Such documents are fully legal and are increasingly replacing paper invoices. This is because for several years you have not needed the customer's consent for an invoice sent by e-mail. If he receives such an invoice and does not object, it is assumed that he agrees.
Fortunately, electronic invoicing has a lot of advantages!
1. Fast delivery to the customer
The path that an electronic invoice must go through is definitely shorter than that of its paper counterpart. The seller sends the document from his computer to the client's computer. The e-invoice is delivered to the addressee in just a few seconds. There is no need to use the mail services, nor to visit the recipient of the goods or services yourself.
What's more, using the appropriate online application, the invoice can be issued during the meeting with the client and sent to him at the same time. Thanks to this solution, the document in electronic format can be issued and delivered to the recipient from any place with Internet access.
2. Saving - time and money
Supplementing the necessary data, printing, and finally delivering the invoice to the customer in person or by mail - such a system can take a lot of time. This is especially true when the business grows, the number of transactions increases, and with it the amount of time spent on invoicing.
In addition, there are the costs associated with the purchase of an envelope and stamp, not to mention the ink needed for printing. In this context, an electronic invoice is definitely a more economical solution. Instead of paper, an envelope and a stamp, an e-mail with the appropriate attachment is sufficient. And you can forget about queues at the bank or at the post office.
3. Convenient storage
Whether it is an electronic or paper invoice, the entrepreneur is obliged to store it. According to the regulations, such an obligation exists for a period of 5 years. It is counted from the end of the year in which the tax payment deadline to which the document relates has expired.
Even in the case of activities that require issuing only a few invoices a month, after 5 years the number of stored documents will reach several hundred. And this requires finding the right amount of space. In the case of paper prints, it may be necessary, for example, to allocate a separate cabinet for binders with invoices.
What does it look like with electronic invoices? Of course, some space is also needed. Only on the computer's hard drive. And this is a fundamental difference in favor of e-invoicing.
4. Ecology
According to conservative estimates, in order to print the current number of paper invoices issued in Poland, it is necessary to process over 250,000. trees. Additionally, billions of liters of water are polluted by the annual production of invoices. These are numbers that can get your imagination running. You should also remember the large amount of energy used to produce paper.
On the other hand, an invoice in an electronic version is not only a convenient and practical solution, but also largely environmentally friendly. Entrepreneurs who care about environmental protection will surely appreciate it.
5. Instant payment
Electronic invoice has another little-known advantage.
As it is an electronic file sent by e-mail, there is nothing to prevent us from sending the customer together with the invoice a very simple method of paying by online transfer. Just attach a link to Quick Payments.
When the customer clicks on the link, he will get access to the online payment "gate" that connects to the selected bank. Payment by BLIK or credit card is also available. He can make a transfer without providing the account number and seller details, and the funds will go straight to the account "tied" with Quick Payments.