Even with no activity in the quarter, the form generally still has to be filed showing a nil result.
In practice, the 303 is filled in from your VAT record books: the invoices you issued, with their taxable base and the VAT charged, and the invoices you received for business expenses and investments. If the VAT charged exceeds the VAT paid, you pay the difference. If it is the other way round, the balance in your favour is carried forward to later quarters and, in the last quarter of the year, you can choose between carrying it forward or claiming a refund.
A typical mistake is deducting VAT from simplified receipts that do not identify your business, or from expenses unrelated to your activity. Another common slip is forgetting a supplier invoice that arrived late: if you are still within the period set by the rules, you can deduct it in a later quarter instead of losing it. Ticking direct debit after its cut-off date has passed is also frequent.
The 303 is related to the census declaration, which sets your VAT regime, to the annual VAT summary, to domiciliación bancaria and to the sede electrónica, where it is filed. In kontora the 303 is prepared casilla by casilla from your Verifactu invoices and your accounts, with deadline reminders so you file on time.
Guides that use this term
- How to fill in the modelo 303 box by box: a practical 2026 guide with a worked example
- Modelo 303: the Spanish quarterly VAT return, explained
- Quarterly tax returns for the self-employed in Spain: which forms you file each quarter and by when
- Factura rectificativa (corrective invoice) in Spain: when it is mandatory, how to issue it and how to report it on the modelo 303
- Deferring or splitting a tax payment to Hacienda in Spain: how to apply, what can be deferred and what it costs
Related terms
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