Even before adapting to the complexity of the new tax system, Brazilian companies will face a direct challenge in the cashier. Starting in 2027, it is planned to enter the scene the split payment (MEchanism that anticipates the payment of taxes for the exact moment of the transaction.The model, which will be optional in operations between companies (B2B) at first, promises to simplify the collection, but can strain the working capital of companies, especially in term sales.
This whole scenario of change is anchored in a broad restructuring of the Brazilian tax system. From 2026, a new model of consumption taxes based on two main taxes comes into force: the CBS, of federal competence, and the IBS, of state and municipal competence. They will progressively replace PIS, COFINS, ICMS and ISS.
The schedule is long, but the impacts will be felt from the beginning. In 2026, the symbolic collection of 0.1% for CBS and 0.9% for IBS begins, with controlled tests in specific operations. During this initial phase, the new system will coexist with the current one, requiring companies to have a parallel tax operation with the issuance of documents with double bookkeeping of taxes.
From 2027, CBS already enters with full rate, while IBS gradually rises until reaching its fullness in 2033.In this period, split payment is now offered as an alternative also in B2B operations, initially on an optional basis, but with expectation of progressive expansion until it becomes standard.
In practice, what once served as a temporary breath in the cashier, and helped to bankroll sheet, suppliers and operation, will cease to exist. The impact is silent, but profound. And anyone who does not plan now can be run over by the consequences in a few years.
Split payment: challenge for cash flow
Inspired by international models, split payment & segregated payment IO imposes a completely different logic to the circulation of money in commercial operations. Instead of the total amount of the invoice being paid to the supplier, so that he later collects the taxes, the tax will be automatically separated at the time of payment and transferred directly to the government.
The proposal, from the point of view of collection, is efficient: it reduces fraud, avoids defaults and anticipates the entry of public resources. But from a business point of view, it represents a structural change in the way cash is operated. The impact is even more sensitive in sales with long terms or recurring contracts, where the mismatch between the realization of revenue and the collection of tax can generate financial holes that were previously cushioned with the temporary use of these values.
All this gear will be made possible by a new digital structure called the Consumer Operations Registry (ROC), which will act as the backbone of the split payment. It is the ROC that will receive the invoice data, validate the operation and instruct the automatic segregation of payment between the company account and the Treasury. That is, the banking or payment system can only correctly process the division of values if it is connected to the ROC. This imposes a technical challenge to financial institutions, but also to companies, which will need to ensure that their ERPs and billing systems are fully integrated into this environment APIs Another difficulty is that many technical details of payments still depend on the definition of standards: integration of the Federal agreements and regulations.
Companies providing B2B services, for example, that already operate with tight margins and have little generation of tax credit, tend to feel more intensely the effects of split payment. When issuing an invoice of R$ 100 thousand with payment in 90 days, what changes is not that it will have to anticipate the payment of tax with own resources, but rather that when the customer makes the payment, the amount will be automatically divided: it is estimated that R$ 75 thousand go to the company account, and R$ 25 thousand will be transferred directly to the Treasury.
That is, the company starts to operate with a lower net value than the invoiced one, reducing the cash flow that previously existed between the issuance of the note and the collection of the tax.
The pressure will be especially strong for companies with extended deadlines, staggered billing models or intensive performance in long-cycle contracts. Cash management, which already requires precision, will require predictive capacity, renegotiation of deadlines and more aggressive financing strategies. In many cases, it will be necessary to review existing contracts to accommodate the new reality.
B2B services on the front line of the voltage
Although the implementation of split payment in B2B begins optionally in 2027, sectors that operate with services between companies must prepare in advance.Services, unlike industry or retail, tend to accumulate little tax credit on inputs. This means that the impact of early collection of taxes will not be easily compensated in the chain.
Segments such as technology, consulting, marketing, law, engineering and facilities work with extended receipt deadlines and high sheet weight in the composition of costs. It is exactly this profile that will be most affected by the new liquidation logic. The risk is real: companies will have changes in cash flow.
The adoption of split payment in this segment therefore requires an integrated work between the areas of treasury, planning, legal and commercial. It is time to review billing models, simulate impacts of different receipt deadlines and rethink the formation of prices in new contracts. Ignoring this movement can mean a continuous and silent loss of operational liquidity 'even with growing sales.
B2B businesses should follow the pilot projects and tests conducted in the early years of the reform, taking advantage of the chance to learn from the experience of others. Ideally, as the mandatory adoption period in the business segment approaches, the company will already have its systems prepared to issue tax documents in the new formats and integrate the mechanism of payment segregation in its billing flows. This includes ensuring that, when issuing an NF-e, all IBS/CBS calculations are done correctly and informed, that the system can communicate with government interfaces to report the operation and that financial modules immediately register the credits to which the company is entitled.
Companies using legacy or custom systems may consider investing in specialized solutions or version updates provided by tax software developers, ensuring compliance with Complementary Law 214/2025 and its regulations.
The temptation to view tax reform only as a simplification can be costly. For B2B companies, especially in the service sector, split payment is a watershed & a silent change, but able to change the dynamics of cash permanently if not anticipated strategically.
The adoption of the new model will be staggered, and 2027 will act as a voluntary testing ground.Whoever starts simulating, adapting systems, reviewing billing policies and redesigning contracts now, will reach the mandatory phase with operational maturity and mastery of financial impact.
By Mirian Cidral, CFO of Global Solutions Hub relationship and Collection.
