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Spend less time on invoices and receipts

Plain, practical guides for small businesses on handling invoices, receipts and bills, from the team behind Invoist.

A UK VAT invoice next to a checklist: invoice number, date and tax point, supplier's VAT number, customer's name, VAT rate and amount.

Rules4 min read

What a UK VAT invoice must show, and how to check one

The details HMRC requires on a full and a simplified VAT invoice, why a missing VAT number can cost you the VAT, an interactive checker, and the four-year limit for VAT you forgot to reclaim.

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The six steps of a supplier invoice: arrives, read, checked, approved, paid and recorded, with the approval step marked as the one you decide.

Guide6 min read

Invoice automation for small businesses: where to start

What invoice automation means for a small business, which steps to automate first, which to keep in human hands, how to choose a tool, and a plan for your first month.

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An overdue invoice for £4,800, next to cards showing 34 days late, £52.54 interest and a £70 fixed sum.

Cash flow5 min read

Paid late? What UK law lets you charge

When a business payment counts as late in the UK, the interest and the fixed £40 to £100 the law lets you claim, a calculator for your own invoice, the EU rules, and the new UK law going through Parliament.

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A PDF invoice turning into a structured data file with labeled fields for the invoice number, date, supplier and total.

Rules6 min read

E-invoicing in Europe: which countries require it, and when

What counts as an e-invoice, the deadlines in Belgium, Germany, France, Poland, Croatia, Greece, Spain, Latvia and the UK, the EU rules for invoices between EU countries from 2030, and what small businesses should do now.

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Two copies of the same invoice, one numbered INV-2041 and one numbered 2041, with the question: same invoice?

Fraud6 min read

Duplicate invoices: why businesses pay twice, and how to stop it

How the same invoice gets paid twice, why simple checks miss duplicates or flag far too many, and five habits that stop it. With findings from two government audits and a quiz to test your eye.

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A month calendar with the first ten days highlighted for an early payment discount, and notes saying save 2%, like earning 37% a year.

Cash flow5 min read

Early payment discounts: when paying sooner is worth it

What terms like 2/10 net 30 mean, why a 2% discount is worth about 37% a year, when to take it, and how to stop missing discount dates. With a calculator for your own terms.

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Three paper receipts being filed into folders labeled 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Guide6 min read

How to organize receipts and invoices for taxes

What a receipt needs to show, how long the US, UK and Canadian tax offices ask you to keep it, and a 15-minute monthly routine that keeps tax time calm.

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An email saying a supplier's bank details have changed, next to a reminder to call the number you already have.

Fraud6 min read

Bank detail change scams: how they work and how to stop them

Criminals pose as suppliers and send new bank details just before an invoice is due. What the FBI and UK banks' numbers show, how the scam works, and the habits that stop it.

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An invoice beside a card showing what was read from it: the supplier, invoice number, due date and total.

Guide7 min read

How to stop typing invoices in by hand

A practical way to get supplier invoices into your accounting software without retyping them: one place for them to arrive, software that reads them, and a quick check before anything is paid.

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