Filing long-term assets on the IVA Periódica - Field #20

You're filing the IVA Periódica (quarterly VAT declaration) and you've reached §5, the section for deductible VAT. Field #20 sits at the top: Ativos não correntes (Imobilizado).

This guide answers one question: does anything from this quarter belong in #20, and if so, what number do you enter?

If you're unsure what imobilizado means as a term, start with the imobilizado glossary entry. This guide assumes you know.

Does any purchase belong in #20?

Walk through these steps in order, for each business purchase you made this quarter.

Step 1: Is the pre-VAT cost €1,000 or more?

Check the base tributável (taxable base) on the invoice, the amount before VAT is added.

• €1,000 or more → continue to Step 2
• Below €1,000 → it goes in field #24 like any other deductible expense. Done.

Step 2: Is it a tangible asset used in the business for more than one year?

• Yes → it belongs in #20
• No → it goes in #24

The second test does most of the work. Here's what falls on each side in practice.

Purchases that belong in #20:

• Laptop or desktop computer costing €1,000+ pre-VAT
• Professional camera or video equipment
• Office furniture (desk, chair, shelving) where the individual item or set is €1,000+
• Work vehicle
• Industrial machinery or production equipment

Purchases that stay in #24 regardless of cost:

• Software subscriptions (monthly or annual SaaS, cloud storage, Adobe Creative Cloud)
• Hosting, domain registration, email services
• Consultant or professional fees
• Training courses
• Low-cost peripherals: mouse, keyboard, cables, USB hubs, monitors below €1,000
• Consumables: paper, ink, stationery

The cut isn't price alone. It's about whether you're buying a durable physical asset or paying for a service, subscription, or consumable. A €2,000 annual software licence is still #24 because it's a service, not a tangible asset.

What number to enter

Enter the VAT amount only, not the full invoice total, not the asset's pre-VAT cost.

One qualifying asset

Invoice for a laptop:

• Net cost (taxable base): €1,500
• VAT at 23%: €345
• Total on the invoice: €1,845

Field #20 entry: €345

The €1,500 net cost doesn't appear anywhere on the IVA Periódica. What you're claiming back is the VAT you paid.

Multiple qualifying assets in the same quarter

A laptop (€1,500 net, €345 VAT) and an office chair (€1,200 net, €276 VAT) bought in Q1.

Both are above the €1,000 pre-VAT threshold; both are tangible long-term assets. Sum the VAT amounts: €345 + €276 = €621.

Field #20 entry: €621

Where to find it on the AT form

On the Portal das Finanças, the IVA Periódica is divided into sections. You want §5: Imposto dedutível (Deductible VAT).

Within §5, there are two columns:

• Column 1: taxable bases (the pre-VAT amounts, usually left blank for purchases)
• Column 2: VAT amounts, this is where #20 lives

Field #20 (Ativos não correntes - Imobilizado) is the first entry in §5. It sits above field #24 (Outros bens e serviços), the catch-all where everything else goes.

You enter a single value, the summed VAT from all qualifying long-term assets bought during the quarter.

Common mistakes

Entering the asset cost instead of the VAT. The most frequent error. If you enter €1,500 instead of €345, you're claiming back the full cost of the laptop as VAT, which is wrong, and AT will notice when the numbers don't reconcile with the supplier's declaration. Enter only the VAT portion.

Including assets bought outside the quarter. Field #20 covers VAT that became deductible during the period: in practice, assets purchased and invoiced during the quarter. An asset bought last quarter belongs on last quarter's declaration.

Mixing imobilizado with inventário. If you sell goods, you may have fields #21–#23 (Existências, inventory). Those are for goods you buy to resell. A reseller's stock is not imobilizado; imobilizado is specifically what the business keeps and uses. (See the imobilizado glossary entry for the imobilizado vs inventário cut.)

Routing low-cost assets through #20. If the asset cost less than €1,000 pre-VAT, it goes in #24. Don't put a €600 monitor in #20 because it "feels like" a fixed asset. The threshold is explicit.

Filed it wrong on a past declaration?

The fix is a Declaração de Substituição, a replacement declaration for the affected quarter. You file it through the same section of the AT portal, and it replaces the original.

If you moved VAT between #20 and #24 but the total deductible VAT didn't change, the net tax impact is €0. The deduction is the right amount; it was in the wrong field. AT uses the split for asset tracking and audit purposes, not to calculate what you owe or get back. A misclassification between #20 and #24 won't trigger a penalty for most freelancers with fully taxable activity.

That said, if you spot the error, file the correction. It keeps records clean and avoids questions if AT ever cross-references your returns against supplier declarations.

Many contabilistas leave immaterial misclassifications (small amounts, fully taxable activity) uncorrected rather than file a substitution. That's a judgment call best made with your accountant.