Most foreign founders find out they are behind on Colombian tax filings the same week they get a DIAN notice. We run the monthly cadence so the notices never arrive.
Colombian tax administration is more strict than most foreign founders expect and more procedurally rigid than the US equivalent. DIAN runs on filing windows, electronic invoicing mandates, and automatic penalties when filings are late or absent. Most foreign-owned SAS structures hear from DIAN because they did not file something nobody told them existed.
The honest version: a Colombian SAS has a monthly compliance cadence, not an annual one. Electronic invoicing is real-time. VAT filings happen bimonthly or quarterly. Withholding taxes can be monthly. Annual income tax is the easy part. The rolling monthly load is what trips foreign founders, because it has no clean US analog.
Clients usually come to us when they have just formed an SAS, when they realized a few months in that they are behind, or when they fired a prior bookkeeper. We handle those common situations and refer out work that belongs with a specialist firm.
Every invoice your SAS issues runs through a certified electronic invoicing provider, gets reported to DIAN in real time, and lands in the books the same day. We set up the integration, train your team, and reconcile invoices to receipts monthly.
By the 15th of each month, prior-month books are closed, reconciled, and filed where filings are due: withholding, VAT, payroll, social security, and ICA where applicable. You get a monthly close report by the 20th.
DIAN sends notices, clarification requests, and audit selections through procedural windows that are easy to miss. We monitor your DIAN inbox, respond inside the window, and escalate only when a decision is required.
Corporate income tax is filed annually, usually due in April-May depending on the last digit of your NIT. We prepare the return, file required statements, renew Cámara registration, and run annual close alongside the monthly cadence.
A 60-minute call plus a one-week audit of books, DIAN filings to date, electronic invoicing setup, and any open notices. Output is a remediation plan if you have gaps and a monthly fee quote based on complexity.
If you arrive with gaps, cleanup happens here. New formations skip straight to onboarding: provider setup, chart of accounts, monthly close cadence, and your team's role in the workflow.
The first full month of running the cadence. Books close by the 15th, filings go in on schedule, and the close report lands by the 20th. This is where we standardize recurring edge cases.
Predictable rhythm: books and filings by the 15th, close report by the 20th, and quarterly tax-position review. You hear from us on a schedule, not whenever DIAN scares someone.
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Opening a bank account in Colombia can feel like a maze for expats. Whether you're using a cédula, passport, or investing route, we guide you through each step.
The dinner-table advice says 'use a company.' The real answer depends on your visa plans, your exit, and carrying costs nobody prices in. The actual decision framework.
Founders who run clean books usually want a clean website and bilingual VAs to match. Once the financial back office is solid, the operational back office is the next bottleneck. Most Bookkeeping clients add VAs or Website services in months 3-6.
Once the SAS has clean books and consistent revenue, it can support a Colombian credit profile for property purchases. That matters for foreign founders who want to finance real estate through the operating entity.
A 60-minute discovery call plus a free one-week audit of your current state: books, DIAN filings, electronic invoicing setup, and any open notices. We will tell you whether you have gaps, what cleanup would cost, and what ongoing support should look like.
