Issuing invoices is one of the basic obligations related to running a business. An obligation that can be fulfilled in an easy and convenient way recently, and at the same time does not require extensive knowledge in the field of tax law or accounting.
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And all thanks to modern online invoicing programs which helps you to create invoices online using invoice maker online, which not only simplify the process of issuing the aforementioned documents to the maximum extent, but also allow you to use a number of other facilities, facilitating the company’s accounting and financial affairs – including 24/7 access to company documents.
In fact, it is most often in the form of a module attached to an accounting program (online or offline), which allows you to independently (or with the help of an online accounting office) manage virtually the entire accounting area of the company. In this article, however, we will focus on the invoicing systems themselves: you will learn how they work and how they help you run your business on a daily basis. You will also see the benefits of 24/7 access to accounting and financial documentation guaranteed by the invoicing program, as well as learn about the most important legal aspects related to electronic invoicing.
The invoicing program can take the form of a desktop application, installed on a computer disk, or an internet application, which can be used on any PC, tablet, and often even a smartphone connected to the network.
Law friendly
The use of electronic invoicing (online invoicing, e-invoicing), in other words issuing invoices in electronic form, has been possible for several years. Moreover, thanks to the changes in the provisions of the VAT Act, from January 1, 2013, these invoices have the same value for tax offices as paper invoices. Thus, the legislator sends an unambiguous message to entrepreneurs: you can use time-saving and ecological online invoicing without any worries.
Invoicing program – guarantee of correct invoice issuance
Remember that in order for an e-invoice to be considered valid, the entrepreneur must ensure the deadline for its issuance provided for by the act, and include all elements indicated in the regulation of the Minister of Finance. The latter include:
- date of issue and the number identifying the invoice,
- details of the seller and buyer of goods or services: names and surnames, addresses, and tax identification numbers (in the case of private persons, it is not required),
- name or type of good or service,
- the number of goods sold or the scope of services provided,
- net unit price – i.e. the unit price of a good or service, excluding the tax amount,
- net sales value – i.e. the value of goods sold or services provided (without the tax amount), being the subject of the concluded transaction,
- net sales value broken down into VAT rates,
- the total amount due.
Importantly, it does not matter whether the issued online invoice takes the form of an e-mail with an attachment (the file may be in PDF, DOC, JPG, CSV format), a structured message or an electronic fax. It is only important that the chosen form guarantees the integrity and legibility of the content of the invoice, as well as the authenticity of its origin. Thanks to the solutions used in invoicing programs, the user can be sure that all the above-mentioned criteria will be met each time.
The most important advantages of online invoicing software
As indicated in the introduction to the article, in order to issue electronic invoices in a quick, convenient and at the same time compliant with the above requirements, you need to have an electronic invoicing program – preferably one that can be used on any computer with access to the network. The reason for choosing an online invoicing program is the fact that:
- to run it, you only need to know your login and password,
- is up-to-date and usually free of charge updated – both from the technical side and in the context of possible changes in tax rates or other legal regulations,
- all data collected in it are stored on external servers, and thus – company documents, history of operations and other recorded information are available to the entrepreneur from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day,
- servers on which files related to the company are saved, regularly and automatically create backups of stored documents – the risk of loss or theft of company data is therefore limited to an absolute minimum here.
The use of such design solutions allows the user to issue invoices and use other program functions, regardless of the time of day or the place where he is located. What’s more, it can be sure that both the method of handling invoices and other accounting activities performed will comply with the currently applicable law. He can also be sure that the saved electronic documents will be sent to a safe place on the one hand, and easily accessible to him on the other.
Invoicing program – how does it make issuing documents easier?
Each invoicing program requires the entrepreneur to provide, inter alia, name, surname, contact details, as well as bank account number. All this to create a kind of template that will automatically appear in the issued invoice each time. You can also save your data, but also your contractors’ data, which allows you to reduce the time of issuing invoices to an absolute minimum. The program also makes sure that the entrepreneur completes all the required fields: customer data, amount to be paid, date and type of payment. The invoice issued in this way can usually be automatically sent to the contractor by e-mail or saved on disk in PDF format.
What else does the invoicing program help with?
In fact, the basic functionality of all invoice programs is basically the same, each of them can be equipped with different, additional functions. The more advanced ones are usually available in paid applications. In this case, the entrepreneur may additionally, inter alia, make transfers for taxes and invoices with just one click, enter cost invoices into the system, which are automatically added to the list of expenses, or assign invoices with the following markings: paid, booked, corrected. Moreover, on the basis of the documents entered into the system, the program also calculates the amounts of taxes to be paid, and also prepares tax declarations.
What else is worth knowing?
The most important, apart from the automation of the process of issuing and handling invoices, the advantage of invoicing programs is the fact that – as already mentioned – they provide 24/7 access to the company’s accounting documents. Such a convenience is extremely useful for an entrepreneur, because it allows him to increase the effectiveness of accounting and financial activities, as well as easier to monitor the performance of planned tasks, or to conduct business analyzes more conveniently. Thanks to electronic access to documents around the clock, the entrepreneur can also easily and conveniently control what is happening in the company, while saving his time and money.