The free government invoicer or paid software: when each one fits
The Ministry of Finance provides a free invoicing tool, and for many people it is enough. This page says plainly what it does, what it does not, and when it stops being enough — including the case where we tell you to stay with the free one.
What each one does
| Function | Government tool | Ticuenta |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice and ticket | Yes | Yes |
| Credit and debit notes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic payment receipt | Check on the portal itself before deciding | Yes — it decides which month a credit sale's VAT is declared in |
| Purchase and export invoices | Check on the portal itself | Yes, both |
| Receiving purchases and answering them | Handled through the tax authority's own channels | Yes, with the deadline in view |
| Recurring monthly invoices | No | Yes |
| Reports to fill the return | No | Yes, split the way the form asks |
| Several people invoicing, with roles | No | Yes |
| Test environment | No | Yes, and always visible in the bar |
| Airbnb or a channel manager | No | Yes, with the Lodging plan |
| Price | Free | From ₡2,500 a month |
Five signs it has become too small
It is not a question of how much you invoice, but of what kind of operations you have. If you recognise any of these, you are already losing time or risking a return.
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You receive purchases that need answering
A document your suppliers issue you needs your acceptance message. Without it, that expense supports neither input VAT nor a deductible expense. If you are tracking that on a separate spreadsheet, it is a matter of time before one slips. How it works.
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You sell on credit
The VAT on a credit sale is declared when you collect, and what declares it is the electronic payment receipt. If you do not issue it, you are declaring in the month of the invoice: not too much or too little, just in the wrong month.
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You build the return by hand every month
If you open documents one by one, or download XMLs and add them in a spreadsheet, that work already costs you more per month than a plan. And an addition error does not show up until someone reviews it.
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More than one person invoices
As soon as two people are issuing, you need to know who issued what and who can void. Sharing one password is not a solution: it is an unresolved problem.
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You rent out short-term
Invoicing the stay is only one of the obligations. There is also the purchase invoice for the platform commission and the rental income return. How the whole thing works.
When we tell you to stay with the free one
If you are a professional issuing ten or fifteen invoices a month, always to the same clients, with no purchases to answer, no credit sales and nobody else invoicing: the government tool works for you, and paying for software will not give you the money back in time saved.
We would rather say so now than charge you for three months and have you work it out yourself. When your operation grows, we are here.
Two things worth checking either way
Even if you stay with the free tool, there are two things that will cost you money if they are wrong, and they do not depend on which software you use:
- That the CABYS code of what you sell is correct, because it decides your VAT rate.
- That you are answering your purchases in time.
Not sure which side you are on?
Tell us how many invoices you issue, whether you sell on credit and whether you receive purchases. We will answer with a recommendation — even if it is “stay with the government one”.
Write to usA note on certifications. In Costa Rica the tax authority does not authorise or certify invoicing software. What it validates is each document that arrives. If someone sells you software saying it is “certified by Hacienda”, they are selling you something that does not exist.