Does a Self-Employed Person Need a Separate Account?
In 2026, there is no requirement to open a separate bank account solely due to applying the special tax regime for self-employed persons: Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan regulates work through an online platform but does not establish such an obligation, while Article 55 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan imposes obligations relating to interaction with the tax authorities on banking institutions (Articles 55, 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
A bank account and the instruments through which a self-employed person fulfils tax obligations serve different purposes. The account is used to receive, hold and transfer money. When working through an online platform, the rules of the special tax regime apply, under which the platform operator participates in settlements with the state budget and the social payment system.
An accountant should not automatically regard every banking product as suitable for regularly receiving payment for work or services. The Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan defines banks’ obligations to provide the tax authorities with information on the opening and closing of accounts by certain categories of customers, including individual entrepreneurs; however, this provision does not in itself introduce a separate type of account for a self-employed person (Article 55 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan). Whether payments may be accepted into a particular account is determined by the terms of the banking agreement and the nature of the transactions.
A Self-Employed Person Wants to Open an Account: What to Check
If a self-employed person decides to open an account for receipts from customers, the intended purpose of the account should be determined first. One option is to receive payment directly from individuals or legal entities. Another is to work through an online platform that facilitates interaction between the contractor and the customer. The banking documents, payment purpose and procedure for confirming income depend on the settlement arrangement.
Before opening an account, it is useful to ask the bank:
- which account is suitable for regularly receiving payment for work or services;
- whether the terms of the selected banking product allow such receipts;
- which documents are required to open and maintain the account;
- how the payer, payment purpose and payment date will be shown on the statement;
- whether the statement can be exported in a format suitable for accounting;
- which fees apply to incoming and outgoing transactions.
It is advisable to obtain the bank’s response in a form that can be retained: in an agreement, fee schedule, official message or certificate. This will allow the accountant to confirm the account terms applicable on the transaction date and correctly match receipts to the self-employed person’s documents.
The receipt of money into an account confirms the movement of funds but does not fully disclose the substance of the transaction. For accounting purposes, the payment must be linked to an agreement, order, acceptance certificate or other document describing the work performed or service provided. When settlements are made through an online platform, information and reports from the operator are also used.
If a person is registered as an individual entrepreneur, the bank notifies the tax authority of the opening or closing of their bank account or a change in the account identification code no later than two business days following the day of the relevant event. This obligation is imposed on the banking institution (Article 55 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
How an Accountant Should Organise the Accounting of Receipts
A practical approach is to maintain a separate register of receipts even when the self-employed person does not open a dedicated account. The register may record the payment date, customer, description of the work or service, amount, payment purpose and details of the supporting document. The specific data to be recorded should be aligned with the self-employed person’s actual operating model.
It is important for the accountant to regularly reconcile three sets of information:
- work performed or services provided;
- agreements, orders, acceptance certificates and other transaction documents;
- receipts shown on bank statements or online platform reports.
This reconciliation helps identify a payment without a supporting document, duplicate recording of the same transaction, a refund to a customer or a payment with an unclear purpose. If the money was not received for work or a service, the substance of the transaction should be determined from the documents relating to it, rather than solely from the wording in the bank statement.
Work through an online platform requires particular attention. For the purposes of the special tax regime, an online platform is an electronic platform facilitating interaction between the operator, the customer and the contractor registered on the platform. In this case, the customer may be an individual or legal entity that has placed an order for services or work (Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
The online platform operator is recognised as a tax agent and withholds individual income tax and social payments for self-employed persons working through the platform. The operator remits the withheld individual income tax to the state budget no later than the 15th day of the month following the reporting month (Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
Therefore, the accountant must distinguish between direct settlements with the customer and settlements through an online platform. The rule requiring the operator to withhold individual income tax applies to self-employed persons who conduct permitted activities using such a platform. The platform agreement, its reports, information on accrued and withheld amounts, documents for completed orders and the bank statement will be required for reconciliation.
If some orders are paid directly and others through the platform, it is convenient to account for them separately. For platform transactions, the order value, operator withholdings and amount actually transferred to the contractor must be reconciled. For direct receipts, the payment should be linked to a specific customer and a document confirming the substance of the transaction.
The frequency of reconciliation may be set out in an internal working procedure, taking into account the number of transactions. When working through an online platform, information on withheld individual income tax should be reconciled before the remittance deadline established for the operator — no later than the 15th day of the month following the reporting month (Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan). Any discrepancies identified must be documented and reconciled against the operator’s revised reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a self-employed person required to open a separate bank account? — Articles 55 and 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan do not establish an obligation to open a separate account solely in connection with applying the regime for self-employed persons. A suitable banking product should be selected based on the nature of the receipts and the bank’s terms (Articles 55, 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
Are a bank account and an online platform the same thing? — No. A bank account is intended for monetary transactions, while an online platform facilitates interaction between the operator, the customer and the contractor registered on it (Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
Is a bank statement sufficient to describe a transaction? — A statement confirms the movement of money. The substance of the work performed or service provided should be linked to an agreement, order, acceptance certificate or another document relating to the transaction.
What should be checked if income is received through an online platform? — The agreement, platform report, order values, amounts withheld and bank statement should be reconciled. The platform operator is the tax agent for the individual income tax and social payments of the self-employed person working through that platform (Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
When does the operator remit the withheld individual income tax? — No later than the 15th day of the month following the reporting month (Article 721 of the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
Which documents should be retained for receipts? — As a practical matter, it is useful to retain agreements and orders, confirmations of work performed, bank statements, online platform reports and refund documents. The set of documents must make it possible to link each receipt to a specific transaction.