Lithuanian UABs and MBs have annual requirements covering financial statements and corporate income tax, alongside recurring obligations such as VAT, payroll and registry updates. The annual reporting timetable differs by legal form, so UAB and MB deadlines need to be tracked separately.
For calendar-year companies, the main year-end obligations are annual financial statements and the corporate income tax return. VAT returns, payroll filings and ownership updates follow separate schedules when they apply.
2026 is a transition year for UAB reporting deadlines and corporate income tax rates. A company filing its 2025 accounts in 2026 may therefore follow a different financial-statement timetable from the one that applies to its 2026 financial year.
What counts as an annual requirement for a Lithuanian company
Annual compliance has two core filing streams: statutory financial reporting to the Register of Legal Entities and the annual corporate income tax return to the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI). Approval of the financial statements is a required corporate decision within the reporting process rather than a separate annual filing.
VAT, payroll and registry updates run on separate schedules. VAT reporting starts after VAT registration, payroll filings start when the company employs staff, and company or beneficial-owner data must be updated when the underlying facts change.
Annual vs. recurring vs. event-driven obligations
| Category | Requirement | Frequency | Applies to | Authority / system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | Annual financial statements | Once per financial year | Every UAB and MB | Register of Legal Entities |
| Annual | Corporate income tax return | Once per tax year unless VMI grants an exemption | UAB and MB | VMI |
| Recurring | VAT return | Monthly by default; quarterly if an eligible company applies | VAT-registered companies | VMI |
| Recurring | Payroll and social insurance filings | Monthly | Companies with employees | VMI / Sodra |
| Event-driven | Beneficial-owner update | After a relevant change | Companies whose beneficial-owner data changes | JANGIS |
| Event-driven | Shareholder/member, director or address update | After a relevant change | Company when the data changes | JADIS / Register of Legal Entities as applicable |
A company with no employees and no VAT registration can avoid the recurring payroll and VAT rows, while its financial-reporting obligations continue. Formal temporary inactivity can affect tax-declaration duties. Annual financial statements remain mandatory.
Annual financial statements
Every UAB and MB prepares annual financial statements. The exact reporting package depends on the legal form, company-size category, accounting framework and whether an audit or management report is required. Smaller companies may qualify for simplified reporting formats.
UAB deadlines in 2026
For UABs, the annual general meeting approves the financial statements. Under the current Lithuanian Companies Act, the annual general meeting must take place within 5 months after year-end when the company’s financial year ends on July 1, 2026 or later.
The earlier 4-month meeting rule still applies to financial years that ended before that transition date.
A second amendment takes effect on November 1, 2026 and sets the UAB filing deadline at 5 months after financial year-end. A calendar-year UAB with a December 31, 2026 year-end therefore has until May 31, 2027 for the annual meeting and statutory filing.
For calendar-year 2025 statements filed during 2026, the earlier 4-month approval rule and the filing rule then in force continue to govern that reporting cycle.
MB deadlines
An MB follows a shorter timetable. The Lithuanian Small Partnerships Act requires the annual financial statements to be approved by the members and submitted to the Register no later than 3 months after financial year-end. A calendar-year MB therefore approves and files its 2026 statements by March 31, 2027.
Who prepares, approves and submits the statements
An in-house or outsourced accountant usually prepares the financial statements. The legal approval belongs to the company body specified by law: the annual general meeting for a UAB and the members for an MB. The company manager or another properly authorized person handles the submission process, depending on the legal form and authority granted.
Statutory responsibility stays with the company’s governing bodies even when bookkeeping is outsourced. Directors, managers and members should make sure the accountant receives complete records early enough for approval and submission to happen on time.
Public access to filed accounts
Annual financial statements submitted to the Register of Legal Entities form part of the public company record. The corporate income tax return is a confidential tax filing submitted separately to VMI.
Annual corporate income tax return
A UAB or MB generally files an annual PLN204 corporate income tax return by the 15th day of the sixth month after the tax period ends. For a calendar tax year, the filing and payment deadline is June 15 of the following year.
For the 2026 tax period, the standard corporate income tax rate is 17%. VMI’s 2026 corporate income tax guidance confirms a 7% rate for qualifying small entities whose annual revenue does not exceed EUR 300,000 and that are not excluded by the related-entity rules in Article 5(3).
From the 2026 tax period, the 7% rate uses the revenue and related-entity conditions without an employee-count test.
A 0% rate can apply to the first 2 tax periods when the statutory conditions are met. These include the EUR 300,000 revenue limit, the related-entity restrictions, individual-only participants and continuity conditions covering the first years of the entity.
Eligibility should be checked against the company’s ownership and activity rather than assumed from legal form alone.
Zero-profit, loss-making and temporarily inactive companies
A company with zero profit or a tax loss normally still files the annual CIT return. A company that has formally notified VMI of temporary inactivity can apply for a temporary exemption from specified tax declarations, including the annual corporate income tax return, for the approved inactive period.
Annual financial statements remain mandatory during that tax-declaration exemption. An inactive UAB or MB still prepares and submits statutory accounts for as long as the legal entity remains registered.
Annual financial statements vs. the corporate income tax return
| Point | Annual financial statements | Corporate income tax return |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Report financial position and results | Calculate and report taxable profit and tax due |
| Filed with | Register of Legal Entities | VMI |
| Prepared by | Usually an accountant | Usually an accountant / tax preparer |
| Approval | UAB shareholders or MB members | No separate shareholder approval meeting required for the tax return |
| Calendar-year deadline | UAB and MB deadlines differ | June 15 of the following year |
| Public? | Yes | No |
| Zero revenue | Still required | Generally required unless VMI grants a formal filing exemption |
How UAB and MB approval differs
A UAB uses the annual general meeting of shareholders to approve its annual financial statements and decide on profit or loss allocation. The Companies Act sets the meeting timetable, and the company’s articles govern procedural details such as notice and remote participation.
An MB uses member decision-making under the Small Partnerships Act and its own regulations. The MB reporting deadline is shorter, and its management structure can differ from a UAB because an MB may operate with a manager or with member-led management arrangements permitted by law.
Foreign shareholders and members can usually coordinate review and approval remotely when the company’s governing documents and signing arrangements support the chosen procedure.
Does an inactive or zero-revenue company still have annual requirements?
Yes for annual financial statements. The Register of Legal Entities continues to treat a temporarily inactive company as registered and subject to annual financial reporting, so an inactive UAB or MB still submits its annual accounts.
Tax declarations require a separate check. VMI can grant a temporary exemption from specified declarations during a formally reported inactive period. VAT and payroll obligations also continue until the company changes the underlying registration or employment status that created them.
Where inactivity is expected to continue and the business has no realistic plan to restart, formal company liquidation can be more practical than maintaining a company solely to keep meeting annual reporting duties.
Do UAB and MB have the same annual requirements?
Both legal forms prepare annual accounts and file an annual corporate income tax return. Their financial-reporting deadlines and governance steps differ.
| Requirement | UAB | MB |
|---|---|---|
| Annual financial statements | Required | Required |
| Approval deadline for FY ending Dec. 31, 2026 | By May 31, 2027 | By March 31, 2027 |
| Filing deadline for FY ending Dec. 31, 2026 | By May 31, 2027 under the rule effective Nov. 1, 2026 | By March 31, 2027 |
| CIT return for calendar tax year 2026 | June 15, 2027 | June 15, 2027 |
| Approval body | Annual general meeting of shareholders | Members |
| Management responsibility | Director plus corporate bodies required by law/articles | Depends on MB management structure and regulations |
| Interim profit distributions | Possible under UAB interim-dividend rules | Advance profit distributions permitted subject to MB rules |
| Public annual accounts | Yes | Yes |
Founders comparing the 2 structures before formation can also review the wider differences between company types in Lithuania.
Recurring filings that run alongside annual requirements
Annual accounts and CIT are only part of the compliance calendar. VAT, payroll and registry obligations continue on their own schedules when the relevant trigger applies.
VAT reporting
A Lithuanian legal entity that is VAT-registered normally uses a calendar month as its VAT period. An eligible company whose previous-year economic-activity income does not exceed EUR 300,000 can apply to use a calendar quarter instead. Newly established VAT payers can also qualify based on expected income.
The VAT registration in Lithuania process should therefore be tracked separately from the annual accounts timetable.
Payroll and Sodra reporting
A company with employees has recurring payroll tax and social-insurance reporting. These obligations arise from employment and continue even if the company has little or no sales activity during a particular month.
Ownership and company-data updates
Beneficial-owner information is maintained in JANGIS, the beneficial-owner subsystem of JADIS. When beneficial-owner information changes, the company must update the data within the applicable statutory period, including the 10-day update rule for relevant changes.
UAB shareholder and MB member information is maintained through JADIS where applicable, while changes to the director, registered address and other core company data are handled through the Register of Legal Entities.
A single ownership change can therefore require updates in more than one system.
Who is responsible: company management or the accountant?
An external accountant can prepare financial statements, tax returns and recurring filings, but the company’s responsible governing bodies still need to provide complete information, approve the accounts where required, and make sure statutory deadlines are met.
For a UAB, the director has specific duties relating to company records and financial reporting. In an MB, responsibility depends on the management structure set out in the regulations and whether a manager has been appointed.
Accounting support does not always cover the corporate steps that sit alongside the numbers, such as changes to company records, shareholder or member information, governance documents and other registry filings.
Lawhill’s corporate law services can coordinate these company-level requirements alongside the accounting process, which is particularly useful for founders managing a Lithuanian company from abroad.
Annual requirements for foreign-owned Lithuanian companies
A foreign-owned Lithuanian company follows the same Lithuanian reporting duties. Annual financial statements go to the Register of Legal Entities, the CIT return goes to VMI, and recurring VAT or payroll obligations continue under Lithuanian rules.
Shareholders, MB members and managers can handle many approval and coordination steps remotely when the company’s documents, authorization arrangements and electronic signatures support the required process. The owner’s personal tax residence remains separate from the company’s own annual compliance.
What happens if a company misses a deadline?
Late or missing annual financial statements can lead to administrative fines for responsible persons and, where non-filing persists, registry measures that can ultimately result in compulsory liquidation procedures. The sanction depends on the specific violation and whether it is repeated.
Late tax declarations or payments carry separate consequences administered by VMI, including late-payment interest and other tax enforcement measures. The effect depends on the filing, amount due and duration of the delay, so companies should correct missed filings as soon as they are identified.
2026 Lithuania annual compliance calendar
The phrase “2026 deadline” can refer either to filings made during 2026 for the 2025 financial year or to the rules governing the financial year ending in 2026. The 2 calendars are different because UAB reporting rules changed during 2026.Calendar-year companies filing 2025 accounts during 2026
| Obligation | UAB | MB |
|---|---|---|
| Annual statements approved | By April 30, 2026 under the previous 4-month UAB rule | By March 31, 2026 |
| Annual statements filed | Within 30 days after the UAB annual meeting under the rule in force for that cycle | By March 31, 2026 |
| 2025 CIT return and payment | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2026 |
Calendar-year companies reporting the 2026 financial year
For companies using the calendar year, the rules below apply to the financial year ending 31 December 2026. These deadlines differ from those used for filings completed during 2026 for the 2025 financial year.
| Obligation | Deadline | Authority / action |
|---|---|---|
| UAB annual meeting and statements | By May 31, 2027 | Approve and file under the 5-month rules applicable to the Dec. 31, 2026 year-end |
| MB annual statements | By March 31, 2027 | Approve and file with the Register |
| 2026 CIT return and payment | June 15, 2027 | VMI |
| VAT return | Monthly by default; quarterly if approved | VMI |
| Payroll / social insurance | Monthly when employing staff | VMI / Sodra |
| Beneficial-owner data | After a relevant change | JANGIS |
| Shareholder/member, director or address data | After a relevant change | JADIS / Register of Legal Entities as applicable |
Conclusion
Annual compliance in Lithuania depends on the company structure. For the 2026 financial year, a calendar-year UAB follows the new 5-month reporting timetable, while an MB approves and files its annual statements within 3 months.
Both generally file the annual CIT return by June 15 of the following year, subject to any formal VMI exemption that applies.
VAT, payroll and registry updates continue on their own schedules throughout the year. Lawhill can coordinate the corporate side of that compliance cycle, including annual approvals, registry filings, company-record changes and the deadlines that sit alongside the accountant’s financial and tax work.
For international founders in particular, this gives the company a clear process for keeping its Lithuanian obligations in order from one reporting period to the next.
To discuss the annual requirements that apply to your company, contact Lawhill’s legal team.
Frequently asked questions
Does an inactive Lithuanian company still need to file annual financial statements?
Yes. Annual financial statements remain mandatory during temporary inactivity. A company that has formally reported temporary inactivity to VMI may receive a temporary exemption from specified tax declarations, including the annual CIT return.
Do I need an accountant for a Lithuanian UAB?
Lithuanian law allows a company to organize compliant accounting internally or through an external provider. Many international founders outsource the work because Lithuanian tax and reporting systems require regular local filings. The company’s governing bodies remain responsible for meeting statutory deadlines.
Are annual financial statements and the corporate income tax return the same filing?
No. Annual financial statements report the company’s financial position and are filed with the Register of Legal Entities. The CIT return is filed with VMI to calculate taxable profit and corporate income tax.
When are annual accounts due in Lithuania?
The deadline depends on legal form and financial year. A calendar-year MB must approve and file its annual statements by March 31. For a UAB whose financial year ends on December 31, 2026, the applicable 5-month timetable gives a May 31, 2027 deadline. Earlier UAB financial years can fall under the transition rules described above.
Do MB companies have the same annual reporting requirements as UAB?
Both prepare annual statements and generally file an annual CIT return. Their financial-statement deadlines differ: an MB has a 3-month approval and filing deadline, while a calendar-year UAB with a December 31, 2026 year-end works to the 5-month UAB timetable.
Are Lithuanian company financial statements public?
Yes. Annual financial statements filed with the Register of Legal Entities are part of the public company record. The corporate income tax return filed with VMI remains a tax document rather than a public registry filing.
What happens if a company files its annual accounts late?
Late filing can lead to administrative fines for the responsible persons. Persistent non-filing can also trigger registry measures and compulsory liquidation procedures. Tax-return delays are handled separately by VMI.
Can foreign shareholders manage annual compliance remotely?
Many approval, review and coordination steps can be handled remotely when the company’s governing documents, authorizations and electronic-signature arrangements support the required process. The company still files with Lithuanian authorities regardless of where its owners live.
