Error is inherent to human nature. We all make mistakes and commit errors, with greater or lesser consequences, across all domains. This includes the professional sphere. Technology helps reduce these errors, as we at a technology company like easyap can attest! Nevertheless, in many work processes of all types, errors still occur and will continue to occur. Accounting and invoicing are not exempt from them. This is precisely where the term we explore in this article plays a key role: the corrective invoice. What is it? When should it be used? How is it done step by step?
What is a corrective invoice?
The corrective invoice is the document created and issued to correct a previous erroneous invoice. This can be incorrect for various reasons: because the data included is not correct, because a refund needs to be made for a specific operation, or because the VAT of an unpaid invoice needs to be recovered, for example. In easyap, this is how we would directly define what a corrective invoice is.
Therefore, when discussing corrective invoices, we are referring to a term of vital importance for any business. On the one hand, it is very important economically, because if you have to manage one, it is likely due to an imbalance in income and/or expenses. On the other hand, they are fundamental documents for maintaining fiscal and accounting control. Their impact when filing declarations is crucial.
Until recently, in professional jargon, corrective invoices were popularly known as credit invoices. Or, even, as credit notes. But in Spain, after a regulatory change, they are legally considered different terms. Further on, we will explain the current difference between these three concepts.
The fact is that since 2013, the corrective invoices are regulated in the Invoicing Regulation, included in Royal Decree 1619/2012 and published in the Official State Gazette on invoicing obligations. Specifically, Article 15 of the same addresses everything related to their regulation, including their nomenclature.
General and specific requirements for these documents
Given everything we have just discussed about what a corrective invoice is, you will understand that we are talking about a legally valid and necessary document. In fact, these types of documents must meet certain specific requirements to be legally and accounting validated. These are:
– The issuer must indicate that it is a corrective invoice. That is, they must describe the reason for its issuance and refer to the invoice it corrects.
– The issuer is required to specify exactly the rectification being made. Furthermore, you should know that corrective invoices have their own numbering series, which is different from that of other invoices issued.
Additionally, the corrective invoice must include all the tax details that any company must provide when issuing an invoice. That is, the issue date, the tax information of the issuer and recipient, taxes, amounts, products and quantities…
When is it necessary to issue a corrective invoice?
Now, are there specific situations where issuing these types of documents is mandatory? In which cases should corrective invoices be issued?
The answer to the first question is “yes”, as the Invoicing Regulation we cited at the beginning establishes several scenarios. For the second question, these are some of those cases in which a corrective invoice must be issued:
– To correct an invoice that does not comply with legal requirements.
– To correct any information or data on an issued invoice.
– When you want to make a return for an order.
– In cases where the tax quota or retention is incorrectly calculated or applied.
– When you want to recover the VAT you declared in a previous quarter for an invoice that was ultimately not paid.
Regarding the deadline or when you need to issue a corrective invoice, you should do so as soon as possible. That is, the moment you detect you are in one of the situations we just mentioned. Furthermore, you should know that you can correct several invoices in a single corrective invoice, rectifying multiple errors at once.
How is a corrective invoice made?
Having clarified the general and specific requirements that these types of invoices must follow and when you can and should issue them, we will explain how to create a corrective invoice. Additionally, the aspects you should consider are the following:
– It is mandatory that you include all identifying data of the invoice you are correcting.
– The general contents of the corrective invoice must correspond to the contents of an ordinary invoice, which are stipulated in the Invoicing Regulation.
– You only need to issue a corrective invoice in situations like those we mentioned previously. These cases, in turn, are also stipulated in the Invoicing Regulation.
In this section, we would also like to briefly elaborate on something we have already mentioned above. Corrective invoices have their own numerical series and do not follow that of ordinary invoices. Furthermore, this numbering must also be consecutive.
Differences with the credit note and the refund invoice
Regarding their name, these types of invoices have existed forever. In fact, they are a concept intrinsically linked to business accounting. However, the term ‘corrective invoice’ is indeed something new (officially established in Spain since 2013).
Up until that point, many financial teams and departments referred to credit notes and settlement invoices. But do all these terms really mean the same thing?
The credit note
On the one hand, the credit note is a legal document for sales transactions involving corrections, cancellations, errors in collection or payment, discounts after invoice issuance, product returns…
We could say that the credit note serves as proof and its function is the same as that of corrective invoices. The difference is that in Spain, they are not legally referred to as credit notes, whereas in other countries they are.
The settlement invoice
On the other hand, the settlement invoice is a quite popular term in the financial world. Popularly, until recently, it had been used as a synonym for corrective invoice. However, since 2013, the Tax Agency categorizes settlement invoices as a special case of a corrective invoice. Likewise, the only difference between a settlement and a corrective invoice is that the former are issued with a negative sign and the latter with a positive sign.
Can a corrective invoice be canceled?
And what happens if I issue a corrective invoice and make another error in some data or concept? Can I and do I have to issue another corrective invoice based on the previous one? This is another question that easyap has sometimes been asked. The answer is very simple and basic: yes, you can cancel that corrective invoice. How? Simply by issuing a new corrective invoice correcting the incorrect one.
The first invoice issued for any operation will be called ordinary invoice. From then on, any subsequent corrections issued will be corrective invoices, and as many as necessary can be sent to avoid accounting errors and tax problems.
easyap’s role in your invoicing processes
And we conclude with a very important question: what role can easyap play here? To begin with, the electronic invoicing software we offer allows you to digitalize a process that until recently was carried out analogically. Therefore, with a digital procedure like this, you are already reducing invoicing errors, as we eliminate a large part of human intervention
But not only that, you will also have a system to manage all your ordinary and corrective invoices. With our software you will be able to:
– Issue and receive invoices of all types.
– Control the workflow for invoice approval.
– Consult in a single cloud space all your invoices and accounting documents.
– Automate all accounting for your business.
– Declare your taxes online (SII, TicketBAI, SILICIE…).
– Include other costs that impact your accounting books, such as employee expenses.
It is true that you can find other solutions in the current market. However, at easyap, we have over 20 years of experience in countries all over the world and in the most diverse sectors. Furthermore, our solution adapts to any accounting and ERP package. Another advantage is that you pay per processed invoice, not a fixed cost, making us a useful option that suits all types of companies. Want to know more?
