The first customer arrives and many times proceeds to create their invoice based on another one that we have received. You can consult a website to find an invoice model, but you should know, above all, that it is still an accounting document that complies with legal regulations: certain information is still mandatory and depends on the status of the company. So you have to pay attention to it.
What does the invoice represent?
The invoice is a detailed document of the services or goods sold (receipt of a paid invoice, note, account statement). It is a document of a commercial and accounting nature established by a legal structure (company, association, individual entrepreneur, for example) to record the conditions of purchase and sale of products, goods or services provided (nature, quantity, weight, quality, price, conditions of payment and due date in particular).
fonte www.service-public.fr/professionnels-entreprises/vosdroits
Is the invoice mandatory and under what circumstances?
- When you provide services or sell goods between professionals;
- During distance sales, that is, intra-community exchanges in which the buyer is an individual (in particular, mail order sales);
- During deliveries to public auctions of second-hand goods, works of art, collectibles or antiques.
Attention ! Any provision of services carried out in favor of a natural person must be the subject of a note, when the price is equal to or greater than €25, taxes included.
Failure to comply with the obligation to invoice between professionals is sanctioned with a criminal fine of €75,000, and this fine may be increased up to 50% of the amount invoiced or of what should have been invoiced, and a tax regularization (50% of the amount of the transaction).
What are the 5 functions of the invoice?
- A legal function : constitutes legal proof of the reality of the service provided or the goods sold, and establishes the seller’s right to claim (receipt, for example).
- a business function : details the negotiation conditions of the sale between the supplier and his client, in particular the amount to be paid.
- an accounting function : serves as accounting evidence, necessary for the establishment of the annual accounts.
- a tax function : acts as support for the exercise of VAT rights (collection and deduction) and for fiscal control.
The fee note is a document instead of an invoice, drawn up by a professional who practices a liberal profession. It is subject to the same rules as the invoice.
What should the invoice include?
- compulsory mentions,
- be written in French,
- It will be established in 2 copies, leaving the original in the possession of the client.
It can be issued in paper or electronic format under certain conditions.
Attention !
A receipt is not considered an invoice; it is only a proof of purchase that may allow a refund or exchange for a defective product.
What is the deadline to issue an invoice?
The invoice must be issued as soon as the sale is made (ie, in principle, at the latest at the time of delivery of the goods) or as soon as the service is provided.
The 15-day postponement of billing may be accepted for the requirements of the administrative management of companies.
Invoicing may be established periodically for several different deliveries of goods or services made for the benefit of the same customer for which the tax is accrued during the same calendar month. This recurring or summary invoice must be made out no later than the end of the same month: the billing period cannot exceed one month.
The date of issuance of the invoice forms part of the Mandatory information.
Attention ! The originals or copies of the invoices must be kept for 10 years from the sale or provision of the service.
Should invoices be numbered?
The numbering of the invoices is represented by a unique number based on a continuous chronological sequence, without breaking. It is not possible to issue invoices afterwards. Two invoices cannot have the same number.
The invoice number is part of the Mandatory information.
How to cancel or rectify an invoice?
In the event of an error or a discount granted after its issuance, an invoice can be canceled or rectified, but a very strict process must be followed so as not to find yourself in an illegal situation before the tax authorities.
Attention !
Electronic invoicing for public sector providers
To know!
Ordinance No. 2021-1190 of September 15, 2021 (carried out on the basis of article 195 of the finance law for 2021) will generalize electronic invoicing in exchanges between companies subject to VAT. Deployment will be gradual between 2024 and 2026taking into account the size of the companies, so that each one can appropriate these new obligations in the best conditions:
- of 1Ahem july 2024 for large companies
- of 1Ahem January 2025 for medium-sized companies
- of 1Ahem January 2026 for small and medium enterprises and micro-enterprises.
Electronic invoicing is mandatory for large companies (more than 5,000 employees) and for medium-sized companies (250 to 5,000 employees). It will be extended to small and medium-sized companies (from 10 to 250 employees) on the 1st ofAhem January 2019 and to very small companies (less than 10 employees) on 1AhemJanuary 2020.
What information is required on any invoice?
- Invoice issue date
- Invoice numbering (on all pages)
- Date of sale or service
- Buyer identity (name, address)
- Identity of the seller or service provider (business name, legal form, address, registration number or “Siret that is awarded”)
- Individual VAT identification number of the seller (provided that the invoice is greater than a total amount without taxes of €150)
- Individual identification number for VAT purposes of the professional client (provided that the latter is a VAT taxpayer, that the invoice is greater than a total amount without taxes of €150 and that the professional client is foreign)
- Designation of the product or service.
- Detailed breakdown of each service and product provided
- Catalog price (unit price or hourly rate without VAT)
- Possible price increase (transport, packaging, etc.)
- Legally applicable VAT rate and corresponding VAT amount
- Discounts or rebates
- Total amounts to pay (excl. and incl. VAT)
What are the mandatory mentions among professionals?
To the above obligations, the date of payment must be added. In the absence of contractual stipulations, the payment term will be a maximum of 30 days from the receipt of the merchandise or the provision of the service.
But it is possible to contractually negotiate a different term:
- 60 days maximum after the date of issuance of the invoice;
- 45 days maximum from the date of issue of the invoice in the case of periodic invoice;
- 45 days maximum after the end of the month of receipt of the invoice.
It is impossible to predict longer terms.
The invoice cannot be written lightly. Therefore, it is necessary before considering the drafting of invoices that allow you to act in complete safety and not create litigation.
Payment methods
An invoice can be paid in one of the following ways:
- By check
- In cash (from €1,000, the payment of a professional debt in cash is prohibited)
- Wire transfer
- By bill of exchange or promissory note (document according to which the client agrees to pay a sum of money to the supplier on a certain date)
Although it is recommended, the mention of the payment method is not mandatory on an invoice. However, the payment date and the payment due date are mandatory information.
Font : www.service-public.fr/professionnels-entreprises/vosdroits
Finally, from May 15, 2022, individual entrepreneurs have the obligation to indicate the mention EI or Individual Entrepreneur on their invoices (and contributions).
Source link
