Price reduction

What if the price must be reduced after an e-invoice has been issued?

⚠ Machine-translated answer, not yet manually reviewed. For the exact wording, see the Slovak original.

Short answer

If the price of goods or services must be reduced after the tax liability has arisen, this is a correction of the taxable amount under § 25 of the VAT Act. In e-invoice it is handled by issuing a credit note, document code 381, linked to the original invoice. Under § 25 ods. 6 of the VAT Act, the taxable amount and VAT need not be corrected where the VAT payer and the customer agree in writing on the price reduction after the tax liability arose.

Credit note

Normal procedure

Reduction of tax base and tax to the original invoice.

Section 25(6)

Derogation

The written agreement of both parties may omit the correction of the document.

Code 381

Credit note

Technical statement of the credit note in Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.

Choice of procedure

According to the agreement of the parties

It depends on whether the parties want to have the reduction documented separately.

Detailed explanation

In practice, therefore, there are two options: a standard correction in the form of a credit note, which reduces both the tax base and the tax and must be reflected in the invoice and the control statement; or an exception under Section 25(6), where, thanks to a written agreement, no correction to the invoice is required. The choice of procedure depends on the specific commercial situation and on whether the parties wish to have the price reduction recorded in a separate document or only in a contractual agreement.

As set out in the Act

Section 25 of Act No. 222/2004 Coll. on VAT regulates the adjustment of the tax base, including price reductions after the tax liability has arisen; Section 25(6) of the VAT Act provides for an exception where there is a written agreement between both parties.

Practical examples

  • The supplier will reduce the price due to failure to meet the guaranteed quality and issue a credit note.
  • Both parties agree in writing to the price reduction without a corrective document in accordance with Section 25(6).
  • The ERP system automatically generates a credit note referencing the original invoice in the case of a post-invoicing discount.

Most common mistakes

  • “A price reduction after an invoice has been issued must always be dealt with by means of a credit note.” Where there is a written agreement between both parties, this is not necessary under Section 25(6) of the VAT Act.
  • “A credit note and a written agreement under Section 25(6) are one and the same.” These are two different approaches with different implications for the document and the control statement.
  • “A price reduction has no effect on the control statement.” If it is handled by means of a credit note, it is reflected in the control statement for the period in which the credit note was issued.

Conclusion

The reduction of the price after the issuance of the e-invoice is by default solved by a credit note, exceptionally even without correction of the document in the case of a written agreement according to Section 25(6) of the VAT Act.

Legal basis

  • Act No. 222/2004 Coll. on VAT, Section 25(1) and Section 25(6)

Related questions

This is not legal advice. Sources: Act No. 222/2004 Coll. on VAT, official methodological and information materials from the Slovak Financial Administration on e-invoice (May 2026), OpenPeppol BIS Billing 3.0 and the Slovak e-Invoicing Centre’s internal validation model. Verified on 7 July 2026.