Inclusion of foreign businesses in the register of SMES to obtain benefits and government assistance

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Russia use special benefits not available to large businesses. These include special tax treatments, soft loans, government procurement quotas, government guarantees and other preferences. As part of the anti-crisis measures, authorities have approved another important permanent benefit for the entire SME sector - they halved the rate of insurance premiums for salaries above the minimum wage.

During a crisis, all available preferences become even more important, allowing you to reduce the burden on your business. However, in order to qualify for benefits, a company must be in the register of SMEs maintained by the Federal Tax Service. The main criteria for belonging to an SME relate to annual revenue and the number of employees.

Companies with chiefly Russian equity or established by foreign individuals are included in the register automatically based on information from tax reports. However, for a business that is owned by foreign legal entities by more than 49%, to be included in the register, it is necessary to additionally confirm the compliance of the foreign participant with the criteria of Federal Law No. 209 "On the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Russian Federation", namely:

•Income from business operations of the foreign legal entity for the prior year did not exceed 2 billion rubles.
•The average headcount of the foreign legal entity for the prior year did not exceed 250 employees.
•The foreign legal entity is registered on a territory that is not an offshore zone.

Only audit firms may inform tax authorities on whether foreign participants of Russian limited liability companies with a foreign share in equity of more than 49% comply with the criteria for SMEs. At the same time, the deadlines for submitting documents are limited - all procedures must be completed by July 1, so that tax authorities have enough time to include the company in the register of SMEs staring from August 10, after its annual update. Later, if a company with foreign participation is recognized as a SME, the verification for compliance with the criteria is carried out annually.

FinExpertiza specialists are ready to quickly perform all the necessary works in terms of confirming the status of your business as a SME, so that your company can obtain special benefits and state support.