Legal and accounting support for online stores

 YOUR GOAL

You plan to create an online store, select the best products, set up the website, and start selling.

It may seem that marketing and a user-friendly platform are the most important. However, for a legal and secure online business, it's crucial to start with the right legal and accounting solutions.

Even before launching your store, you need to choose the optimal legal structure, register a company or sole proprietorship, select the tax system, and determine business activity codes (KVED) that fit your operations. In practice, many entrepreneurs face unexpected difficulties at this stage.

Potential issues that may arise:

• Critical issues:
  • Cash register and fiscalization — mandatory use of software cash registers, fines for missing fiscal receipts, and difficulties integrating with payment systems and the website.
  • Account blocking — common errors leading to automatic tax account freezes (high turnover, KVED mismatch, missing primary documents).
  • Foreign currency operations — working with international suppliers or platforms requires currency contracts and compliance with foreign exchange regulations.
  • Product liability — compliance certificates, permits for certain product categories (cosmetics, electronics, children’s goods), liability for unsafe or uncertified products.
  • Returns and exchanges — compliance with consumer protection laws, 14-day return policy, determination of who bears the cost of return shipping.
• Tax and financial risks:
  • Single tax limits — exceeding a turnover of 1,167 minimum wages automatically moves the business to the general taxation system from the next month.
  • VAT on imports — even under a simplified system, VAT must be paid on imported goods, which can “freeze” working capital.
  • Cash payments — 10,000 UAH daily limit per counterparty; exceeding it is possible only via cashless payments.
  • Expense documentation — without properly issued invoices and acts, tax authorities may not recognize expenses even for third-group single-tax payers.
• Contractual and logistics risks:
  • Carrier contracts (Nova Poshta, other services) — defining responsibility for loss or damage, insurance terms.
  • Dropshipping without contracts — without proper agreements, tax authorities may recognize the entire turnover as income, not just commission fees.
  • Marketplaces — specifics of selling through Rozetka, Prom, Amazon: who is the seller, who keeps the accounting, and how to correctly record operations.
• Specific legal risks:
  • Intellectual property — selling counterfeit products, using others’ photos and product descriptions, legal claims from brand owners.
  • Data protection — real fines from the Data Protection Officer (up to 22 million UAH), a formal “checkbox” on the website does not provide legal protection.
  • Cross-border trade — selling goods in the EU requires VAT registration, use of the OSS system, and correct customs clearance.

These are real challenges faced in practice, and they can halt your business or lead to serious financial losses.

 OUR OFFER

We provide legal and accounting support for online stores — from a smooth start to business scaling. Our experts help you avoid common mistakes that cost online business owners time and money.

I. A smooth start without tax problems

• Choosing the optimal business form (Sole Proprietorship or LLC) based on projected turnover and product specifics
• Selecting KVED codes that accurately reflect your activities and won’t raise issues during audits
• Choosing a tax system with realistic tax burden calculations
• Registering software cash registers and setting up fiscalization (integration with website, Checkbox, Vchasno Kasa)
• Obtaining necessary licenses and permits for your product category

II. Protection from account blocks and fines

• Proper documentation of primary records — to prevent bank account freezes
• Structuring transactions to avoid automatic tax account blocks
• Preparing currency contracts when working with foreign suppliers
• Legal import of goods with minimal tax expenses
• Preparation for potential tax inspections — a complete set of documents "for all cases"

III. Contracts that actually work

• Supplier contracts with clear risk allocation
• Proper dropshipping agreements — tax authorities recognize only commission, not the full turnover
• Carrier contracts (Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta) — defining responsibility for lost goods
• Marketplace agreements (Rozetka, Prom) — how to maintain records and reporting
• Payment system agreements (LiqPay, Fondy, WayForPay) — accounting specifics

IV. Complete accounting support

• Accounting tailored to the specifics of online trade
• Timely submission of reports — without fines or account blocks
• Monitoring single tax limits — alerts before reaching thresholds
• Correct VAT accounting for imports (even for Sole Proprietors on simplified systems)
• Expense verification — ensuring the tax authorities recognize all your costs

V. Legal compliance with customers

• Public offer according to the Consumer Protection Law
• Privacy policy compliant with the Data Protection Officer’s requirements (avoiding fines up to 22 million UAH)
• Return and exchange rules — who pays for shipping
• Protection against customer claims — proper handling of refusals and complaints
• Legal use of product photos and descriptions — no copyright infringement

VI. Specialized solutions

• Working with branded products — avoiding counterfeit accusations
• Product certification (cosmetics, electronics, children’s goods)
• Expansion to international markets — VAT registration in the EU, OSS system
• Brand protection — trademark registration
• Collaboration with bloggers and influencers — legally correct advertising agreements

We take on all legal and accounting risks so you can focus on sales.

Your online store operates without account blocks, tax fines, or customer claims. We ensure full legal compliance — from the first transaction to entering international markets.

 CASE STUDY

• Situation: The owner of an electronics online store faced a bank account freeze by the tax authorities. The reason — suspicion of "conversion" due to large incoming payments without proper proof of product sources. Business operations stopped: unable to pay suppliers, issue salaries, or accept payments from customers.
• Problem: In fact, the entrepreneur was working with an official Chinese supplier via dropshipping but had incorrectly processed the documents. The tax authorities considered the full turnover (500,000 UAH/month) as income, although the actual commission was only 15%. Additionally, there was no currency contract, and primary documents from China did not comply with Ukrainian regulations. Risked tax recalculation on the entire turnover plus fines.
• Our solution:
  • Urgently prepared an explanation for the tax authorities with proof of the real business model.
  • Retrospectively issued a currency contract and obtained an individual NBU license.
  • Requested correctly issued invoices and delivery tracking from the Chinese supplier.
  • Recalculated tax liabilities: proved that income was only 15% commission, not the full turnover.
  • Restructured accounting: separated transit funds and real income into separate subaccounts.
  • Prepared a procedure for future operations to prevent re-blocking.
• Result: The account was unblocked within 12 days. Instead of paying 180,000 UAH in taxes, the entrepreneur paid only 27,000 UAH (actual tax on commission) with no fines. Business resumed operations. A document workflow system was implemented to prevent future blocks — in 8 months there were no tax issues, and turnover increased to 850,000 UAH/month.
• Client savings: 153,000 UAH in taxes + avoided fines ~90,000 UAH + 12 days of downtime (lost profit ~60,000 UAH).

Legal and accounting support that understands the specifics of e-commerce protects your business from account freezes, fines, and unnecessary taxes. You operate with peace of mind — we ensure the legal compliance of every transaction.

 DOCUMENTS

For the full launch of an online store and to ensure legal and accounting security, it is necessary to prepare and process documentation across key areas.

Important: All documents must comply with legal and tax control requirements. Professional preparation minimizes the risks of penalties, account blocks, and reputational losses.

Do not postpone the success of your online store until tomorrow! By contacting our lawyers and accountants today, you receive a guarantee of peace of mind, legality, and comprehensive business support — from registration to financial reporting.

 Price

Legal and accounting support for online stores — timelines and service costs

Legal and accounting support for online stores in Ukraine is provided on the basis of a legal and accounting service agreement for business support.

The final cost is determined after reviewing the scope and needs of a specific project.

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LAW COMPANY EUROVECTOR