Billin Company warns that fines for not having software certified by the Treasury which issues virtual payment titles will amount to 50,000 euros per fiscal year, a penalty that is impossible for many small business owners to pay.
“I still do everything by hand, that’s how I manage best.” The classic issuing of manually prepared invoices may seem like a thing of the past in 2024, the era of smartphonehe Big data and Artificial Intelligence, but this is not the case: Thousands of self-employed people continue to invoice by holding a pen..
Billin, an expert company of the TeamSystem group, is finalizing a report to x-ray the situation of the Spanish business ecosystem in the face of the new legal framework that is approaching with the imminent arrival of the Mandatory Electronic Invoice.
Well, according to data from Billin – which already has its AI assistant for freelancers, being the first tool of its kind to be launched in the segment – there would be a total of 1.2 million self-employed people who do not use invoicing softwarewhich, multiplied by the 168 hours per year saved by invoicing digitally with Billin, would result in a loss of productivity close to 201.6 million hours per year, while the average cost of an hour for a self-employed person is around 18 euros.
A worrying ignorance
Beyond these multi-million dollar losses and the implementation of mandatory electronic invoicing, doubts are multiplying among independent workers directly linked to invoicing. And that’s it Experts are concerned about the doubts that the entry into force of the anti-fraud law and the Create and Grow law will raise among the self-employed and micro-SMEs.which will mark a before and after in the processes of issuing invoices and accounting
Businessmen confuse the two laws, which can threaten the daily life, or even the continuity of some companies. Because non-compliance results in significant financial penalties. Specifically, fines for non-certification of an electronic invoicing program by the Treasury will amount to 50,000 euros per financial year. An impossible penalty to bear for many small business owners.
Lack of political will
According to Billin’s spokesmen, The lack of awareness of the new legal framework indicates a certain lack of political will. A palpable reluctance when it comes to informing companies about the advantages linked to this vector of digitalization. And this vector is key for the survival of companies, especially in a context marked by the massive digitalization posed by the expense items of funds. NextGenerationEU. Technological immersion financed by European funds has resulted in measures such as the digital kits campaign. But this is not enough.
This is why the TeamSystem Group firm encourages the Ministries of Economy, Finance and Digital Transformation to urgently develop a cross-cutting and comprehensive political action plan. A plan that raises awareness among companies about the new legal framework around invoicing and business accounting, that avoids fines and that takes advantage of community aid.
According to him, it is in the areas of economy, finance and digital transformation that coordination must be promoted to preserve and improve the productivity of Spanish companies through their digitalization. A cooperation that avoids the unnecessary waste of European funds for useless measures, redirecting them towards the massive implementation of electronic invoicing in companies. There are two years left, until August 2026, for the execution of the funds committed in Spainand at this time it is also necessary to remove the difficulties of access for SMEs and the self-employed to European funds to digitalise their customer service.
At Billin, for example, they explain that they have an intuitive cloud invoicing solution with a mobile application for freelancers and micro-SMEs. According to Marcos de la Cueva, CEO of this company, “we risk losing a golden opportunity. Aid is available to speed up these digitalization processes, but professional support and advice are needed take advantage of these funds and ensure that SMEs and self-employed workers in Spain cease to be among the least productive in the European Union. The implementation of electronic invoices is undoubtedly the key to the growth and competitiveness of companies.”
