The 7 most common VeriFactu mistakes (and how InvoSeal makes most of them impossible)

The 7 most common VeriFactu mistakes (and how InvoSeal makes most of them impossible)

VeriFactu didn't invent new obligations: it made the old tricks and slip-ups technically impossible. Here are the seven mistakes most often made with Excel and legacy software — and what happens to each one now.

1. Deleting an issued invoice

The classic. "I'll just remove this one." With chained registration, every invoice leaves a trace linked to the previous one: removing one breaks the chain and the gap shows. The right (and only possible) path: cancel with a trail, or correct. InvoSeal has no delete button for issued invoices — by design, not by omission.

2. Numbering with gaps or duplicates

Skipping number 41 or repeating 87 was everyone's January mistake. A compliant system's numbering is sequential by construction: the number is assigned by the system at issuance, not by the user. Need to separate business lines? Create series — don't invent numbers.

3. "Fixing" by replacing the PDF

Changing the amount in the PDF and re-sending it: two different documents with the same number in circulation. Today the register rules: what's issued is what's registered, and every change goes through a corrective invoice with its own series and reference. The PDF is a representation; the register is the truth.

4. Invoicing "outside" when convenient

The dual temptation: the official stuff through the software, the rest in Word. The SIF rules attack this head-on — the system certifies the integrity of ALL invoicing, and the dual-use software penalties reach the user too (up to €50,000 per financial year). The simple rule: everything through the system. If something doesn't fit (an odd case, an advance), the path is to ask, not to improvise outside.

5. The missing QR code

A VeriFactu invoice carries its identifying QR code. Homemade templates don't generate it; a compliant system always prints it. If you forward invoices through other channels, forward the system's PDF — don't rebuild it.

6. Records with "creative" dates

Issuing on the 5th dated the 28th of the previous month to save a quarter: the chained register seals when each event really happens. Invoice dates still have their rules (issuance deadlines, accrual), but time simulation has no room left. Issue on time — the system warns you before the AEAT does.

7. The eternal draft

Work delivered in March, invoice "in draft" until November. A draft has no tax effect — but the accrual happened anyway. VeriFactu doesn't prevent this one (drafts are free), which is why it's the only mistake on the list still up to you. Our help: alerts on ageing drafts, and recurring invoicing for anything periodic.

The takeaway

With a compliant system, compliance stopped requiring memory and discipline: most mistakes simply can't be made anymore. The ones that remain — issuing late, picking the wrong tax option — are judgement calls, not mechanics. And for judgement calls there's the manual's Tax guide, the 42 videos and the Support button.