VAT Invoicing numbering

[Alan]

I was under the general impression that VAT invoices had to be numbered sequentially.

However I have two sorts of invoices, generated from two different systems, and syncronising them is not possible.

However I see from VAT Notice 700/21 that

• a sequential number based on one or more series which uniquely identifies the document
  

So one or more series is allowable.

So I could have one type of invoice in the series
nnn ( e.g. 001 )

and the other
SUPER-nnn ( e.g. SUPER-001 )

But unique?

Am I understanding the rule correctly?

 

[paulears]

I deal regularly with companies its who differentiate the type of invoice with identifiers. One prefix denotes sales items, another denotes hire items, and looking at a few at random, they simply go up. Any system that allows sequential numbering, and not random allocation is safe and easy to search and sort. The reality of course is that by requiring people to switch to MTD accounting, most people will be starting again. That's pretty normal for new software, and as they instigated it, they can hardly complain.

I've always though the point of sequential numbering is simply to prevent invoices being generated but not included in the accounts.

 

[Alan]

Thanks Paul.

The two types of invoice are one off jobs and maintenance payment plans.

The job management system can't auto generate repeating invoices, but has it own invoice sequence and feeds that number and invoice to Xero.

Xero can handle repeating invoices, and when it generates invoices it uses its own internal counting system.

So the two type of invoice will be numbered differently ( and not over lapping )