Your accounting is about invoices and vouchers. For all costs, you have vouchers (purchase invoices) and for all sales, you send an invoice. This puts you in a handsome way. If you make more sales than costs, you have basically made a profit. And profit you need to continue with your company.
Sending invoices is so important to my turnover that I'm on top of it. By entering your (purchasing) invoices, keep an overview of your sales, costs, and profits. However, you have not always worked as a bookkeeper. At the start of my business, you may need to spend much (too much) time searching for a way to send free notes.

Different Types of Invoices

There are some types of invoices:

  • Purchase invoices: Make a purchase invoice if you purchase a business. This is different if you buy from individuals, for example.
  • Sales invoices: If you sell a product or service, make an invoice for your customer. There are exceptions, for example, if you sell (primarily) to individuals or are active in certain industries such as the catering industry.
  • Credit invoice: Reduces or expires a previously sent note. For example, you sent an invoice and made a wrong calculation. Then you send a credit invoice to adjust the account.
  • Simplified Billing: This means less data so you need less administration. This simplification is not possible with invoices over 100 dollars.

There are exceptions to the obligation to send/receive an invoice. Get professional advice when starting your business. A lot of information is already available on the Tax Administration website:

Legal requirements for an invoice
An invoice is not just a sheet of paper with a price. There are several requirements.

  • The name of your company and of your customer.
  • The address of your company and of your customer.
  • Your VAT number
  • The billing date
  • A unique tracking number
  • A description of the goods or services
  • The number of goods or services delivered
  • The delivery date and / or the date of advance payment
  • The invoice amount excluding VAT
  • The VAT rate
  • The VAT amount

If you send an invoice below 100 dollars (including VAT), you can send a simplified invoice. If you look at the Tax Administration site, you notice that there are much fewer obligations for such a note. Be obliged to:

  • Billing date
  • Your name and address
  • Which goods or services have you delivered
  • The VAT

Make sure you read your mind well and ask an expert at the start of your business. A small investment can save you a lot of time, save time and save afterwards.

Receiving Invoices and Vouchers
You will always receive invoices and vouchers when you purchase a business. Make sure you keep all notes, vouchers, and invoices and pay as much as possible with a (business) bank account. Then you can quickly see what amounts you have paid and received from bank statements.

If you keep an Excel sheet for your invoices, please include the following information in Excel: Relationship, Amount (Tax Separate, Total Taxes, and Taxes), Date, Billing Number, Payment Status, and possibly a Short Description.

Send invoices
Whenever you do a job for a client you have to send an invoice. There are different methods available but the best one is an online invoicing and accounting software. TopNotepad.com is an all-in-one business software where you can create online invoices, expense tracking, reporting, bookkeeping and more tools. In this program free invoice templates are also available, so your partners and you can log in and send an invoice from any computer. These invoices are also available as a booking in the administration. You can also import bank statements and match them directly to the (purchase) invoices.

Author's Bio: 

Misty Jhones