Not tax advice. Computation tools only. Have a professional review before filing.
openaccountants/skills/costa-rica-iva.md
costa-rica-iva.md429 lines16.8 KB
v20
1---
2name: costa-rica-iva
3description: Use this skill whenever asked to prepare, review, or classify transactions for a Costa Rica IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) return or advise on Costa Rican VAT registration, filing, and Hacienda compliance. Trigger on phrases like "prepare IVA return Costa Rica", "Costa Rica VAT", "IVA Costa Rica", "Hacienda", "CÉDULA jurídica", or any Costa Rica IVA request. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any Costa Rica IVA work.
4version: 2.0
5jurisdiction: CR
6tax_year: 2025
7category: international
8depends_on:
9 - vat-workflow-base
10---
11 
12# Costa Rica IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) Skill v2.0
13 
14---
15 
16## Section 1 — Quick reference
17 
18| Field | Value |
19|---|---|
20| Country | Costa Rica (República de Costa Rica) |
21| Tax | IVA — Impuesto al Valor Agregado (effective July 2019, replacing historic sales tax) |
22| Currency | CRC (Costa Rican Colón — ₡) |
23| Standard rate | 13% |
24| Reduced rates | 4% (private medical services and medicines); 2% (private educational services, agricultural inputs); 1% (basic food basket — canasta básica — specified items) |
25| Zero rate | 0% (exports of goods and services) |
26| Exempt | Public education, public healthcare, financial services, insurance, residential rent (≤ ₡750,000/month), international transport |
27| Registration threshold | No threshold — any business making taxable supplies in Costa Rica must register |
28| Tax authority | Ministerio de Hacienda (DGT — Dirección General de Tributación) |
29| Filing portal | ATV (Administración Tributaria Virtual) — https://www.hacienda.go.cr |
30| Return form | Declaración del IVA (Form D-104) |
31| Filing frequency | Monthly |
32| Deadline | 15th of the following month |
33| e-Invoice | Factura Electrónica mandatory (sistema Hacienda XML v4.3) |
34| Cédula jurídica | Costa Rican company taxpayer ID (e.g., 3-101-123456) |
35| Contributor | Open Accountants Community |
36| Validated by | Pending — requires sign-off by Costa Rica-licensed CPA (Contador Público Autorizado) |
37| Skill version | 2.0 |
38 
39### Key D-104 fields
40 
41| Field | Meaning |
42|---|---|
43| Línea 1 | Taxable sales at 13% (net) |
44| Línea 2 | Taxable sales at 4% (net) |
45| Línea 3 | Taxable sales at 2% (net) |
46| Línea 4 | Taxable sales at 1% (net) |
47| Línea 5 | Export sales (0%) |
48| Línea 6 | Exempt sales |
49| Línea 7 | Total IVA débito fiscal (output) |
50| Línea 8 | IVA crédito fiscal on purchases 13% |
51| Línea 9 | IVA crédito fiscal on purchases 4%/2%/1% |
52| Línea 10 | Net IVA payable (7 − 8 − 9; if positive) |
53| Línea 11 | Remanente crédito fiscal (excess credit c/f) |
54 
55### Conservative defaults
56 
57| Ambiguity | Default |
58|---|---|
59| Unknown rate on a sale | 13% standard |
60| Unknown whether 4% medical rate applies | 13% until confirmed |
61| Unknown whether canasta básica 1% applies | 1% only if item is on official DGT list |
62| Unknown whether export documentation complete | Treat as domestic 13% |
63| Unknown business-use % (vehicle, phone, home) | 0% input credit |
64| Unknown whether Factura Electrónica issued | No input credit until confirmed |
65| Foreign digital service (B2B) | 13% — buyer self-assesses if provider not registered in CR |
66 
67### Red flag thresholds
68 
69| Threshold | Value |
70|---|---|
71| HIGH single transaction | CRC 50,000,000 |
72| HIGH tax delta on single conservative default | CRC 6,500,000 |
73| MEDIUM counterparty concentration | >40% of output or input |
74| MEDIUM conservative default count | >4 per return |
75| LOW absolute net IVA position | CRC 100,000,000 |
76 
77---
78 
79## Section 2 — Required inputs and refusal catalogue
80 
81### Required inputs
82 
83Before starting any Costa Rica IVA work, obtain:
84 
851. Cédula jurídica (company) or cédula física (individual) and Hacienda registration
862. Monthly bank statements in CRC and USD (many businesses operate in both)
873. Facturas Electrónicas issued (XML from Hacienda system — key: clave numérica 50 digits)
884. Facturas Electrónicas received (XML or PDF with clave numérica)
895. Prior month D-104 (for remanente crédito fiscal)
906. Import declarations for imported goods
917. Details of exempt activities (residential rent, financial services)
92 
93### Refusal catalogue
94 
95Refuse and escalate to a CPA for:
96- Prorrata (partial exemption for mixed taxable/exempt businesses)
97- IVA on real estate sales (complex — only taxable if developer)
98- Régimen de Tributación Simplificada — separate simplified regime
99- IVA on financial instruments and leasing
100- Free trade zone (Zonas Francas) — exempt from IVA
101- Non-resident digital service provider registration
102 
103---
104 
105## Section 3 — Supplier pattern library
106 
107### 3.1 Banking and financial services
108 
109| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
110|---|---|---|---|
111| Banco Nacional de Costa Rica (BNCR) | Bank fees, transfers | Exempt | No |
112| Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) | Account fees, corporate banking | Exempt | No |
113| BAC Credomatic | Commercial banking | Exempt | No |
114| Scotiabank Costa Rica | Business banking | Exempt | No |
115| Davivienda CR | Banking services | Exempt | No |
116| Promerica | Regional banking | Exempt | No |
117| SINPE Móvil (BNCR) | P2P payments | Exempt | No |
118| PayRetailers | Payment gateway | 13% | Yes |
119| Cuentas Simples / ePagos CR | Digital payments | 13% | Yes |
120 
121### 3.2 Electricity, water, and utilities
122 
123| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
124|---|---|---|---|
125| ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad) | Electricity + telecom | 13% | Yes (business) |
126| CNFL (Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz) | Electricity — San José metro | 13% | Yes (business) |
127| ESPH (Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia) | Electricity/water — Heredia | 13% | Yes |
128| AYA (Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados) | Water — national | 13% | Yes (business) |
129| JASEC (Junta Administrativa de Servicios Eléctricos) | Electricity — Cartago | 13% | Yes |
130 
131### 3.3 Telecommunications
132 
133| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
134|---|---|---|---|
135| ICE / Kölbi | Mobile, broadband (state operator) | 13% | Yes (business use) |
136| Claro Costa Rica | Mobile, internet | 13% | Yes (business use) |
137| Movistar Costa Rica | Mobile, ADSL | 13% | Yes (business use) |
138| Liberty Costa Rica (formerly CableTica) | Cable TV, internet | 13% | Yes (business) |
139| Tigo Business CR | Enterprise connectivity | 13% | Yes |
140 
141### 3.4 Transport and travel
142 
143| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
144|---|---|---|---|
145| LACSA / Avianca Costa Rica | Domestic / international flights | 0% (international) | No |
146| Nature Air / Skyway CR | Domestic feeder flights | 13% | Yes |
147| SANSA (domestic) | Domestic air | 13% | Yes |
148| INCOFER (train) | San José suburban train | Exempt | No |
149| Bus (SACSA, TUAN) | Intercity bus | Exempt | No |
150| Uber Costa Rica | Ride-hailing | 13% | Yes (business use) |
151| InDriver CR | Ride-hailing | 13% | Yes |
152 
153### 3.5 Fuel
154 
155| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
156|---|---|---|---|
157| RECOPE (Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo) | Fuel at stations — DELTA, PUMA, etc. | 13% | Yes (business vehicles) |
158| PUMA Energy CR | Fuel | 13% | Yes |
159| Delta (RECOPE distributor) | Fuel stations | 13% | Yes |
160 
161### 3.6 Logistics and courier
162 
163| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
164|---|---|---|---|
165| Correos de Costa Rica | State postal | 13% | Yes |
166| DHL Costa Rica | International courier | 0% (export) / 13% (domestic) | Yes |
167| FedEx Costa Rica | International courier | 0% / 13% | Yes |
168| Aerocasillas | Miami-San José parcel service | 13% | Yes |
169| Jetbox (Ocaso) | International parcel service | 13% | Yes |
170 
171### 3.7 Retail and office supplies
172 
173| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
174|---|---|---|---|
175| Walmart / Maxi Palí | Supermarket — mixed | 13%/1% mixed | Partial |
176| AutoMercado | Premium grocery | 13%/1% mixed | Partial |
177| Supermercados BM | Grocery | Mixed | Partial |
178| Office Depot CR | Office supplies | 13% | Yes |
179| Importaciones Mundiales | Hardware, office | 13% | Yes |
180| Farmacia Fischel / Sucre | Pharmacy — medicines (4%) | 4% | Yes |
181 
182### 3.8 Software and digital services
183 
184| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
185|---|---|---|---|
186| Soft Expert (Sistemas) | ERP for SMEs | 13% | Yes |
187| CONTPAQi CR | Accounting software | 13% | Yes |
188| Alegra CR | Cloud invoicing | 13% | Yes |
189| FacturaDirecta | e-Invoice SaaS | 13% | Yes |
190| Microsoft CR (Azure, M365) | Cloud — B2B | 13% (CR-registered or reverse-charge) | Yes |
191| Google CR (Workspace, Ads) | Digital — B2B | 13% | Yes |
192| Zoom CR | Video — B2B | 13% | Yes |
193| AWS CR (Amazon) | Cloud — B2B | 13% | Yes |
194 
195### 3.9 Professional services
196 
197| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
198|---|---|---|---|
199| CPA (Contador Público Autorizado) | Accounting, audit, tax | 13% | Yes |
200| Firma de abogados | Legal services | 13% | Yes |
201| Agencia de publicidad | Advertising | 13% | Yes |
202| Consultora empresarial | Consulting | 13% | Yes |
203| Notaría | Notarial services | 13% | Yes |
204 
205### 3.10 Medical and insurance
206 
207| Supplier | Typical description | IVA rate | Input credit |
208|---|---|---|---|
209| CCSS (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) | Public healthcare | Exempt | No |
210| Private clinic / hospital | Private medical | 4% | Yes |
211| Pharmacy (medicines) | Prescription and OTC | 4% | Yes |
212| INS (Instituto Nacional de Seguros) | Insurance | Exempt | No |
213| ASSA CR | Private insurance | Exempt | No |
214 
215---
216 
217## Section 4 — Worked examples
218 
219### Example 1 — Standard IVA on consulting
220 
221**Scenario:** San José consulting firm issues Factura Electrónica to Costa Rican corporate.
222 
223**Bank statement line (Banco Nacional format):**
224```
225Fecha : 15/04/2025
226Tipo : Crédito — SINPE / Transferencia
227Descripción : TECH SA — FACT ELECT 50401012500310100010100000123456789 HONORARIOS
228Monto : ₡14.700.000,00
229```
230 
231**Working:**
232- Factura Electrónica: net ₡13,000,000 + IVA 13% ₡1,690,000 = ₡14,690,000 (rounding note)
233- Return entry: Línea 1 — ₡13,000,000 | Output IVA: ₡1,690,000
234 
235*Note: CRC amounts use comma for decimal: ₡14.700.000,00 = CRC 14,700,000.00*
236 
237---
238 
239### Example 2 — Canasta básica (1% rate)
240 
241**Scenario:** Office buys basic food for staff cafetería at Walmart.
242 
243**Bank statement line (BCR format):**
244```
245Fecha : 10/04/2025
246Tipo : Débito — POS
247Descripción : WALMART CR — MAXI PALI HEREDIA
248Monto : -₡850.000,00
249```
250 
251**Working:**
252- Walmart receipt: rice, beans, eggs, oil = ₡600,000 × 1% = ₡5,941 IVA; other items ₡250,000 × 13% = ₡28,761 IVA
253- Total IVA: ₡34,702 — partial input credit on business items
254- Canasta básica items: only those on DGT official list qualify for 1%
255 
256---
257 
258### Example 3 — ICE electricity + telecom
259 
260**Scenario:** Company pays ICE for office electricity and internet bundle.
261 
262**Bank statement line (BAC Credomatic format):**
263```
264Fecha : 25/04/2025
265Tipo : Débito Automático
266Descripción : ICE — FACTURA CONJUNTA ELECTRICIDAD + INTERNET — ABRIL 2025
267Monto : -₡1.130.000,00
268```
269 
270**Working:**
271- ICE Factura Electrónica: electricity net ₡800,000 + IVA 13% ₡104,000; internet net ₡200,000 + IVA 13% ₡26,000 = Total ₡1,130,000
272- 100% business use — full input credit ₡130,000
273- Return entry: Línea 8 — ₡1,000,000 net; crédito fiscal: ₡130,000
274 
275---
276 
277### Example 4 — Export of services (0%)
278 
279**Scenario:** Costa Rican IT company exports software services to US client — USD wire.
280 
281**Bank statement line (Scotiabank format):**
282```
283Fecha : 20/04/2025
284Tipo : Crédito ME — Transferencia Internacional
285Descripción : US CLIENT LLC — SOFTWARE DEV SERVICES Q1 2025
286Monto : ₡25.350.000,00 (USD 50.000)
287```
288 
289**Working:**
290- Export of service consumed outside Costa Rica — 0% IVA
291- Issue Factura Electrónica de Exportación (tipo 09)
292- Return entry: Línea 5 — ₡25,350,000 | IVA: ₡0
293 
294---
295 
296### Example 5 — Private medical service (4%)
297 
298**Scenario:** Company pays for employee health screening at private clinic.
299 
300**Bank statement line (BNCR format):**
301```
302Fecha : 08/04/2025
303Tipo : Débito — Pago Electrónico
304Descripción : CLINICA BIBLICA SA — CHEQUEO MEDICO EMPRESARIAL ABR 2025
305Monto : -₡2.080.000,00
306```
307 
308**Working:**
309- Private clinic Factura Electrónica: net ₡2,000,000 + IVA 4% ₡80,000 = ₡2,080,000
310- Input credit: ₡80,000 (business health programme — documented)
311- Return entry: Línea 9 (crédito fiscal 4%): ₡80,000
312 
313---
314 
315### Example 6 — Monthly return summary
316 
317**Scenario:** Services company — April 2025.
318 
319| Item | Net (CRC) | IVA (CRC) |
320|---|---|---|
321| Domestic sales 13% | 100,000,000 | 13,000,000 |
322| Export sales (0%) | 25,000,000 | 0 |
323| Exempt sales | 5,000,000 | 0 |
324| Total Output | 130,000,000 | 13,000,000 |
325| Input purchases 13% | 50,000,000 | 6,500,000 |
326| Input medical 4% | 2,000,000 | 80,000 |
327| Total Input | 52,000,000 | 6,580,000 |
328| **Net IVA payable** | | **6,420,000** |
329 
330---
331 
332## Section 5 — Tier 1 rules (compressed)
333 
334**Rate assignment:**
335- 13%: standard for most goods and services
336- 4%: private medical and dental services, medicines (prescription and OTC)
337- 2%: private educational services (tuition), agricultural inputs
338- 1%: canasta básica — specific list of basic food items (DGT Resolución MH-DGT-RES-0024-2019)
339- 0%: exports of goods and services
340- Exempt: public education, public health (CCSS), financial services, insurance, residential rent ≤ ₡750,000/month, public transport, international transport
341 
342**Input credit:**
343- Credit at the rate paid on each purchase, for purchases used in taxable activities
344- Must have Factura Electrónica with clave numérica (50 digits)
345- Prorrata if mixed taxable/exempt business — escalate to CPA
346- Residential rent: provider must monitor rent threshold; above ₡750,000/month = taxable at 13%
347 
348**Filing mechanics:**
349- File Form D-104 monthly via ATV portal by 15th of following month
350- All B2B sales require Factura Electrónica (XML v4.3, transmitted to Hacienda in real time)
351- Remanente crédito fiscal carries forward indefinitely; refund rare in practice
352 
353---
354 
355## Section 6 — Tier 2 catalogue (genuinely data-unknowable items)
356 
357| Item | Why unknowable | What to ask |
358|---|---|---|
359| Canasta básica (1%) | Only specific items on DGT list qualify — must check item-by-item | "What is the exact food product? Check against DGT Resolución 0024-2019 list." |
360| Residential rent rate | Exempt if ≤ ₡750,000/month; 13% if above | "What is the monthly rent amount? Provide lease agreement." |
361| Medical rate (4%) | Only licensed medical services qualify | "Is this a licensed health professional service? Or wellness/cosmetic?" |
362| Agriculture rate (2%) | Only agricultural inputs on approved list | "What is the input? Is it for direct agricultural production?" |
363| Vehicle — business vs personal | Input credit only for business use | "Is vehicle in company name? % business use?" |
364| Foreign digital service | Provider may be Hacienda-registered (charges 13%) or not (buyer must self-assess) | "Has the foreign provider registered with Hacienda? Do they issue a CR Factura?" |
365 
366---
367 
368## Section 7 — Excel working paper
369 
370**Columns:** Date | Supplier/Customer | Cédula | Clave numérica | Net (CRC) | IVA Rate % | IVA (CRC) | In/Out | Export? | Exempt? | Tier 2 flag | Notes
371 
372**Tab structure:**
3731. `Output_Sales` — Facturas Electrónicas issued
3742. `Input_Purchases` — Facturas Electrónicas received
3753. `D104_Summary` — monthly return totals
3764. `Tier2_Items` — awaiting client response
377 
378---
379 
380## Section 8 — Bank statement reading guide
381 
382### Banco Nacional (BNCR) format
383```
384Fecha : 15/04/2025
385Tipo : Crédito — SINPE / Transferencia
386Descripción : COMPANY NAME — FACTURA ELECT — HONORARIOS
387Monto : ₡14.700.000,00
388Saldo : ₡64.700.000,00
389```
390 
391### BAC Credomatic format
392```
39315/04/2025 | Crédito | COMPANY NAME | +14.700.000,00 | Saldo: 64.700.000,00
394```
395 
396### Key patterns:
397- **CRC number format:** Period = thousands; comma = decimal: ₡14.700.000,00 = CRC 14,700,000.00
398- **SINPE / Transferencia:** Domestic wire — match to Factura Electrónica
399- **Débito Automático:** Direct debit — utilities; request Factura Electrónica from supplier
400- **Crédito ME:** Foreign currency credit — export or foreign service
401- **Clave numérica 50 digits:** Unique Factura Electrónica identifier — required for input credit
402 
403---
404 
405## Section 9 — Onboarding fallback
406 
407When client cannot provide Facturas Electrónicas:
408 
4091. Use bank statement amounts as IVA-inclusive and back-calculate:
410 - Net = Total ÷ 1.13 | IVA = Total − Net (13% rate)
411 - Net = Total ÷ 1.04 (4%); Net = Total ÷ 1.02 (2%); Net = Total ÷ 1.01 (1%)
4122. Conservative defaults: 13% output; 0% input credit without clave numérica
4133. Flag all items without e-invoice in Tier2_Items
4144. Issue data request for missing clave numérica references
4155. Warn client: Hacienda can disallow input without valid Factura Electrónica
416 
417---
418 
419## Section 10 — Reference material
420 
421| Resource | Reference |
422|---|---|
423| ATV — Administración Tributaria Virtual | https://www.hacienda.go.cr |
424| DGT — Dirección General de Tributación | hacienda.go.cr — legislación |
425| Ley del IVA (Ley 9635, Ley de Fortalecimiento) | Asamblea Legislativa — SINALEVI |
426| Canasta básica list | DGT Resolución MH-DGT-RES-0024-2019 |
427| Factura Electrónica technical spec | Hacienda XML v4.3 |
428| Reduced rate decree | Decreto Ejecutivo 41820-H |
429 

Run this skill, then get an accountant to check it

After running the full skill pack in Claude, sign up and upload your worksheet. We'll connect you with a trusted accountant in our network who can review your numbers before you file.

Quality

Q2: Research-verified

Deep research against tax authority sources. Not yet tested on real data.

Needs real client data + practitioner sign-off to reach Q1.

Accountant Review

Unverified
0/32

About

Use this skill whenever asked to prepare, review, or classify transactions for a Costa Rica IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) return or advise on Costa Rican VAT registration, filing, and Hacienda compliance. Trigger on phrases like "prepare IVA return Costa Rica", "Costa Rica VAT", "IVA Costa Rica", "Hacienda", "CÉDULA jurídica", or any Costa Rica IVA request. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any Costa Rica IVA work.

CRty-2025

CR skill: