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Some accounting firms actually take this into account when you're sending bills. In my country bills must have an auto incremented bill number. You cannot issu

by eb0la 7y ago

Some accounting firms actually take this into account when you're sending bills. In my country bills must have an auto incremented bill number. You cannot issue bill #100 without having 99 bills before. I know one auditing firm that used those ids to spot fraud: some managers started their own firm and started giving contracts to that firm. The auditors spotted something was going on because the bills have a very low number, and they incremented by 1 or 2 every month - a sign I am your only customer.

jarofgreen 7y ago
Which country is that?
- nothrabannosir 7y ago
  It’s definitely true in Holland. The only resolution you’re allowed to shard by is yearly, so 2019-1, 2019-2,.. , 2020-1. Or just all out increment forever. I assume it makes it harder to hide invoices during an audit.
  - pawelk 7y ago
    How do companies with hundreds of sales points deal with that? Is a centralized invoicing system required by law? I find it hard to believe that multiple numbering sequences are not allowed.
    - akvadrako 7y ago
      I'm pretty sure the grandparent is wrong. You are allowed to have multiple sequences, for example one per store. Maybe even one per client.
    - nothrabannosir 7y ago
      > een opeenvolgend nummer - https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/zakelijk/btw/administratie_bijhouden/facturen_maken/factuureisen/ https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/... Translation: "a sequential number." Exceptions are explicitly and exhaustively listed here: https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/zakelijk/btw/administratie_bijhouden/facturen_maken/factuureisen/aangepaste_regels_facturen/aangepaste_regels_voor_facturen https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/... , e.g. the requirements for <€100 are relaxed and don't include the number. Note also that this is not for B2C receipts; this is for B2B invoices. I'll admit the Dutch IRS site is lacking in info. I remember this information from reading the IRS handbook (ugh) back when I was a sole trader there, and extensive conversations with my accountant on the matter. However, I would bet good money that a separate invoice category per client is not OK. Very interested to be proven wrong.
- wodenokoto 7y ago
  Denmark as well. It is so audit can see that there is an item missing between item #54 and #56. It's not bullet proof, but it does help auditors.
pawelk 7y ago
That's interesting. In Poland invoices also have to contain an auto-incrementing component (so you can't backdate something and slip it in, or post an invoice to a client but skip it when reporting taxes). However each company can design multiple "series" of invoices, for example per-client (e.g. 1/2019/MSFT, 1/2019/AAPL) or per type of services (1/2019/IT, 1/2019/Design) or office location (1/2019/CityA, 1/2019/CityB) or basically whatever. The year is optional, numbers could increment indefinitely, but it's convenient to reset the counter each year (or each month for large companies).
- tecleandor 7y ago
  Same for Spain.

by eb0la 7y ago

jarofgreen 7y ago

Which country is that?

nothrabannosir 7y ago
It’s definitely true in Holland. The only resolution you’re allowed to shard by is yearly, so 2019-1, 2019-2,.. , 2020-1. Or just all out increment forever. I assume it makes it harder to hide invoices during an audit.
- pawelk 7y ago
  How do companies with hundreds of sales points deal with that? Is a centralized invoicing system required by law? I find it hard to believe that multiple numbering sequences are not allowed.
  - akvadrako 7y ago
    I'm pretty sure the grandparent is wrong. You are allowed to have multiple sequences, for example one per store. Maybe even one per client.
  - nothrabannosir 7y ago
    > een opeenvolgend nummer - https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/zakelijk/btw/administratie_bijhouden/facturen_maken/factuureisen/ https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/... Translation: "a sequential number." Exceptions are explicitly and exhaustively listed here: https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/zakelijk/btw/administratie_bijhouden/facturen_maken/factuureisen/aangepaste_regels_facturen/aangepaste_regels_voor_facturen https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/... , e.g. the requirements for <€100 are relaxed and don't include the number. Note also that this is not for B2C receipts; this is for B2B invoices. I'll admit the Dutch IRS site is lacking in info. I remember this information from reading the IRS handbook (ugh) back when I was a sole trader there, and extensive conversations with my accountant on the matter. However, I would bet good money that a separate invoice category per client is not OK. Very interested to be proven wrong.
wodenokoto 7y ago
Denmark as well. It is so audit can see that there is an item missing between item #54 and #56. It's not bullet proof, but it does help auditors.

pawelk 7y ago

That's interesting. In Poland invoices also have to contain an auto-incrementing component (so you can't backdate something and slip it in, or post an invoice to a client but skip it when reporting taxes). However each company can design multiple "series" of invoices, for example per-client (e.g. 1/2019/MSFT, 1/2019/AAPL) or per type of services (1/2019/IT, 1/2019/Design) or office location (1/2019/CityA, 1/2019/CityB) or basically whatever. The year is optional, numbers could increment indefinitely, but it's convenient to reset the counter each year (or each month for large companies).

tecleandor 7y ago
Same for Spain.