pay every month

As a flat-rate entrepreneur you have several separate levies that fall due on the same deadline, but go to different payment accounts with different reference numbers:

Tax on income from self-employment (determined on a flat-rate basis)
Contribution for pension and disability insurance (PIO)
Contribution for health insurance
Contribution for unemployment insurance

You will find the exact amounts for the current year in the assessment decision issued to you by the Tax Administration. The amounts are set by the decision and may change from year to year, so always start from your current decision rather than relying on last year’s figures from memory.

How to pay

Payment is a standard cashless transfer, one for each levy. For each item you need the correct payment account, model and reference number from your decision. The most reliable way to see the exact amounts and balance at any moment is the Tax Administration portal.

Log in to the ePorezi portal and check your due obligations and the balance on your tax accounts.
Prepare a payment order for each levy separately, with the correct reference number from the decision.
Pay electronically or at the bank/post office, making sure the payment is posted by the 15th of the month.

Tip: set up a standing order or a reminder each month around the 10th so that you have a few days of buffer. The most common cause of interest is not the inability to pay, but a missed date.

Consequences of late payment and interest

Interest is calculated on every public revenue that is unpaid or not paid on time. Under Art. 75 of the Law on Tax Procedure and Tax Administration, interest is calculated at a rate equal to the annual reference rate of the National Bank of Serbia increased by ten percentage points, using simple interest. The calculation runs starting from the day after the due date, that is, from the 16th of the month.

The simplified formula used in practice is:

Interest = (principal x annual rate x number of days of delay) / 365
Annual rate = NBS reference rate + 10 percentage points

Since the NBS reference rate varies over time, the total interest rate changes as well. Always check the current reference rate with the NBS or on the Tax Administration portal before calculating it yourself. The specific amount of interest you owe is always visible on the ePorezi portal.

If the delay continues, the Tax Administration does not stop at interest. The next steps in the collection procedure are:

A reminder to pay the due obligations
Enforced collection, including a freeze on the business (and personal) account
Collection from the taxpayer’s assets as a last resort

How to avoid unnecessary interest

Interest can be charged even when you think you have settled everything properly, most often because of changes that the Tax Administration has not posted right away (suspension of business activity, employment, change of registered address, request for reposting). That is why it is good to check your tax balance periodically.

Regularly monitor the status of your obligations on the ePorezi portal.
If your business conditions change significantly during the year, submit an amended registration so that the advance payments are adjusted.
If the principal debt is settled, the interest on that basis stops growing, and in justified cases you can submit a request for write-off of interest (with appropriate documentation, with no guarantee that it will be approved).

Key takeaways

The deadline is by the 15th of the month for the previous month’s obligations; if it falls on a non-business day, it moves to the first following business day.
You pay tax and three contributions (PIO, health, unemployment), each to its own account with the reference number from the decision.
Interest accrues from the 16th of the month at the rate: NBS reference rate + 10 percentage points (simple interest).
Late payment is followed by a reminder, an account freeze and enforced collection.
Always check the exact amounts and balance on the ePorezi portal and in your decision.

If you need help keeping track of deadlines or with calculations, get in touch.