Accounting & Bookkeeping in North Macedonia — Complete Guide (2026)
North Macedonia requires all registered businesses to maintain accounting records in Macedonian, using the national chart of accounts based on IFRS for SMEs. Whether you're a foreign company setting up a subsidiary, an expat starting a DOOEL, or looking for a local accounting firm — here's everything you need to know about accounting obligations in North Macedonia in 2026.
Legal framework — who must keep books?
All registered entities (DOOEL, DOO, AD, TP) must maintain accounting records per the Law on Accounting. Financial statements must be filed by March 15 annually.
Every registered business in North Macedonia — whether DOOEL (single-member LLC), DOO (multi-member LLC), AD (joint stock), or TP (sole trader) — must maintain accounting records in accordance with the Law on Accounting for Non-Financial Sector Entities.
Records must be kept in Macedonian language and in MKD (Macedonian denar). The chart of accounts follows IFRS for SMEs, with large entities required to apply full IFRS. Annual financial statements must be filed electronically with the Central Registry (Централен регистар) by March 15 of the following year.
Companies with annual revenue above MKD 2.5 million must engage a licensed accountant (овластен сметководител) to sign their annual accounts.
Tax rates at a glance — CIT, PIT, VAT, contributions
CIT: 10% (1% for MKD 3-6M, exempt below 3M). PIT: 10% flat. VAT: 18%/10%/5%/0%. Social contributions: 28% (all employee-side).
Corporate Income Tax (CIT): 10% flat rate on net profits. Simplified regime: 1% of revenue for companies between MKD 3-6 million annual turnover. Companies below MKD 3 million are fully exempt from CIT. Reinvested profits are taxed at 0%.
Personal Income Tax (PIT): 10% flat rate on employment income up to MKD 90,000/month. Excess is taxed at 18%.
VAT (DDV): 18% standard rate. 10% for catering/food service. 5% for basic food, software, books, baby products, medicines. 0% for bread, flour, eggs, cooking oil, and exports. Registration threshold: MKD 2,000,000 annual turnover (~EUR 32,500).
Social Contributions: 28% total — Pension 18.8%, Health 7.5%, Unemployment 1.2%, Additional 0.5%. All deducted from employee gross salary (no separate employer contribution on top).
Withholding tax on dividends, interest, royalties to non-residents: 10%, reducible via 49 double-tax treaties.
Key filing deadlines
VAT return: 25th of following month. CIT: March 15. MPIN (payroll): 10th of following month. Salary payment: by 15th. Annual accounts: March 15.
Monthly obligations: MPIN (social contributions declaration) due by the 10th. Salary payment due by the 15th. VAT return (DDV-04) due by the 25th of the following month (monthly for turnover above MKD 25M, quarterly for smaller). VAT payment within 30 days of return submission.
Annual obligations: Corporate Income Tax return (Danocen Bilans) due by March 15 — electronic submission via e-Danoci (e-tax.ujp.gov.mk). Annual financial statements due to Central Registry by March 15.
The Macedonian denar is pegged to the Euro at approximately 61.5 MKD/EUR, a fixed rate maintained since 1995, making cross-border financial planning highly predictable.
How much does a bookkeeper cost in North Macedonia?
Micro business: 2,500-3,000 MKD/month (~EUR 41-49). Active VAT-registered DOOEL: 6,000-12,000 MKD/month (~EUR 100-200). Annual accounts: extra 8,000-15,000 MKD.
Bookkeeping bureaus (сметководствено биро) are the backbone of Macedonian business — virtually every small business outsources compliance to one. Typical fees:
Micro business (few transactions, no VAT): 2,500-3,000 MKD/month (~EUR 41-49). Active DOOEL with VAT: 6,000-12,000 MKD/month (~EUR 100-200). Company with employees and complex operations: 12,000-25,000 MKD/month. Annual financial statements (годишна сметка) preparation: additional 8,000-15,000 MKD.
The dominant accounting software in North Macedonia is HELIX by Zonel (1,600+ installations, market leader since 1994). Cloud-based alternatives like Levka are entering the market at EUR 2.99/month for invoicing and pre-accounting.
Licensed accountants must hold certification from ISOS (Institute of Accountants and Certified Accountants of North Macedonia).
e-Faktura — mandatory electronic invoicing from October 2026
North Macedonia is implementing mandatory e-Faktura (UBL 2.1 XML) via UJP. Pilot launched January 2026. B2G mandatory October 1, 2026. B2B expansion planned for 2027.
North Macedonia's e-Faktura system requires structured UBL 2.1 XML invoices with XAdES digital signatures, submitted through UJP's clearance model. The pilot phase launched January 5, 2026 with 57 registered companies.
Timeline: B2G (business-to-government) mandatory from October 1, 2026. B2B expansion planned for 2027. Penalties range from EUR 300 to EUR 10,000 per violation.
Foreign companies invoicing North Macedonian clients should prepare for the B2B mandate. The system currently has no Albanian-language interface, despite Albanian being a co-official language.
Levka is building native e-Faktura integration for the North Macedonian market — generating compliant UBL XML directly from the invoicing platform.