What is an invoice?
Invoice refers to the business vouchers issued and collected by all units and individuals in buying and selling goods, providing or receiving services and engaging in other business activities. It is the original basis of accounting and an important basis for law enforcement inspection by audit institutions and tax authorities. The receipt is the proof of receipt and payment, and the invoice can only prove that the business has happened, but can't prove whether the money has been received or paid.
Invoice refers to the text issued by the seller to the buyer in economic activities, including the name, quality and agreed price of the products or services provided to the buyer. In addition to the advance payment, the invoice must include the payment from the buyer to the seller according to the agreed conditions, and must include the date and quantity, which is an important proof of accounting. China's accounting system stipulates that valid invoices for purchasing products or services are called tax invoices. The vouchers of government departments' fees and levies have different names in different periods and different fees and levies, but most of them are collectively referred to as administrative fees and receipts. For internal audit and verification, each invoice must have a unique journal number to prevent the invoice from repeating or skipping.
Simply put, the invoice is the original proof of the cost, expense or income incurred. For the company, the invoice is mainly the basis for the company to make accounts, and it is also the expense certificate for paying taxes; For employees, invoices are mainly used for reimbursement.
What is the meaning of invoice?
Invoice plays an extremely important role in social and economic activities in China.
1.Invoice has the characteristics of legality, authenticity, unity and timeliness, and is one of the most basic accounting original vouchers;
2. Invoice is the carrier of recording economic activities and an important tool of financial management;
3. Invoice is an important basis for tax authorities to control tax sources and collect taxes;
Invoice is an important means for the state to supervise economic activities, maintain economic order and protect national property security.
What are the types of invoices?
Ordinary invoices and special invoices for value-added tax.
Ordinary invoice: it is mainly used by business tax taxpayers and small-scale VAT taxpayers, and ordinary VAT taxpayers can also use ordinary invoices when they cannot issue special invoices. Ordinary invoices consist of industry invoices and special invoices. The former is applicable to a certain industry and business, such as unified invoice for commercial retail, unified invoice for commercial wholesale, unified invoice for product sales of industrial enterprises, etc. The latter only applies to a certain business project, such as advertising expense settlement invoice, commercial housing sales invoice, etc.
Special VAT invoice is the product of the implementation of the new tax system in China. It is an invoice set by the national tax department according to the needs of VAT collection and management, and is specially used for taxpayers to sell or provide VAT taxable items.
Special invoice not only has the connotation of ordinary invoice. At the same time, it also has a more special role than ordinary invoices. It is not only a financial income and expenditure voucher that records commodity sales and value-added tax. Moreover, it is a legal proof that both the seller's tax obligation and the buyer's input tax amount are recorded, and it is a legal certificate for the buyer to deduct the tax, which plays a key role in the calculation of value-added tax.