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HomeHow it worksWhen a receipt counts as a document
VMI rules

When a receipt counts as an accounting document, and when it is just paper

When a receipt is enough for expenses, when it counts as a VAT invoice, what fuel receipts usually lack, and how long to keep everything. With links to VMI commentary.

See the summary tableVerified:September 2026
Illustration: utility and phone-service invoices alternate with deposit and petrol receipts; Parseo extracts their data, matches the lines, and prepares the accounting entries.
Matching goods and codes
VAT classifier and GL account selected automatically
VAT invoice
KMP-2026-0847•2026-08-12
Utilities · Itemized
Seller
UAB Miesto energija
302456789
Buyer
Your Company Ltd
305123456
DescriptionQtyAmount
Electricity – July850 kWh€127.50
Heating and hot water1€68.00
Water supply12 m³€22.80
Subtotal€218.30
VAT 21%€45.84
Total€264.14
Extracted document data
FieldValue
Document No.
KMP-2026-0847
Supplier
UAB Miesto energija
Company code
302456789
Date
2026-08-12
Amount
€264.14
VAT rate
21%
Line items
Invoice lineGoods code
Electricity – July
—
ELECTRICITY
Heating and hot water
—
HEATING
Water supply
—
WATER

Accounting entry

Created automatically

With VAT, GL, and item codes — no manual entry

Illustration: utility and phone-service invoices alternate with deposit and petrol receipts; Parseo extracts their data, matches the lines, and prepares the accounting entries.
Matching goods and codes
VAT classifier and GL account selected automatically
VAT invoice
KMP-2026-0847•2026-08-12
Utilities · Itemized
Seller
UAB Miesto energija
302456789
Buyer
Your Company Ltd
305123456
DescriptionQtyAmount
Electricity – July850 kWh€127.50
Heating and hot water1€68.00
Water supply12 m³€22.80
Subtotal€218.30
VAT 21%€45.84
Total€264.14
Extracted document data
FieldValue
Document No.
KMP-2026-0847
Supplier
UAB Miesto energija
Company code
302456789
Date
2026-08-12
Amount
€264.14
VAT rate
21%
VAT classifier
PVM1
GL account
6110
Line items
Invoice lineGoods code
Electricity – July
—
ELECTRICITY
Heating and hot water
—
HEATING
Water supply
—
WATER
All lines matched to goods codes

Accounting entry

Created automatically

With VAT, GL, and item codes — no manual entry

Summary

What appliesto which receipt

Five situations an accountant meets every month.

What applies to which receipt

SituationExpenses (corporate tax)VAT deductionWhat it must contain
Regular cash register receipt (not fuel)Yes, up to 100 € incl. VATNoMandatory receipt data. No buyer details needed.
Petrol station receiptYes, up to 150 € incl. VATYes, up to 150 € incl. VATA buyer identifier printed by the till (never handwritten).
Simplified VAT invoiceYes, if the buyer's name and code are statedYes, up to 100 € incl. VATThe data listed in PVMĮ art. 80(9), including the buyer's VAT code.
Receipt together with a VAT invoiceBased on the invoiceBased on the invoiceNo need to attach the receipt (VMI, 2025-07-03).
Receipt issued abroadYes, no value limitPer that country's rules—

Sources: Government Resolution No. 780, items 2.2–2.3; PVMĮ art. 80(7) and 80(9); PMĮ art. 11(4) and 11(6); VMI information notice of 2025-07-03.

VAT deduction

When a receipt isa VAT invoice

Only in retail fuel sales. Under PVMĮ art. 80(7), a petrol station cash register receipt counts as a VAT invoice when all three conditions are met:

  1. 1The value of goods and services incl. VAT on one receipt does not exceed 150 €.
  2. 2The receipt carries all the data mandatory for a cash register receipt (Government Resolution No. 1283).
  3. 3The receipt carries a buyer identifier: a card number, a VAT payer code or another datum that identifies the buyer.

„Pirkėją identifikuojanti informacija kvite jokiu būdu negali būti įrašyta ranka, tai turi būti atlikta techninėmis priemonėmis. (Buyer-identifying information on a receipt may never be handwritten; it must be produced by technical means.)“

VMI, commentary on PVMĮ art. 80

What counts as a buyer identifier

  • The number of a bank card issued in the company's name, printed on the receipt (KM1736, Q46).
  • The number of a fuel card issued to the VAT payer (KM1736, Q47).
  • The buyer's VAT payer code keyed into the till.
  • Does not count: a card issued in an employee's own name. It identifies the employee, not the company (PMĮ art. 11 commentary).

Above 150 € the receipt is never a VAT invoice. Ask for a VAT invoice immediately, in VMI's words "within a reasonably short time" (KM1736, Q44).

If the petrol station issues a monthly consolidated VAT invoice, VAT is deducted only from that invoice, and the receipts are not treated as VAT invoices (KM1736, Q45).

All other purchases

A shop receipt does not supportVAT deduction

A non-fuel receipt is never a VAT invoice, however small the amount. To deduct VAT you must ask the seller for a simplified VAT invoice. That is possible when the total incl. VAT does not exceed 100 € (PVMĮ art. 79(13)). The seller must issue it on the buyer's request (Government Resolution No. 780, item 28).

For VAT purposes the buyer's name and address are not required. For corporate income tax, however, the invoice is accepted only if, at the buyer's request, it states the buyer's name and code (PMĮ art. 11 commentary, item 3). Ask for both at once.

What a simplified VAT invoice must contain (PVMĮ art. 80(9))

  1. Date of issue
  2. Number
  3. Supplier's VAT payer code
  4. Supplier's name or first and last name
  5. Buyer's VAT payer code, in all cases where the buyer is a VAT payer
  6. Name of the goods or services
  7. Taxable amount
  8. VAT rate and VAT amount in euros

Fuel receipts

Where it usuallygoes wrong

Under 150 € but no buyer identifier

Such a receipt is neither a VAT invoice nor a valid expense document. The identifier must be printed by the till; handwriting is not allowed (PMĮ art. 11 commentary, item 5.1).

Fuel bought with the station's own fuel card

If the station issues its own card and invoices, expenses are recognised only from the invoice. Holding the receipt alongside it is not required (PMĮ art. 11 commentary, item 5.1).

Over 150 €: receipt plus invoice

Expenses are recognised from the invoice. You must hold the receipt, but not physically attach it: VMI's notice of 2025-07-03 confirmed there is no obligation to "attach" the paper receipt.

That is why Parseo reads not only the total from a petrol receipt but also the fuel type, litres and price per litre. The accountant sees at a glance what was bought.

How Parseo digitizes receipts
Retention

10 years,no paper required

10 years from issue

All VAT invoices, including cash register receipts treated as VAT invoices, are kept for 10 years (PVMĮ art. 78(7)). Other accounting documents evidencing a business transaction are kept for the same period (Internal Administration Document Retention Index, item 3.15, in force since 2024-10-01).

Electronic-only storage is allowed

VMI (KM1736, Q71): paper VAT invoices "may be digitised (e.g. scanned, converted into electronic documents, etc.) and kept only in electronic form. In that case the paper VAT invoices no longer need to be kept."

From 2026-01-01 no need to notify VMI of storage abroad

The retention period stays at 10 years, but the obligation to inform VMI of a storage location outside Lithuania has been removed.

What must be preserved

Authenticity of origin, integrity of content and legibility. The same requirements apply to electronic invoices and e-receipts.

2024–2026

What changedand what did not

  1. 2024-07-01

    The Electronic Receipt Rules (VMI order VA-33) came into force. An e-receipt can itself be a VAT invoice if it carries the mandatory data.

  2. 2024-10-01

    New Internal Administration Document Retention Index: accounting documents evidencing business transactions are kept for 10 years.

  3. 2025-05-01

    All cash registers report to i.EKA. Buyers can verify a receipt code on VMI's portal. i.EKA does not record receipts against which invoices were issued, so the document still has to be held.

  4. 2025-07-03

    VMI information notice: there is no obligation to attach the paper receipt to an invoice. If a receipt was issued together with a VAT invoice, the receipt is not needed for VAT deduction.

  5. 2026-01-01

    Retention stays at 10 years. The obligation to notify VMI of a VAT invoice storage location outside Lithuania is removed.

The 100 € and 150 € limits did not change in this period. VMI's notice of 2025-07-03 quotes them unchanged.

Frequently asked

Questions fromaccountants' forums

Is a receipt alone enough for expenses?

Yes, if it is not fuel and the total incl. VAT does not exceed 100 €. No buyer details are needed on the receipt (Government Resolution No. 780, item 2.2).

Can I deduct VAT from a shop receipt?

No. You need a (simplified) VAT invoice, which the seller must issue on request.

A fuel receipt without the company code. Does it count?

No. On a fuel receipt the buyer identifier must be printed by the till. Without it the receipt supports neither expenses nor VAT deduction.

Can I write the company code on the receipt by hand?

No. VMI commentary forbids it explicitly. Ask for the code to be keyed into the till, or ask for a VAT invoice.

How long must receipts be kept, and on paper?

10 years. They may be digitised and kept only in electronic form (KM1736, Q71).

Do I have to attach the receipt to the invoice?

No. VMI's notice of 2025-07-03: there is no obligation to "attach" it, but you must hold the document, on paper or electronically.

How Parseo helps

Receipts into accounting without retyping

  • Photograph a receipt or forward it by email. Parseo extracts the date, seller, line items and VAT.
  • From a petrol receipt it reads fuel type, litres and price per litre.
  • The original image is stored electronically together with the data.
Start freeMore about receipt digitization

Sources

  1. VMI, commentary on PVMĮ art. 80 (2025-06)
  2. VMI, VAT invoice requisites (art. 80)
  3. VMI leaflet KM1736 "VAT invoice requisites and VAT-related obligations"
  4. VMI information notice of 2025-07-03 on expense documents and VAT deduction
  5. VMI, amendments to the commentary on PMĮ art. 11(4) (2023)
  6. Government Resolution No. 780 on accounting documents used for tax calculation
  7. Government Resolution No. 1283 (cash register data recording procedure)
  8. VMI circular on order VA-33 (Electronic Receipt Rules)
  9. VMI order VA-33 (e-seimas)
  10. VMI, i.EKA
  11. Chief Archivist order VE-50 (2024-09-24), Internal Administration Document Retention Index
  12. VMI, "Tax law changes from 2026-01-01"
  13. VMI, VAT changes from 2025

This article summarises publicly available VMI commentary and legal acts as of September 2026. It is not tax advice. When in doubt, rely on the VMI texts or consult a tax adviser.

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