What are the formal requirements for an invoice?
Before paying your invoices, check that they are correct. Remember that if they contain errors, the tax authorities may refuse to deduct input VAT. And with the high tax burden your company already has to bear, this is the only thing missing…
What formalities does an invoice have to have in Spain?
Formal requirements of the Invoices according to the tax authorities
In the field of VAT, the Inland Revenue requires that all the formal requirements required by law are fulfilled.
One of the formalities to whose compliance it attaches most importance is the content of invoices.
Thus, even if you can prove that your company has purchased a good and that you have even paid the price and the VAT charged by your supplier, the tax authorities may refuse to deduct the VAT if the supplier’s invoice contains errors in its content.
To avoid this risk, demand that your supplier’s invoices comply with all the formal requirements laid down by law.
If necessary, do not pay until you have received a proper invoice.
You can also pay the principal and withhold the VAT payment, claiming that, due to formal errors in the invoice, it has not been correctly charged to you, so you cannot deduct it.
General requirements for an invoice in Spain
Invoice identification
The invoice must be properly identified with the number and date on which it was issued.
The date on which the transaction took place (accrual date) must also appear when this does not coincide with the date of issue.
If your supplier issues invoices containing transactions carried out on different days (recapitulative invoices), check that all the transactions refer to the same calendar month.
Supplier and customer details
The invoice must include the full company name, VAT number and tax address of both the supplier and the customer.
If the supplier is established in another country of the European Union, the VAT identification number allocated by his country must be shown.
VAT data
The taxable amount, the tax rate and the amount of VAT charged must also be shown separately.
On the other hand, if several products with different VAT rates are purchased in the same transaction, the taxable amount, the tax rate and the amount corresponding to each group of products to which the same VAT rate is applicable must be shown separately.
If the transaction is exempt from VAT, it is necessary for the issuer to indicate on the invoice the rule justifying that the tax is not charged on the transaction.
Description or concept of an invoice
Very important: the concept or description must be sufficient to understand the operation.
Finally, the invoice must describe the transaction carried out, so that it can be determined whether VAT is to be charged on the transaction and, if so, the applicable tax rate:
If goods are sold, the description of each product sold, the number of units and the unit price must be shown.
It is also permissible for the invoice to refer to a specific delivery note. In this case, you should keep it together with the invoice.
If the invoice refers to a service, require the exact description of the services to be shown.
If the description is too generic, the tax authorities may refuse to deduct input VAT. Do not allow a description such as “miscellaneous services”, as this does not allow you to identify whether the tax has been calculated correctly.
Check that invoices received contain all the information required by law. If there are errors, ask for them to be rectified and, if necessary, withhold payment until you have the correct invoice in your possession.
