How to make a free electronic invoice and send it to the Public Administration or take advantage of DocFly Invoicing PA, Aruba's paid service.
In order to issue and send documents to the Public Administration, companies, firms and freelancers have had to adapt their billing methods to the directives imposed by the 2008 Finance Act. Specifically, no form of invoice is accepted other than the certified electronic one.
It is a computerized method that provides for the sending of the accounting document through precise specifications. Unfortunately, it is not enough to create a simple PDF file, but it takes a few more steps.
Read on and make yourself comfortable because in this tutorial I will explain to you how to issue an electronic invoice in a few simple steps. You will find that there are three actors in the e-invoicing process:
- Sender or Supplier.
- Interchange System (SDI).
- Public administration.
WHAT IS AN ELECTRONIC INVOICE
The electronic invoice, invoice in digital format, is a document in XML format that follows its own mandatory formatting. This type of invoice guarantees the sender's authenticity and integrity, combined with the guarantee of non-modification or tampering.
These elements are formalized through the digital signature of the person issuing the accounting document. Put simply, you can define the electronic invoice as an evolution of the traditional billing system, which allows the sender and receiver to obtain the security of a protected file.
The obligation of electronic invoicing, in force since 6 June 2014 for tax agencies, ministries, national social security and social assistance bodies, has been extended to all PAs (Public Administrations) since 31 March 2015. From 1 July 2016 it has been introduced for taxpayers the possibility of having the electronic invoice for free by benefiting from a system, made available by the Revenue Agency, for electronic invoices exchanged between private individuals and for transmitting and storing the invoices themselves. The procedure can be used by connecting to the Revenue Agency website or through the app, which can be installed free of charge on all Android and iOS mobile devices.
issue an electronic invoice, it is mandatory that the Public Administration office, to which you want to invoice, communicates a unique code consisting of a series of numbers and letters. This factor is fundamental for the identification of the holder. Once the invoice with all the tax data has been completed, it must be digitally signed.
Here comes the Identification Service, also known by the acronym of SDI. It is a platform that acts as a bridge between sender and recipient and which uses a particular control method that verifies the completeness of the data on the invoice, guaranteeing its correctness. Once everything has been validated, including the unique code mentioned above, the SDI sends the tax document to the corresponding Public Administration office.
To find out the details concerning a specific Public Administration Body, it is possible to access the Index of Public Administrations, a list with an internal search engine structured and able to provide various requests. You can proceed by alphabetical order (PEC address of the office), by category, tax code, type of service, geographical area and even via social networks.
HOW TO CREATE AN ELECTRONIC INVOICE
There are two ways to create an electronic invoice and comply with the obligations imposed by the Public Administration.
The first is to have a digital signature device. This must be in a mode accepted by the Exchange System, therefore in the CAdES-BES and XAdES-BES formats. In the first case, the file will have an extension .xml.p7m, while in the second case the traditional .xml. Once the signed invoice is ready, it can be sent via PEC to the SDI using the address sdi01@pec.fatturapa.com. Alternatively, you can use the dedicated web service that you find at this address. Here you will need to authenticate, using the Entratel or Fisconline credentials you receive directly, to a territorial office of the Revenue Agency.
READ ALSO: What is PEC and how does it work - Certified Electronic Mail
Alternatively you can use a CNS (National Service Card) enabled. There are also three other systems that require a professional network infrastructure and are mainly suitable for large companies.
Electronic invoice cost: stamp duty is payable for each electronic invoice, to be paid with form F24 in a single solution 120 days after the end of the fiscal year. If the amount exceeds 77,47 euros and VAT has not been applied to the invoice, the stamp duty is 2 euros. In addition, it is necessary to report a wording that the stamp duty has been paid.
HOW TO SEND AN ELECTRONIC INVOICE
The simplest way to send an electronic invoice to a Public Administration is by using specific paid services. With 19,99 euros + VAT per year (equal to 24,99 euros), Aruba provides a simple and intuitive application called DocFly, which will follow you throughout your electronic invoicing process, from the creation of the document to the sending, passing from the conservation according to the law.
DocFly Invoicing PA it does not require the installation of any software but the online registration for the service. In fact, it allows you to upload invoices in xml format and then allow the signature and sending of the invoice to the PA.
To use DocFly you must have a PEC box. The system sends notifications regarding the sending to the PA and the status of the invoice on the PEC box. If you do not have a PEC account, you can still request it from Aruba in conjunction with the order for the service.
READ ALSO: How to configure PEC on Gmail
The maximum size per invoice is 2 MB and it is possible to insert the virtual revenue stamp. In addition, the invoices sent can be stored with the service DocFly Substitutive Conservation.
For more information take a look also at: DocFly - Electronic Invoicing PA.
