I filed the wrong tax return. What can I do about it?

Chapters of the article

• Two variants of tax correction
• Penalties and fines for incorrectly calculated and paid tax
• Late or forgotten tax returns
• When can I file an additional return?

Two variants of tax correction

When you discover the miscalculation is crucial. If you discover the miscalculation before the filing deadline. This simplifies the whole process considerably. You file a corrected tax return and the original return is no longer taken into account. It won’t cost you an extra penny, and you can even do this several times.

However, if you discover the error in April, for example, and the deadline for filing your return was the end of March, things won’t be quite so simple. But of course, there is a remedy. If you have paid less (or even more) tax than you should have, you can make an additional correction.

Both the correction and the additional return are filed on the same form as the regular return. You fill in the form again, only this time you enter everything correctly.

On the first page, you need to mark that it is a supplementary return. In addition, you need to state the reasons why you are filing it. If a difference in tax arises as a result of this additional return, you can expect to pay a penalty which will be calculated on the difference between the tax paid (or previously calculated) and the tax currently calculated.

If you have paid too much tax, it is not necessary to file a supplemental return. Rather, it is up to you. If you do, you have the right to claim a refund of the overpayment of tax, up to 3 years after the deadline for filing a proper tax return. The tax office should return it to you within 30 days of filing the additional tax return.

Penalties and fines for incorrectly calculated and paid tax

Penalties arise in cases where the tax administrator discovers that the taxpayer’s declared tax calculation is incorrect and the correct amount of tax is different. The penalty is in fact a punishment for the incorrectly calculated tax. If you yourself file (in time) a supplementary tax return or a supplementary tax assessment, you are not liable to pay a penalty on the amount shown in the return.

The amount of the penalty varies depending on whether there has been an increase in tax, a reduction in the tax deduction or a reduction in the tax loss. Specifically:

• 20% of the amount of the increase in tax,
• 20% in the case of a reduction in the tax deduction,
• 1% in the case of a reduction in the tax loss.

Late or forgotten tax returns

You will pay a penalty if you are late filing your return. It starts from the 6th working day of the delay, at the rate of 0.05% of the tax or tax deduction per day (0.01% for tax losses). However, the maximum amount of the penalty will not exceed 5% of the amount due (or CZK 300,000). If the fine is less than CZK 1 000, the tax authority will forgive it. For higher amounts, the tax office will send you a payment order.

Penalties also apply for late payment of tax. From the fourth day after the due date, interest on late payment starts to accrue, which is based on the repo rate set by the CNB. Even in this case, the state administration will forgive the penalty if its annual amount does not exceed CZK 1,000.

Don’t despair if the tax authority assesses you a penalty. You can still try to apply for a waiver.

If you file your return late, but the tax calculated is less than CZK 200, there is no penalty. However, if you don’t file a return at all, you could face a penalty of between CZK 500 and CZK 300,000. In addition, for each day you are late, you may be charged a penalty of 0.05-5% of the tax due or interest on late payment.

Interest on late payment is calculated on the basis of the annual repo rate set by the Czech National Bank plus 14 percentage points. For example, if the CNB repo rate on 1 July 2021 was 2%, then after adding 14 percentage points, the interest rate would be 16%.

When can I file a supplementary return?

You should file a supplementary tax return no later than the end of the month following the month in which you discovered the error. So if you find out about the error on 20 August, the deadline is the end of September. In addition, you could face a penalty of up to 5% of the tax assessed if you do not file on time. In addition, you are liable to pay interest for late payment of tax.

However, the tax office, which initiated the tax audit and discovered the error itself, can draw a line under your budget. In this case, you cannot file a supplementary return.