Hey there, friend! I’m about to spill the beans on my run‑in with T‑Business. Like the title says, I’m the entrepreneur who got tangled up with the tax man. I’m the one who kept thinking “maybe it’ll work out” and paid the price – the tax inspector showed up and my wallet felt the sting. Let’s get into it.

How I got started with T‑Business

Back in a calm 2017 I needed to register as an individual entrepreneur, which meant I had to open a business bank account. I bounced around a bunch of banks hunting for the best price and the most useful features. A few banks turned me down – I still have no idea why – but Tinkoff was happy to take me on and looked pretty promising. The monthly fee caught my eye: 490 rubles, and it’s still the same in 2025. I also liked that I could push money from the business account straight onto my debit card inside the T‑Bank app. Transfers were instant and commission‑free up to a set limit; once I hit that limit I upgraded to the Premium plan so the fees wouldn’t bite. It felt like a smooth, no‑surprises setup, which is exactly what a small‑business owner needs when you’re juggling a hundred other things.

Before I opened the account I chatted nonstop with their consultant, firing off every question I could think of. She gave clear answers to all my worries, so I went ahead and opened the account. A bank specialist even showed up at my place at the agreed time – the whole thing was quick and hassle‑free. During my whole time with T‑Business I never hit an unsolvable snag. The account and the support crew always performed flawlessly, answered my “silly” questions with patience, and helped whenever I needed it. I don’t get why some people leave one‑ or two‑star reviews – I’d hand this service a solid five stars. In my experience the only thing that ever felt off was the occasional waiting time on a busy Friday, but even that was nothing compared with the peace of mind I got.

A bit about T‑Business’s online accounting

When I signed up as an entrepreneur I immediately chose the simplified tax system – 6 % on income. I also booked a paid consultation with an external accountant who walked me through the tax payments. Everything was crystal clear, no circus. T‑Business’s online accounting took over my straightforward bookkeeping, taxes, and contributions. Money landed in my business account, and the system automatically calculated when and how much I owed the tax office. I loved the notifications about upcoming deductions, the auto‑generated payment slips, and even the prepared declarations. Every year I printed two copies of the declaration and dropped them off at the tax office. I never had to double‑check anything – all transactions flow through a single T‑Bank account, and the online accounting sees it all and does the math. The biggest win? For seven years my declarations have been accepted without a hitch, and the online accounting feature is completely free. Fantastic. It’s the kind of set‑and‑forget solution that lets you focus on growing your business instead of staring at spreadsheets.

I could write a page‑long review of this service, but honestly there isn’t much to dissect – everything ran smoothly, just as I expected. I was thrilled. Then 2025 rolled around and things went sideways...

What happened in 2025 and why did the tax office come after me?

I want to stress that I always paid my taxes and pension (now social) contributions exactly as the online accounting tool calculated. I never tried to dodge taxes or game the system – everything was on time and transparent. It would have been fine, but in 2023 I decided to start selling on Ozon (I wrote a separate review about that – link at the bottom). Even back then people were debating online how to correctly calculate taxes on Ozon sales. Some said just take 6 % of the amount that lands in your bank account, others argued that’s wrong and you need to dig into the marketplace reports and calculate tax on the pre‑discount price. For someone like me, far from accounting, that all felt like higher‑level math – completely baffling. I tried a few different approaches, read a handful of forum threads, and still wasn’t sure which method the tax office would accept.

Did I keep the books wrong?

You can call me a fool (maybe I am, especially when it comes to taxes), but I trusted my online accounting service, which had never let me down in seven years and always calculated my taxes correctly. If it had messed up, the problem would have surfaced long before. All my filings since 2017 were accepted without issue, including the 2023 return when I was already selling on Ozon. The 2024 return is where trouble started. I mailed a paper copy to the tax office in March and heard nothing – no response, no acknowledgment. I assumed everything was fine, as usual. Then one day I got a notice from my bank’s online accounting service saying that under the new rules I now have to send an online notification confirming I paid the tax. What? They can’t even see that I’ve paid it? And if I don’t submit that notice, I’ll be hit with a fine! As a conscientious taxpayer, I couldn’t let that happen.

Electronic signature

To file that notice I needed an electronic signature. My diligent online‑accounting service walked me through the whole process, let me pick a pickup location, and even let me pay for the signature service straight from my T‑Business account. Convenient, right? I’d gladly praise the service again for being helpful and free – without it I’d never have learned about these new rules the government keeps rolling out.

I paid roughly 3,000 rubles for the signature (I don’t remember the exact figure), collected it, and soon after sent the tax notice from my computer. And then the ball started rolling…

Black swan

Turns out my electronic signature wasn’t just a key for sending that odd piece of paperwork – it unexpectedly opened an entire Pandora’s box!

On the third day after the notice went out, the tax office finally sprang to life. Turns out they’re not just silent folks muttering at their screens – they’re confident financial heavyweights, I’d say. I won’t drag this out; I got the “happy letter” from the tax office, and to read it I had to plug my electronic signature back into the computer.

The notice said my audit uncovered a tax shortfall. They want a new declaration and a bunch of reports within five days!

Here’s the full text, quoted:

When they examined my bank statement, they found a discrepancy of –352,031.84 RUB between the income reported on my settlement account and what I declared on my 2024 simplified tax system (УСН) return. That mismatch lowered the taxable base and resulted in an underpaid tax.

The tax authority also reminded me that commissions paid to marketplaces and settled via offset agreements must be included in the taxable base.

So, they gave me five days from receipt of this demand to correct the return and submit:
- a revised 2024 УСН tax return;
- a book of income and expenses for 2024;
- an explanatory note detailing the gap between the declared tax base and the actual income received on my accounts in 2024, broken down by counterparties.
To avoid penalties, I have to pay the missing tax plus interest before filing the corrected return, per paragraph 4 of article 81 of the Russian Tax Code.

Looking for a way out

I don’t know if I should say the ground fell out from under me. I realized I couldn’t hand over any of the documents they demanded. I have no accountant, no bookkeeping… I’d trusted T‑Business’s online accounting with all my taxes. I have no clue how much I owe, how to calculate it, or what to do next. I was completely discouraged.

At that point I didn’t have many options – the main one was to find an accountant who could get my taxes straight. I’d seen that besides T‑Business’s online service, the platform lets you hire a personal accountant. So I did.

My accountant costs – what solving the issue set me back

In a flurry of tangled emotions and a voice shaking with frustration, I explained my problem to a T‑Bank specialist. They walked me through everything, and it turned out I wasn’t alone – many sellers across Russia have hit the same snag. Tax offices nationwide have started hunting for folks like me, the “dupes.” And that’s exactly the point – they want everything, squeeze out the maximum.

In the end, my personal accountant and his team spent a couple of weeks combing through my finances and put together a fresh tax return. They even told me that if the tax office ever froze my account, the accountant would sort it out – a full‑service solution.

But it turned out to be a pricey affair. You know what they say – the cheap‑shot ends up paying twice. And I definitely felt that.

I’m attaching screenshots of every payment I made for accounting services that month.

Here’s a breakdown of all the costs for that single month:

15990 RUB – July 23 – accounting services36000 RUB – August 6 – account restoration6990 RUB – August 23

Total for just that month: 51,990 RUB spent on the accountant!
And I’m not even counting the future tax arrears and penalties I’ll have to pay the tax office – roughly another 30,000 RUB, give or take.

Yes, I get that it was an emergency – I needed a lightning‑fast, year‑long recalculation or the tax office could have shut my account down. Luckily that didn’t happen. The tax authority accepted the new filings, my account runs fine, and the accountant is still sending me payment orders. It just isn’t as smooth as the online bookkeeping I used before. Sometimes a payment pops up out of nowhere, which never happened with the digital service.

My takeaway? If you’re not a numbers whiz, ditch the “easy simplified” online bookkeeping and bring a real accountant on board. I now pay 6,990 RUB every month for ongoing service, and I’ll keep doing it until I close my sole proprietorship. At least my brain stays clear, and I know the accounting team will handle everything. The service contract even guarantees results, and if a mistake on their part costs me, the bank will reimburse. I’m not sure how that plays out in practice, but I’m hoping it does.

Sure, I could have tried to find a “street‑corner” accountant for cheaper rates, but there’s zero certainty they won’t disappear tomorrow, and no guarantee they’ll get the numbers right. Bottom line – the stress was massive.

Quick takeaway from all this

First off, I want to warn fellow entrepreneurs and sellers (like me) to learn from my mistake and stop hoping “maybe it’ll work out”. And a heads‑up to Ozon sellers – calculating a flat 6 % of your incoming payments is wrong! If you’re doing that and haven’t been flagged yet, it’s just a tax‑office oversight that will catch up with you eventually.

So, to avoid the headaches I went through, I’d suggest finding an accountant right away—whether it’s a friend or someone from another firm, just make sure you have one. Don’t count on fixing everything quickly later; I wish I’d paid my accountant sooner. It would’ve saved my nerves and kept me from late‑payment penalties. The easy‑going bookkeeping days are gone for good, and new tax changes are on the horizon, making things even trickier.

I’m totally happy with T‑Bank’s online accounting service. They reply fast in the chat, explain things clearly, and if I need a real conversation I can hop on a call and talk to a specialist. I can also vouch for T‑Business’s personal accountant service—I’ve seen the results myself. Without them I don’t know who could have rebuilt a whole year’s worth of records in just two weeks. The only downside? The price is steep, so I’m giving it four stars. Sure, they earn their keep, but it feels way overpriced.

My review of selling on Ozon

My review of opening an Ozon pickup point