Apply now for your investment deduction certificates
Apply now for your investment deduction certificates
Have you invested since 1 January 2025 or are you planning to acquire new assets in the near future? Then you may be able to make use of the renewed investment deduction.
Make sure to make a timely request for the certificates for environmentally friendly investments in research and development (in order to apply the so-called 'technology deduction') and for energy-saving investments (i.e., the thematic deduction). In the framework of the Summer Agreement, the federal government planned to abolish the attestation obligation for environmentally friendly investments in R&D, but this is not yet in force.
For an overview of the relaxations regarding the investment deduction and the wide range of other tax measures from the Summer Agreement, you can refer to our previous article in this respect.
For investments made from 1 January 2025, the regime is even stricter: certificates must now be attached to the corporate tax return. This applies until the announced abolition is implemented. It is therefore no longer sufficient to simply keep the certificate available for the authorities in order to apply the technology tax deduction. Also, for certain investments, an energy study or audit must be carried out in advance.
As a rule, in Flanders, the relevant certificate for the application of the thematic deduction must be requested from the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency VEKA within three months after the end of the taxable period in which the fixed assets were acquired or created. For investment projects that cover multiple taxable periods, an investment certificate can be requested within three months after the end of the taxable period in which the project was started. For companies with a financial year closing on 31 December 2025, the relevant certificate should be requested by 31 March 2026.
However, please note that due to the delayed formation of the government, the Royal Decree of 28 July 2025 provides for an exceptional extension for assets purchased/completed between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2026 and for projects started before 1 July 2026, an application period of twelve months after the end of the financial year applies. However, there is an ultimate deadline of 30 June 2026, although the term can never be shorter than the normal three months. Investments and/or projects that apply the technology deduction are not covered by this Royal Decree and therefore do not benefit from this temporary regime.
To put this into practice: for a financial year ending on 31 May 2025, a certificate can be requested until 31 May 2026; for a financial year ending on 31 December 2025, the deadline is 30 June 2026; and in the case of a financial year ending on 31 May 2026, the normal three-month period will apply again, until 31 August 2026.
For investments from the energy investment list after 30 June 2026, the strict three-month deadline must therefore be observed precisely. In case of late application for certificates, you will no longer be able to apply the increased thematic deduction for the relevant investment and you may miss out on a significant tax benefit. In that case, unless you are a large company, you can only apply the basic investment deduction (at a much lower rate – see below).
We are happy to assist you in analysing the possible applicability of the investment deduction, and in applying for the required certificates, to ensure everything is done in a timely and correct manner and your company obtains maximum tax benefits.
The full reform of the investment deduction is briefly summarised below.
The renewed deduction with effect from 1 January 2025 consists of three pillars: the basic deduction, the thematic deduction and the technology deduction. Central to the reform is the fixing of tariffs that previously varied annually, as well as a simplification of the various investment categories. Below you will find the key points of the renewed investment deduction:
For digital fixed assets, an increased basic rate of 20% on the acquisition value applies. Examples from this category of investments include security solutions and digital payment infrastructure (including in light of mandatory e-invoicing as from 1 January 2026).
There are four categories with separate lists that are updated every 3 years:
Certain investments / investors are explicitly excluded from this thematic deduction.
For the spread R&D deduction, a rate of 20.5% applies to the depreciation that was taken into account for the financial year in question.
Effective 1 January 2025, there is no longer any limitation on carried-forward investment deductions. As a result, they can be fully utilised in the financial year without the previous restrictions. This provision was also approved in the Law of 18 December 2025.
Incidentally, there is still the possibility of opting for a refundable tax credit for these investments instead of the technology deduction. For SMEs benefiting from the reduced corporate tax rate of 20%, this can be more advantageous from a tax point of view, as the tax credit is offset at the standard rate of 25%. In addition, in the event of a loss-making position, the unused tax credit (after 4 years) can be refunded as opposed to a continuous accumulation of unused investment deductions. This option can therefore be interesting to consider. However, the choice to opt for the tax credit with regard to a particular investment is irrevocable and irreversible, in which case the investment deduction system can no longer be applied to the same investment.
Below you can find a summary table of the rates:
Make sure to make a timely request for the certificates for environmentally friendly investments in research and development (in order to apply the so-called 'technology deduction') and for energy-saving investments (i.e., the thematic deduction). In the framework of the Summer Agreement, the federal government planned to abolish the attestation obligation for environmentally friendly investments in R&D, but this is not yet in force.
For an overview of the relaxations regarding the investment deduction and the wide range of other tax measures from the Summer Agreement, you can refer to our previous article in this respect.
For investments made from 1 January 2025, the regime is even stricter: certificates must now be attached to the corporate tax return. This applies until the announced abolition is implemented. It is therefore no longer sufficient to simply keep the certificate available for the authorities in order to apply the technology tax deduction. Also, for certain investments, an energy study or audit must be carried out in advance.
As a rule, in Flanders, the relevant certificate for the application of the thematic deduction must be requested from the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency VEKA within three months after the end of the taxable period in which the fixed assets were acquired or created. For investment projects that cover multiple taxable periods, an investment certificate can be requested within three months after the end of the taxable period in which the project was started. For companies with a financial year closing on 31 December 2025, the relevant certificate should be requested by 31 March 2026.
However, please note that due to the delayed formation of the government, the Royal Decree of 28 July 2025 provides for an exceptional extension for assets purchased/completed between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2026 and for projects started before 1 July 2026, an application period of twelve months after the end of the financial year applies. However, there is an ultimate deadline of 30 June 2026, although the term can never be shorter than the normal three months. Investments and/or projects that apply the technology deduction are not covered by this Royal Decree and therefore do not benefit from this temporary regime.
To put this into practice: for a financial year ending on 31 May 2025, a certificate can be requested until 31 May 2026; for a financial year ending on 31 December 2025, the deadline is 30 June 2026; and in the case of a financial year ending on 31 May 2026, the normal three-month period will apply again, until 31 August 2026.
For investments from the energy investment list after 30 June 2026, the strict three-month deadline must therefore be observed precisely. In case of late application for certificates, you will no longer be able to apply the increased thematic deduction for the relevant investment and you may miss out on a significant tax benefit. In that case, unless you are a large company, you can only apply the basic investment deduction (at a much lower rate – see below).
We are happy to assist you in analysing the possible applicability of the investment deduction, and in applying for the required certificates, to ensure everything is done in a timely and correct manner and your company obtains maximum tax benefits.
The full reform of the investment deduction is briefly summarised below.
The renewed deduction with effect from 1 January 2025 consists of three pillars: the basic deduction, the thematic deduction and the technology deduction. Central to the reform is the fixing of tariffs that previously varied annually, as well as a simplification of the various investment categories. Below you will find the key points of the renewed investment deduction:
Basic deduction (only applies to SMEs and sole proprietorships)
The basic deduction takes the place of the former 'normal' investment deduction. The rate is 10% on the acquisition value for SMEs and sole proprietorships. Investments with a negative impact on the environment or climate are excluded, unless there is no economically equivalent alternative.For digital fixed assets, an increased basic rate of 20% on the acquisition value applies. Examples from this category of investments include security solutions and digital payment infrastructure (including in light of mandatory e-invoicing as from 1 January 2026).
Thematic deduction
The thematic deduction provides for a higher percentage of 40% for natural persons and small companies, as well as for large companies from assessment year 2027 (for assessment year 2026, the rate for large companies is 30%).There are four categories with separate lists that are updated every 3 years:
- Energy Investment List: efficient energy and renewable energy (certificate required)
- Transport investment list: carbon-free transport
- Environmental Investment List: eco-friendly investments
- Investment list for digital support linked to the previous categories: software and associated equipment
Certain investments / investors are explicitly excluded from this thematic deduction.
Technology deduction R&D (certificate required)
The one-off technology deduction amounts to 13.5% of the acquisition value and replaces the previous increased investment deduction for patents and environmentally friendly R&D investments. As before, a certificate is required to confirm the environmentally friendly nature of the investment. What is new is that this certificate must be added to the corporate income tax return.For the spread R&D deduction, a rate of 20.5% applies to the depreciation that was taken into account for the financial year in question.
Effective 1 January 2025, there is no longer any limitation on carried-forward investment deductions. As a result, they can be fully utilised in the financial year without the previous restrictions. This provision was also approved in the Law of 18 December 2025.
Incidentally, there is still the possibility of opting for a refundable tax credit for these investments instead of the technology deduction. For SMEs benefiting from the reduced corporate tax rate of 20%, this can be more advantageous from a tax point of view, as the tax credit is offset at the standard rate of 25%. In addition, in the event of a loss-making position, the unused tax credit (after 4 years) can be refunded as opposed to a continuous accumulation of unused investment deductions. This option can therefore be interesting to consider. However, the choice to opt for the tax credit with regard to a particular investment is irrevocable and irreversible, in which case the investment deduction system can no longer be applied to the same investment.
Below you can find a summary table of the rates: