ECD 2022: definition, due date, requirements and news

This year, the due date for filing up the accounting obligation was postponed by the Federal Revenue Service

The period for submitting the ECD 2022 (Digital Accounting Bookkeeping) to the Federal Revenue Service is already underway and the deadline is now set on June 30, after the extension.

With the deadline extension, taxpayers have more time to be prepared to comply with the obligation. Learn more below about the ECD and see if your company is required to submit it.

What is the ECD?

The ECD is a federal ancillary obligation that has replaced physical document delivery with digital or electronic files. The following accounting ledgers must be validated and authenticated through the bookkeeping process:

- Accounting journal and its accompanying documents, if any;

- General Ledger and its accompanying documents, if any;

- Daily trial balances, balance sheets and accounting entries for accompanying documents.

Who is required to submit the ECD 2022?

Submissions are mandatory depending on the tax treatment given to a legal entity. Thus, the following persons are required to submit the ECD 2022:

• legal entities required to store accounting ledgers in compliance with Commercial Law regulations - including entities equated to legal persons and those that have been granted tax immunity;
• legal entities taxed under the presumed profit method, which, according to article 45 of Law no. 8,981/1995, do not follow accounting bookkeeping practices under the Commercial Law, but store cash-books recording all of their financial activities, including banking ones;
• Silent Partnerships (‘Sociedades em Conta de Participação’ - SCP);
• legal entities based in Brazil that keep offshore resources in foreign currency related to received exports, as provided for in art. 8th of Law No. 11,371/2006; and
• Simple Credit Companies (‘Empresas Simples de Crédito’ - ESC), as provided for in Federal Law No. 167/2019.

The ECD submission is optional for other legal entities.

Are there any associated penalties?

Yes, legal entities may be subject to a fine amounting to:

- 0.5% of the company’s gross income for the year, if the entity fails to meet the criteria prescribed for ECD submission;

- 5% of the value of the corresponding transaction, limited to 1% of the company’s gross income for the year, if its information has been omitted or incorrectly provided; and

- 0.02% per day of delay, calculated over up to 1% of the company’s gross income for the year, if the entity does not meet the deadline for submission.

ECD 2022: how does it relate to the ECF?

Data inserted into the ECD serve as a basis for the preparation of the Tax Accounting Bookkeeping (ECF). Thus, the submission of the ECD 2022 is a preliminary step towards the preparation of an ECF in compliance with the regulations.

Read more: ECF 2022: start preparing your company with a preventive review

Is there any news for this year?

In 2022, there is a new rule in place, allowing for the cross-checking of ECD data with the CFC database.

Thus, a message may be issued identifying accountants who have signed the ledgers as "unfit" according to their CFC records. The warnings will be advisory only and will not prevent the submission of the ECD.

Version 9.0.1 of the ECD software, released this April, introduced the following changes:

• Added option for signing the ECD with Cloud authentication.
• Improvements in software performance during validation check.



Accounting compliance




DPC assists its clients in preparing and submitting documents pertaining to accounting and tax obligations. In addition, our staff assists companies by providing reviews and reports on time for delivery, adding to their compliance with the laws in effect. You can count on our support: dpc@dpc.com.br