An invoice is a time-specified official accounting document which records a transaction between a buyer and a seller mentioning the word “Invoice" or a
translation such as "Facture" or "Factuur". It includes shipping and unit costs, payment terms, handling, and any other relevant terms identified during the transaction. It has a unique identifier called invoice number which is significant for internal and external references.
A receipt is simply a document stating that you have paid a merchant. If a receipt mentions which goods or services you bought and for which amount, it is usually accepted to justify a business expense.
There are two major differences:
On the ticket or simplified invoice only the issuer’s tax information appears whereas on the Invoice the fiscal information of both the issuer and the recipient appears.
As a receiver, you can recover expenses from your VAT if you have an invoice but in case of a ticket, you cannot because your fiscal information (i.e: VAT number) is generally missing from the document.
In order to recover the VAT paid on a purchase,
Belgian law requires you to have an invoice
with:
An invoice date,
A unique, sequential number
Your name, your VAT number and address
The seller's name, VAT number and address.
The list of items with their VAT rates
The subtotals by VAT rate (0%, 6%, 12% or 21%) and total VAT due
In Belgium, for most of the business cases, VAT can be fully deductible at 100 percent subject to the business usage for instance: mobile phone subscription. Same deductibility applies for the Income Tax. While for some expenses related to technology for example: mobile and computer, the VAT deductibility is 75 percent. Therefore, it is always better to consult with latest deductibility rates.
Tick the "invoice" box only if your document matches the conditions above. If it does not, don't tick it as it will be recognised as a ticket.
Long story short: always try to get an invoice with your details and VAT number on it to make sure you get as much money back as possible.
Here is the video explanation of how to encode an expense
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Author - Valesca Wilms
As content marketing lead at Accountable Belgium, Valesca writes about freelancing, self-employment, and taxes based on her own experience as a freelancer.
Who is Valesca ?Thank you for your feedback!
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