Experts warn that fines for failure to certify software that issues virtual payment receipts by the Treasury will amount to 50,000 euros per financial year. Such penalties are 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, in the age of smartphones, big data and artificial intelligence, but that’s not the case: thousands of freelancers 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 commercial 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 freelancers who do not use invoicing software, which multiplied by the 168 annual hours 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 freelancer is around 18 euros.
A worrying ignorance
Beyond these multi-million dollar losses and the implementation of the mandatory electronic invoice, doubts are multiplying among independent workers directly linked to invoicing. And 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 independent workers 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.
According to Billin’s spokespersons, the lack of awareness of the new legal framework denotes 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 to the survival of companies, especially in a context marked by the massive digitalization posed by fund expenditure items. 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.
Lack of coordination
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 Spain, and during this time it will also be necessary to remove the difficulties of access by SMEs and the self-employed to European funds to digitalize their customer services.
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 could be missing out on a golden opportunity. There is aid available to accelerate these digitalization processes, but professional support and advice are needed to take advantage of these funds and ensure that SMEs and self-employed companies – Employees in Spain stop being among the least productive in the European Union.
The implementation of electronic invoices is undoubtedly the key to the growth and competitiveness of companies and is of vital importance in reducing the costs of companies, in terms of processes and bureaucracy, while improving their competitiveness.
