Nicaragua IVA Return
Prepare, review, or classify transactions for a Nicaragua IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) return for any client.
Key facts — Nicaragua, 2025
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Country | Nicaragua |
| Standard rate | 15% |
| Zero rate | Exports |
| Exempt supplies | Basic food basket, medicines, agricultural inputs, medical services, education, public transport, financial interest, insurance, residential rental, electricity/water (domestic) |
| Return form | Monthly IVA declaration |
| Filing portal | https://www.dgi.gob.ni (VET) |
| Authority | DGI (Direccion General de Ingresos) |
| Currency | NIO (Cordoba) / USD (some transactions) |
| Filing frequency | Monthly |
| Deadline | 15th of month following period |
| Contributor | Open Accountants Skills Registry |
| Validated by | Pending |
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Use this skill whenever asked to prepare, review, or classify transactions for a Nicaragua IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) return for any client. Trigger on phrases like "prepare IVA return", "Nicaragua VAT", "DGI return", "VET filing", or any request involving Nicaragua value added tax filing. This skill covers Regimen General IVA filers only. Cuota Fija (fixed-fee small taxpayer) and free-zone entities are in the refusal catalogue. ALWAYS read this skill before touching any Nicaragua IVA work.
Full guide
Nicaragua IVA Return Skill v2.0
Section 1 — Quick reference
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Country | Nicaragua |
| Standard rate | 15% |
| Zero rate | Exports |
| Exempt supplies | Basic food basket, medicines, agricultural inputs, medical services, education, public transport, financial interest, insurance, residential rental, electricity/water (domestic) |
| Return form | Monthly IVA declaration |
| Filing portal | https://www.dgi.gob.ni (VET) |
| Authority | DGI (Direccion General de Ingresos) |
| Currency | NIO (Cordoba) / USD (some transactions) |
| Filing frequency | Monthly |
| Deadline | 15th of month following period |
| Contributor | Open Accountants Skills Registry |
| Validated by | Pending |
Conservative defaults:
| Ambiguity | Default |
|---|---|
| Unknown rate | 15% |
| Unknown purchase status | Not deductible |
| Unknown counterparty | Domestic Nicaragua |
| Unknown business-use | 0% |
| Unknown blocked status | Blocked |
Section 2 — Required inputs and refusal catalogue
Required inputs
Minimum viable — bank statement. Banks: BAC, Banpro, Lafise Bancentro, Banco de la Produccion (Banpro), Ficohsa.
Refusal catalogue
R-NI-1 — Cuota Fija. Trigger: client under fixed-fee small taxpayer regime. Message: "Cuota Fija taxpayers pay a fixed monthly amount and do not file IVA returns."
R-NI-2 — Free zone. Trigger: client in a zona franca. Message: "Free zone entities have IVA exemptions. Escalate."
R-NI-3 — Cooperative special regime. Trigger: cooperative entity. Message: "Cooperatives may have special IVA treatment. Flag."
Section 3 — Supplier pattern library
3.1 Banks
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BAC, BANPRO, LAFISE, FICOHSA | 15% for fees; EXCLUDE for interest |
3.2 Government
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DGI, INSS | EXCLUDE | Tax/social security |
| ALCALDIA | EXCLUDE | Municipal fee |
3.3 Utilities
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UNION FENOSA, DISNORTE, DISSUR | Domestic 15% (commercial) | Electricity |
| ENACAL | Exempt (domestic water) | |
| CLARO, TIGO | Domestic 15% | Telecoms |
3.4 SaaS non-resident
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GOOGLE, MICROSOFT, ADOBE, META, ZOOM | Reverse charge 15% | |
| NOTION, ANTHROPIC, OPENAI | Reverse charge 15% |
3.5 Food and entertainment
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LA COLONIA, PALI, MAXI PALI | Default BLOCK | Personal |
| RESTAURANT | Default BLOCK | Entertainment |
3.6 Internal transfers
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TRANSFERENCIA PROPIA | EXCLUDE | |
| NOMINA, SALARIO | EXCLUDE |
Section 4 — Worked examples
Example 1 — Non-resident reverse charge
Input: NOTION LABS INC ; DEBIT ; NIO 500
Treatment: Reverse charge 15%. Net zero.
Example 2 — Standard domestic sale
Input: EMPRESA CLIENTE SA ; CREDIT ; NIO 115,000
Treatment: Net = 100,000. IVA = 15,000.
Example 3 — Entertainment, blocked
Input: RESTAURANT ; DEBIT ; NIO 1,150
Treatment: Blocked. No credit.
Example 4 — Export
Input: US BUYER ; CREDIT ; NIO 500,000
Treatment: Zero-rated. Full input credit.
Example 5 — Motor vehicle, blocked
Input: AUTOMOTRIZ ; DEBIT ; sedan ; NIO 400,000
Treatment: Blocked.
Example 6 — Basic food (exempt)
Input: PROVEEDOR AGRICOLA ; DEBIT ; basic grains ; NIO 50,000
Treatment: Exempt. No IVA. No input credit on attributable costs.
Section 5 — Tier 1 classification rules (compressed)
5.1 Standard rate 15% (LCT Art. 109)
5.2 Exempt goods — basic food basket, medicines, agricultural inputs
5.3 Exempt services — medical, education, public transport, financial interest, insurance, residential rental
5.4 Exports — zero-rated with full input credit
5.5 Reverse charge — services from non-residents
5.6 Blocked input IVA — entertainment, vehicles, personal use
5.7 Self-supply (autoconsumo) — taxable event
Section 6 — Tier 2 catalogue (compressed)
6.1 Cooperative treatment — flag
6.2 Mixed operations — proportional method
6.3 Digital services from non-residents — evolving
Section 7 — Excel working paper template
Standard layout.
Section 8 — Bank statement reading guide
Format: BAC/Banpro CSV, DD/MM/YYYY, NIO. Language: Spanish.
Section 9 — Onboarding fallback
9.1 RUC — "What is your RUC?"
9.2 Regime — "Regimen General or Cuota Fija?"
9.3 Prior credit — always ask
Section 10 — Reference material
Sources
- Ley de Concertacion Tributaria (LCT), Ley 822 (as amended by Ley 987)
- Reglamento LCT (Decreto 01-2013)
- DGI VET — https://www.dgi.gob.ni
Change log
- v2.0 (April 2026): Full rewrite to 10-section architecture.
- v1.0: Initial skill.
Disclaimer
This skill and its outputs are provided for informational and computational purposes only and do not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Open Accountants and its contributors accept no liability for any errors, omissions, or outcomes arising from the use of this skill. All outputs must be reviewed and signed off by a qualified professional (such as a CPA, EA, tax attorney, or equivalent licensed practitioner in your jurisdiction) before filing or acting upon.
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