CIT, VAT, withholding tax and FTS audit defence.
End-to-end tax support for foreign companies in Russia — corporate income tax, VAT, withholding tax, cross-border structuring and FTS audit defence — coordinated with your wider operations rather than handled in isolation.
For a foreign-owned company, tax in Russia is rarely about the headline rate — it is about staying compliant across several moving parts at once. Corporate income tax (25% from 2025), VAT (22% from 2026), withholding on cross-border payments and the supporting documentation all interact, and a gap in one area typically surfaces during an FTS check in another. We handle the full cycle as a single engagement so the pieces stay consistent.
Our work begins with your structure: how the Russian entity sits within the wider group, where value is created and how intra-group flows are priced and documented. From there we run routine compliance — filings and payments on the statutory calendar — while advising on the decisions that carry real exposure: treaty relief on dividends, interest and royalties, permanent-establishment risk, and the substance you need to support beneficial-ownership claims.
Where a review or audit is already underway, we assess exposure before inspectors arrive, prepare responses to information requests and represent your position alongside your team. The aim is a defensible, well-documented tax position that a head office can rely on — not a set of memos that sit unread.
Russia raised its CIT rate from 20% to 25% from 1 January 2025. We handle quarterly advance payments, the annual return (due 25 March), tax base reconciliation, loss carry-forward tracking and deductibility review. For IT companies qualifying for the 5% rate — accreditation support and revenue-threshold monitoring.
The standard VAT rate increased to 22% from 1 January 2026. We prepare quarterly returns, optimise input VAT recovery, handle tax-agent VAT on foreign supplier payments and manage refund applications. For foreign digital-service providers: FTS registration and quarterly filing at the new rate.
Dividends, interest and royalties paid to foreign shareholders are subject to Russian withholding tax, ranging from 0% to 20%. We assess treaty eligibility, coordinate residence-certificate documentation, calculate WHT and file the tax-agent return. Active treaties include China, UAE, Turkey and India.
Intercompany payment planning, thin-capitalisation analysis (Russia’s 3:1 debt-to-equity limit for related-party debt), permanent-establishment risk review and inbound investment structuring — so excess interest is not reclassified as a deemed dividend.
You're entering Russia and need a tax-efficient holding and operating structure.
CIT filings or transfer pricing files need review before a regulatory check.
Cross-border payments to your group are exposed to withholding tax.
The company had filed at the wrong CIT rate after the 2025 increase to 25% — a 1C configuration error. We identified the underpayment, filed amended returns and corrected the position before the audit window, avoiding penalties. CIT and VAT compliance now handled on an outsourced basis.
We map the Russian entity within your group and identify the real exposures.
CIT, VAT and withholding filings set up on the statutory schedule.
Treaty relief applied and beneficial ownership and pricing documented.
Positions kept documented and defensible for any FTS review.
Yes — routine CIT compliance and advice on structure, transfer pricing and cross-border tax as one engagement.
We do — pre-audit exposure reviews, responses to information requests and representation alongside your team.
By applying the relevant double-tax treaty correctly and documenting beneficial ownership and substance where required.
By email, WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat. Describe your situation briefly — we don’t need everything upfront.
A named adviser replies — not a generic inbox. We confirm whether we can help and propose a call if needed.
We ask about your situation, Russian entity structure and what you need. No charge. In English, Russian or Chinese.
Clear scope, fee and timeline. We start on receipt of the signed letter. No retainer lock-in on project work.
Practical support for international business in Russia.