E-invoicing should start in the ledger, not in an export file
Most e-invoicing tools are a layer bolted on top of the accounting system: you export a file, upload it, wait for the authority's response, then go back and manually fix whatever was rejected. Hesbba is building the integration inside the ledger itself — the same action that creates the journal entry creates the document that gets filed. This is in development now, and this page sets out exactly what we are building.
Why the bolt-on layer eventually hurts
The difference between the two approaches doesn't show up on the first invoice. It shows up on the one that gets rejected — when the question becomes which copy of the document is the correct one: the copy in your system, or the copy the authority holds.
Two numbers for one invoice
When a document is rejected after it has already posted, the entry stays in your ledger while the authority has no record of the invoice. The gap surfaces in the return — usually weeks later.
Entered twice
Customer details, tax registration numbers and item codes get entered in the system and then checked again in the filing tool. Every second entry is a fresh chance to get it wrong.
Correction is manual
A filing tool can tell you a document was rejected, but it doesn't know your ledger — so it can't suggest the correction or reverse the entry that went with it.
What we are actually building
Everything below is in development and none of it has shipped. It is written in the future tense because that is its actual status.
Filed from the same action
Saving the invoice will create the journal entry and prepare the document for filing together — no export step, no second tool.
Status on the document itself
Submitted, accepted and rejected states will live on the invoice itself, not on a separate screen you have to reconcile against the ledger.
Rejections that explain themselves
When the authority returns a rejection reason, it will be mapped back to the field that caused it rather than left as an error code you have to look up.
Cancellations reverse cleanly
Cancelling a filed document will create the matching reversing entry, so the ledger and the authority keep telling the same story.
An archive you can audit
Every filed document and the authority's response will be stored against the entry, because an audit asks about both together.
Electronic receipts too
Point of sale falls under a separate electronic receipt mandate from invoices in several markets, and we are treating it as its own path rather than an edge case.
What a business needs before connecting
These are requirements the tax authority imposes, not the software, and they take administrative time. Getting them ready early saves weeks later, whichever system you end up using.
Register the business
Every authority has its own registration portal, and the business details must match your commercial registration and tax card exactly.
Obtain the signing credential
Most systems require an electronic signature or seal purchased from an accredited issuer, with an expiry date that needs renewing.
Code your items
Systems require each item mapped to an approved standard code. This is usually the longest step, and it is one-time work on your catalogue.
Clean up customer records
Customer tax numbers are validated on submission, so an incomplete record shows up as a rejection on the first invoice rather than before it.
The markets we are starting with
Hesbba is a multi-country platform, and each country has its own system and its own deadlines. This is what we are genuinely working on, so you can tell whether your market is covered — with no claim of accreditation or approval from any authority.
Egypt — the e-invoicing system
Integration with the Egyptian Tax Authority is the first path in development, covering both the invoice and the electronic receipt.
Saudi Arabia — e-invoicing
The ZATCA path is planned after Egypt and shares most of the same internal groundwork.
Other markets
The groundwork is designed so a new system is an addition rather than a rebuild. If your market isn't listed, ask us where it sits.
Common questions
Is the integration available now?
No. The feature is in development and has not shipped, which is why this page is marked "coming very soon". The rest of the system — sales, inventory, payroll and accounting — works today and you can trial it now, but filing documents to a tax authority is not part of it yet.
When exactly will it be available?
We are not announcing a date. Timelines for this kind of integration depend on a third party and on administrative approvals, and a date we announce and then miss is worse than no date. If your decision depends on a specific deadline, contact us and we will tell you where things genuinely stand.
Is Hesbba accredited by the tax authority?
We claim no accreditation, licence or partnership with any tax authority, and will not until it is true and documented. Any vendor who implies accreditation without naming the document deserves a direct question about it.
Can I start on Hesbba now and connect later?
Yes, and it is genuinely the sensible order. The longest preparation steps — coding your items and cleaning up customer records — are work on your own catalogue and customers regardless of when filing arrives. Doing it now means that when the integration lands it is a settings step rather than a project.
What if my country's system is different?
Systems differ in format, signing method and validation rules, but they share a shape: a document goes out, a response comes back, and a state is stored against an entry. The groundwork is built around that shared shape so adding a new system is bounded work.
Related
- Electronic receiptsThe electronic receipt is a separate system from e-invoicing, with its own deadlines and requirements, and it applies to anyone selling to consumers. What differs, and what to prepare.
- ERP platformHesbba's ERP brings sales, inventory, purchasing, payroll and accounting into one ledger, posting every document the moment you save it.
- AccountingAccounting software that creates entries from your invoices and expenses automatically, with a ready chart of accounts, a live trial balance and a full audit trail.
- Point of salePOS software that completes and prints sales while the internet is down, then syncs automatically — barcode, thermal printer and cash drawer, connected to inventory and accounting.
Start with the ledger now, and filing comes to it
Sales, inventory, payroll and accounting work today. Get your catalogue and customers onto one system now, so that when filing arrives it is a setting rather than a migration.