Russian entity compliance combines a conventional annual calendar with a heavy overlay of sanctions, currency control and investment restrictions. The annual cycle is early: the company's accounting statements and the annual profit tax return are due in March. Foreign groups that still hold Russian subsidiaries also need to check whether any action, even a routine dividend or loan repayment, is permitted under current rules in their home jurisdiction and in Russia.

This guide covers the limited liability company (obshchestvo s ogranichennoy otvetstvennostyu, OOO), the usual vehicle for foreign-owned operations, and notes where the joint-stock company and a representative office differ. It is written for founders and for legal, finance and operations teams. It describes the accounting and tax calendar. It is not advice on whether to invest in or operate in Russia.

Updated November 9, 2026. Russian tax law has changed rapidly, including rates from 2025 and 2026 and rules on foreign investors, so confirm every point with the Federal Tax Service and qualified advisers in Russia and in your home country.

Entity compliance Russia: the quick answer

• Submit the annual accounting (financial) statements to the Federal Tax Service by 31 March of the following year, in Russian and in roubles, according to professional sources.

• File the annual profit tax return with the tax authority by 25 March, with quarterly advance payments and reports during the year.

• File VAT returns quarterly by the 25th of the month after the quarter, and payroll and social contribution reports on the schedule set for each report.

• Screen every payment, loan and dividend for sanctions, currency control and foreign investor restrictions before action.

What determines a Russian company's compliance requirements?

The size, activity and tax regime decide the work. All registered companies prepare year-end statements under Russian accounting standards, regardless of foreign ownership. Companies above thresholds or in specific sectors need a mandatory audit. Small companies may use simplified statements and special tax regimes, though changes from 2026 brought businesses on the simplified system with annual revenue above 20 million roubles into the VAT net, according to a news report.

The general profit tax rate was raised from 20 percent to 25 percent from 2025 according to professional sources, so check the rate and regional components. The standard VAT rate is reported at 22 percent from 2026 under the autumn 2025 tax package, so confirm the rate and the registration thresholds.

Annual entity requirements in Russia: the core checklist

1. Annual accounting statements

Companies prepare a balance sheet, a profit and loss report and explanatory notes. Professional sources give 31 March of the year after the reporting period as the deadline for filing with the tax service through its electronic system, and for new companies the first period runs from the incorporation date to year-end. The statements and the tax return must agree, because the tax service compares them.

2. Shareholder meeting

An OOO holds an ordinary general meeting of participants each year to approve the statements and the use of profit, within the period in the Law on Limited Liability Companies, which professional sources place at not later than four months after year-end. Document the decision. Dividends are paid only after the statements are approved and the legal conditions are met.

3. Profit tax return and advances

The annual profit tax return is filed by 25 March, according to the date given for controlled foreign company documents that are filed with the return. Companies also file quarterly or monthly reports and pay advances during the year, depending on revenue. A taxpayer's choice of method can change the dates, so check the schedule your accountant uses.

4. Controlled foreign companies and transfer pricing

Russian organisations that control foreign companies must submit notifications of controlled foreign companies, which for 2025 were due by 20 March 2026 regardless of the financial result of the foreign company, according to a tax service reminder reported in the trade press. Documents confirming an exemption are due by the same date, and profit documents by 25 March with the return. Transfer pricing documentation for 2025 could be requested by the tax service from 1 June 2026, according to a legal alert.

5. VAT and payroll reports

VAT returns are filed quarterly, due by the 25th of the month after the quarter, and VAT is paid in three instalments in the following months, according to long-standing practice that should be confirmed. Employers file personal income tax reports and social contribution reports under the unified schedule set by the tax service and the social fund. Electronic filing through an accredited operator is the norm.

Tax and indirect tax obligations

Payments to foreign companies can attract withholding tax, with relief under treaties where they remain applicable, and treaty relief is a point to confirm in the current climate. Dividends to foreign shareholders are taxed in Russia under domestic rules and treaties, and the repatriation of dividends may be subject to currency restrictions and to home-country rules.

Related-party transactions require arm's-length terms. Russian rules also tax certain deemed income, such as interest on loans below market, and limit deductions for interest. Local taxes include property tax and, where applicable, land tax.

Foreign-owned subsidiaries

Foreign investors may hold Russian companies, but restrictions apply: strategic-sector controls, government approval requirements for some transactions with investors from countries that Russia treats as unfriendly, and limits on certain payments abroad. Home-country sanctions and export-control rules may separately prohibit dealings. These issues sit outside this guide, but they come first in any real compliance review.

Banks apply strict due diligence and may refuse some foreign-linked payments. A Russian company needs a registered address, a general director, and registration in the state register of legal entities held by the tax service. Foreign corporate shareholders provide apostilled or legalised documents with certified translations.

First-year and event-triggered obligations

In the first year, the company is registered in the state register, receives its tax number, registers with the social fund and the tax authority as an employer, opens a bank account, sets up its accounting under local standards and selects a tax regime. The first reporting period runs from incorporation to year-end.

Events that trigger filings include a change of general director, a change of participants, a capital change, a change of registered address, a merger and a liquidation. Notifications go to the tax service as the registration body, and a foreign owner should check which actions need approval before they are taken.

Employment and local requirements

Russian employers conclude written employment contracts, register employees with the social fund and the tax service, pay social contributions and withhold personal income tax. Employees have statutory annual leave of at least 28 calendar days, notice rights and other protections under the labour code. Military registration duties apply to employers, according to a professional source. Many foreign-owned subsidiaries use a local payroll provider.

Record-keeping and governance in Russia

Russian law requires companies to keep primary accounting documents, ledgers and statements for periods that professional sources commonly place at five years for most records and longer for personnel records, so ask your accountant for the schedule. Keep the signed statements, participant resolutions, the CFC file, the transfer pricing file and the tax correspondence. Keep a written record of every sanctions and investment-restriction check performed before a payment or transaction.

Build a compliance calendar for Russia

A compliance calendar turns the rules above into dated tasks with named owners. Start from the financial year-end and the incorporation anniversary, then add the recurring monthly and quarterly items. Review it each quarter, because deadlines, extensions and registry systems change.

• January: close the books and prepare the statements.

• By 20 March: submit controlled foreign company notifications, where relevant.

• By 25 March: file the annual profit tax return and supporting documents.

• By 31 March: submit the annual accounting statements.

• By the end of April: hold the participants' meeting, which must occur within four months.

• Quarterly and monthly: VAT, advance profit tax, payroll and contribution reports.

Common mistakes

• Treating compliance filings as the only risk and skipping sanctions checks.

• Missing the March cluster of dates.

• Using an outdated profit tax or VAT rate.

• Overlooking controlled foreign company notifications.

• Paying dividends without a documented approval.

• Assuming treaty relief applies without confirming it.

Entity compliance Russia: frequently asked questions

When are Russian accounting statements due?

By 31 March of the following year, according to professional sources.

When is the annual profit tax return due?

By 25 March, according to the date used for filings that accompany the return.

What is the profit tax rate?

25 percent from 2025 according to professional sources, so confirm the current rate.

What is the VAT rate?

22 percent from 2026 according to reports of the autumn 2025 tax package.

What are CFC notifications?

Annual notifications about controlled foreign companies, which for 2025 were due by 20 March 2026.

Do sanctions affect compliance?

Yes. Sanctions and investment restrictions can limit payments and transactions, and should be checked before any action.

How CoverPin can help

CoverPin helps finance, legal and operations teams track entity obligations across countries. See our international entities overview, learn about compliance advisory, or browse more guides in our legal and compliance resources.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or a qualified local adviser before acting.