From 2019 January XNUMX, it has become mandatory in the city for all companies, entrepreneurs, self-employed workers and freelancers with a VAT number (who are not in the subsidized regime), the issuance of electronic invoices, which is then compiled using software. The problem with electronic invoicing is not so much in the difficulty of using it, but rather in finding a valid and complete one software for sending, receiving and managing electronic invoices, which in most cases could be really too difficult to use for those who are unfamiliar and let the accountant do it all.If we are not yet equipped or want to change programs, in this guide we will show you the best free electronic invoicing programs, so you can immediately invoice digitally without having to use expensive and difficult programs.
Manage electronic invoices for free
According to in your languagen law, each invoice must be completed in a standard format called FatturaPA, written in XML language, sent to the public administration with digital signature and through the so-called Exchange System (SdI) of the Revenue Agency (which checks the correctness of the format and completeness of the data) and stored. Below we will show you the best tools we can use to manage your electronic invoices completely free of charge.
Very famous companies such as Aruba provide a paid online platform, while the public administration provides a basic free electronic invoice software, very ugly to see, without advanced functions and which requires the installation of the environment Java JRE.
Anyone wishing, however, a free electronic invoice program, comprehensive and easy to use for manage all billing, which is also advanced and with the possibility of having all the billing management functions that are included in services such as that of Aruba or LegalInvoice, can instead download and install on the PC a free program called SDiPEC.
What are the advantages of a program over the cloud?
The advantage of using a program rather than relying on a cloud service is that of being able to keep all documents, billing data on your PC and also be able to manage offline, without necessarily being connected to the internet. The program basically acts as an e-mail client linked to the certified e-mail (certified e-mail), to send and receive e-mails from the certified mailbox. Furthermore, it can be configured to communicate with the SdI Exchange System, which manages all electronic invoices.
Free e-invoice programs
One of the best programs for managing invoices is SDiPEC, that we can download for free from the official website of the program.
The software allows you to create and fill in electronic invoices in a simplified and correct way from the point of view of the Revenue Agency, including electronic signature, and to manage invoicing at every stage. You can therefore send and receive invoices to the PA (Public administration) e between private B2B (Business to Business) e B2C (Business To Consumer), without limitations.
The system is also able to confirm the correctness of the sending of invoices and allows you to put the electronic signature in a simple way. There is also a registry section for the management of customers, suppliers and products, so you can fill out your invoices as quickly as possible. Each invoice can be exported to XML format or you can import XML files of electronic invoices saved with other software. It is also possible to share the management with your accountant.
All activities are free and unlimited, there is no premium program and there are no functions to unlock for a fee, so even if it is not an open source software, you can still use it freely without having to give data and without advertising deceptions. According to what is written on the site, the company that released this software had developed it for itself, then sharing it with everyone at no cost of any kind. The program is also updated regularly with new features and additions. The site also provides a complete guide to the SDiPEC electronic invoicing program, with detailed instructions in in your languagen that lead to the correct configuration of the management account, compilation, transmission and receipt of invoices.
If we are looking for a valid alternative to SDiPEC we can try the program Assoinvoice, available as a free download from the official website.
With this program we will have a convenient multiplatform electronic invoice manager (i.e. available on Windows, Mac and Linux) with which we will be able to send XML invoices already in our possession, create new ones and catalog them based on the billing period or on the basis of other parameters (for example the largest invoices or the most recent invoices uploaded). Obviously the possibility is offered to print one or more invoices in bulk and to create additional save files (to be saved on the cloud, so as to never lose the invoices.
Free invoice cloud services
If we are afraid of losing bills due to hardware damage or a sudden power surge, we can always use a cloud solution, so as to manage bills without installing programs, from any PC used.
In this case we advise you to try a free electronic invoice service all online like CloudFinance, available from the official website.
This site requires the registration of a free account (the company guarantees that it will be free and unlimited forever), then it will be enough to proceed with the configuration of the PEC and the import of data from the revenue agency. For all these activities, there is a very detailed guide to the service, which you can follow step by step.
Being a consultancy company, you can easily call for assistance (at that point, paid solutions will be offered which can be safely refused). The functions of the application are the same as any advanced electronic invoicing software: invoice wizard, invoice management and storage, supplier, customer and product management, valid electronic signature, import and export of XML files and then also notification service email to customers and suppliers and also integration with accounting programs.
Another e-invoicing service that we can use for free online is Libero SiFattura Basic, available from the official website.
With this free service we will be able to send invoices from the Internet, download those already uploaded to the Revenue Agency website and keep all the material, so that we can catalog all the invoices generated over the years at any time, with the possibility of downloading them or to print them in bulk (for example a whole year on file or on paper).
Conclusions
Although there is no shortage of programs and paid sites for electronic invoicing (and in many cases they are better, as they offer additional assistance and features), focusing on free solutions could be a good choice for beginners or for those who own a small business. and manages everything personally. Obviously if we are accountants we will most likely have advanced programs to manage the invoices of all customers, who will only have to upload the invoices when required.
Still on the subject of electronic invoices and programs to manage them, we invite you to read our guides on how open XML or XML.P7M file (electronic invoice) and how print an electronic invoice in PDF.
If, on the other hand, we are looking for other products similar to those seen above, we can learn more in our guides 10 free billing and accounting programs for self-employed and small businesses.
Free and complete e-invoice programs
