Manual Withholding tax
The withholding tax is the portion of an invoice that the customer (often a government body or a large company) withholds and pays over to the Treasury instead of paying it to the supplier. This screen tracks these withholdings applied on customer payments, their rate, their withheld amount, and lets you archive the withholding certificate.
Overview
When settling an invoice, some customers legally withhold a percentage of the amount (the withholding tax), which they pay over to the tax authorities on behalf of the supplier. Swifto records this withholding, calculates the withheld amount from the rate and the invoice total, and stores the withholding certificate issued by the customer (a deductible supporting document).
Business goal
- Track the withholdings applied by customers
- Calculate the withheld amount (rate × total)
- Archive the withholding certificate
- Export for the tax return
Target audience
- Accounting — enter and reconcile the withholdings
- Tax department — collect the certificates
- Management — tracking of the tax credit
Position in the cycle
The withholding tax comes into play at the time of settling an invoice. See Sales invoices and Payments received / Advances: net amount collected = total − withholding.
Access and navigation
Left-hand side menu: Sales → Withholding tax.
List of withholdings
The page lists the withholding taxes applied on customer payments. Each row carries the invoice concerned, the paying customer, the total, the rate applied and the withheld amount.
| Invoices⇅ | Date⇅ | Customer⇅ | Total⇅ | Rate⇅ | Amount⇅ | Certificate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SY000412 | 02/05/2026 | MINISTÈRE DE L'ÉQUIPEMENT | 14,845.200TND | 1,500 % | 222.678TND | ||
| SY000405 | 21/04/2026 | OFFICE NATIONAL TUNISIEN | 9,200.000TND | 10,000 % | 920.000TND | ||
| SY000391 | 10/03/2026 | SOCIÉTÉ FONDS CLAIR | 33,612.000TND | 1,500 % | 504.180TND |
Table columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoices | Number of the invoice (or invoices) the withholding applies to. |
| Date | Date the withholding was issued / recorded. |
| Customer | Payer who applied the withholding (code + label depending on settings). |
| Total | Total invoice amount used as the calculation basis. |
| Rate | Withholding percentage applied (e.g. 1,5 % or 10 %). |
| Amount | Withheld amount = Total × Rate, in the invoice's currency. |
| Certificate | Download of the certificate (download icon) or button to attach it if missing. |
Missing certificate
As long as the certificate is not attached, the icon at the end of the row lets you attach it (paperclip). Once present, it becomes a download.
Action bar
Generates a PDF report of the displayed withholding taxes (tax summary).
Excel
Exports the list for the tax return and accounting reconciliation.
Delete
Deletes the ticked withholding (Deletion privilege, with confirmation).
Search
Filters by invoice no., customer and period (section 7).
Row actions
Download the certificate
AvailableVisible when a certificate is attached: retrieves the supporting document (PDF/image) issued by the customer.
Attach the certificate
To completeVisible when no certificate is present yet: opens an upload window (section 6).
Attach the certificate
The Attach action opens a window that lets you upload the withholding certificate provided by the customer (accepted formats: PDF, image, Word, Excel…). A preview confirms the addition.
Certificate — Invoice SY000405
Once confirmed, the certificate becomes downloadable directly from the list (the paperclip icon turns into a download icon).
Search & filters
The Search button lets you find a withholding by invoice number, by customer or over a given period.
| Filter | Usage |
|---|---|
| Invoice No. | Direct search by the invoice number concerned. |
| Customer | Targets a specific payer (code/label autocomplete). |
| Start date / End date | Limits the period during which the withholdings were issued. |
Withholding statuses
| Status | Meaning | List icon |
|---|---|---|
| No certificate | The withholding is recorded but the supporting document is not yet attached. | Paperclip (attach) |
| With certificate | The withholding certificate is archived and downloadable. | Download |
The goal is to obtain a certificate for every withholding in order to support the tax credit.
Lifecycle (workflow)
flowchart LR A([Invoice settled by
the customer]):::s --> B[Withholding tax
Rate × Total]:::p B --> N([Net amount collected]):::ok B --> C[No certificate]:::w C -->|upload supporting document| D[With certificate]:::ok D -->|export| E([Tax return]):::ok classDef p fill:#f3f1ff,stroke:#7366fe,color:#1f1c3d; classDef s fill:#F5F3FF,stroke:#8B5CF6,color:#5B21B6; classDef w fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F59E0B,color:#92400E; classDef ok fill:#D1FAE5,stroke:#10B981,color:#065F46;
Business rules
Amount calculation — the withheld amount is obtained by Total × Rate; it is expressed in the invoice's currency (2 or 3 decimals depending on the subunit).
Net amount collected — the customer only pays Total − Withheld amount; the rest is paid over to the Treasury on your behalf. Payment reconciliation must take this into account.
Certificate = supporting document — attaching the certificate makes it possible to recover the corresponding tax credit when filing the return.
Standard rates (Tunisia) — depending on the nature of the transaction and the payer's status (e.g. 1,5 % on certain services, higher rates for others); refer to the regulations in force.
Roles & permissions
| Action | Accountant | Tax dept. | Management | Admin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Attach / download certificate | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| Export PDF / Excel | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Delete | ✅ | — | — | ✅ |
Indicative matrix — depends on the GRetenuSourceVente privilege defined in your company.
Usage scenarios
Public contract with withholding
The MINISTÈRE DE L'ÉQUIPEMENT settles invoice SY000412 (14,845.200 TND) withholding 1,5 %, i.e. 222.678 TND. Accounting records the withholding then attaches the certificate received.
Preparing the tax return
At the end of the month, the tax department exports to Excel all the withholdings for the period and checks that each row does have a certificate before filing the return.
FAQ & Tips
The customer paid less than the total?
This is normal: they have withheld at source a portion of the amount, which they pay over to the Treasury. Net amount collected = Total − Withheld amount.
How can the withheld amount be recovered?
Through the withholding certificate attached to the row: it serves as supporting evidence for the tax credit when you file your return.
Tip — never lose a certificate
Attach the certificate as soon as you receive it: a withholding without a supporting document is an amount that is difficult to recover for tax purposes.
