Settlano invoicing
Invoicing for Malta’s freelancers, with the tax already worked out
An invoice in Malta has to carry the particulars the VAT Act lists, sit in an unbroken number series, and put the VAT in the right period. Settlano’s invoices are built around those rules, and they do one more thing a general invoicing tool cannot: the moment you send one, the income is booked and the income tax, Class 2 and VAT on it are set aside, so you always know how much of what you are owed is yours.
What each invoice carries
- The particulars Cap. 406 asks for: your details, your client’s, what you supplied, and the taxable value and the VAT as separate figures. The invoice requirements guide lists them.
- Your look: your logo, one of three PDF styles, and your client’s purchase-order reference where they need one.
- A way to pay you: your IBAN and a payment QR code your client’s bank app can scan, with the invoice number as the reference, so the payment arrives already matched.
- The right VAT treatment: the standard rate or a reduced one, an exempt supply on Article 11, or the reverse charge for a business customer in another EU country, with your Article 12 number where that applies.
Numbering that never breaks
Invoices, credit notes and quotes run on three separate counters, each unbroken. A sent invoice is never deleted: you correct it with a credit note that names the invoice it amends, so every number stays in the series with its history attached. A quote has its own series, so a quote that is never accepted does not use up an invoice number.
It books its own income
Send an invoice and the income is in your books, split into what is yours and what is set aside for income tax, Class 2 and VAT. Record a deposit or a part payment as it arrives and the invoice shows what is still owed. The tax set aside does not wait for the money: in Malta business income is taxed when it is earned, and the VAT follows the tax point, which is why the figure moves when you invoice rather than when you are paid.
Quotes, retainers and other currencies
- Quotes with their own PDF and their own numbering; once a client accepts, the invoice is one step away.
- Retainers on a schedule: the next invoice is created only when you tap it, so nothing is billed without you.
- Other currencies: invoice in pounds or dollars and the exchange rate is recorded on the invoice itself, so the euro figure your tax is worked out on never changes behind your back.
When a client pays late
You know the day an invoice goes overdue. For a business client, Settlano works out the statutory interest Malta’s Commercial Code allows on a late commercial payment, and the fixed compensation per late invoice, so the reminder you send can say exactly what is now due. Neither applies to a consumer, and Settlano offers them only for a business client.
Sending it
Settlano prepares the message in your own mail app, or the share sheet, with the PDF attached, and you press Send. No Settlano server holds your clients, your invoices or your figures: they stay on your phone.
Common questions
What should an invoicing app for Malta handle?
The particulars Cap. 406 requires on a tax invoice, an unbroken numbering series with credit notes rather than deletions, the right VAT treatment for each supply, including exempt Article 11 supplies and the reverse charge for EU business customers, and the tax point, which decides which VAT period a supply belongs to.
Does Settlano send invoices for me?
It prepares the email or share with the PDF attached in your own mail app, and you press Send. No Settlano server holds your invoices: they stay on your phone.
Can I invoice clients in other EU countries?
Yes. A service to a business customer in another EU country is invoiced under the reverse charge, and if you are on Article 11 the invoice carries your Article 12 number, which is the registration that gives you a VAT number your EU customer can use.
Can I invoice in another currency?
Yes. Pick the currency and the exchange rate is recorded on the invoice itself, so the euro figure your income tax and VAT are worked out on stays fixed.
Can I delete an invoice?
Not once it is sent. A sent invoice is corrected with a credit note that names it, so the number series stays unbroken, which is what the VAT Act expects.
Send an invoice and know, the same moment, how much of it is yours.
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