Major Overhaul to Slovakia’s VAT Return: What You Need to Know This Filing Period
From 1 July 2025, Slovakia has rolled out its first major VAT return update in more than four years. The new DPHv25 form replaces the previous format and adds a third page, along with dedicated fields for reporting import VAT. These include separate boxes for output VAT and input VAT when using the reverse charge mechanism.
If you file your VAT returns monthly in Slovakia, you’ll be using this new form for your August 2025 submission, with quarterly filers seeing the change later this year.
Why this matters for businesses
Slovakia’s new VAT return form highlights a broader issue across Europe: tax authorities regularly update forms, filing platforms, and reporting requirements with little notice. Whilst sometimes these updates can seem minor with just one new box on the form, behind the scenes, they often require adjustments to data extraction, field mapping, and reconciliation.
For example, Romania is likely to introduce updates to its VAT return and control statement soon, following recent changes to VAT rates that came into force from 1 August 2025. These updates may add new boxes to accommodate revised reporting requirements. Preparing for Slovakia’s changes is therefore not just about a single jurisdiction it’s about ensuring VAT determination and compliance processes are flexible enough to handle future updates in multiple countries without disruption.
Common challenges businesses face
Adapting to new VAT forms can be disruptive. Companies often encounter:
- Time-consuming system updates
- Staff training needs
- Manual checks to ensure data accuracy
- Risk of errors or delays in filings
Even minor updates can temporarily slow down reporting processes, divert resources from core business priorities or even result in failed compliance reporting.
A smoother way to handle change
For organisations with adaptable VAT determination and compliance processes, these updates don’t have to interrupt operations. Having a comprehensive VAT compliance solution ensures that when a country updates a VAT form or platform, the changes are reflected in the underlying tax logic and reporting setup so filings continue without interruption or any effort on your tax team.
This is where Meridian’s ARCO Compliance Solution comes in. ARCO is designed to make VAT form changes seamless and automated. Key benefits include:
- Automatic form updates: When a country updates its VAT forms or introduces new reporting fields, ARCO ensures these changes are immediately reflected in your system.
- Data mapping and validation: Import VAT, reverse charge fields, and other new requirements are automatically mapped to existing transaction data, eliminating manual intervention.
- Ongoing monitoring: ARCO continuously tracks VAT reporting requirements across all supported jurisdictions, so you’re always ready for updates like in Slovakia, Romania, or elsewhere.
- Minimal disruption: Tax teams no longer need to spend hours reconfiguring systems or double-checking data. Compliance is maintained without slowing down business operations.
The Slovakia example illustrates this clearly. With the Meridian ARCO Solution, the new DPHv25 fields for import VAT can be automatically populated from existing transaction data, mapped correctly in the return, and submitted through the updated platform seamlessly. Similarly, upcoming changes in Romania or other European jurisdictions can be handled in the same way, with minimal disruption to your finance and tax teams.
Keeping pace with evolving VAT requirements is an ongoing challenge. The key is having processes that adapt as quickly as the rules do. This ensures that VAT form updates remain just updates, not blockers.
If you’d like to simplify VAT compliance and remove the burden of constant change from your team, get in touch with Meridian to see how ARCO Compliance can work for your business.