Choosing the right eTIMS solution for your business
The eTIMS solutions KRA offers, who each suits, which keep working offline, and how to decide between the portal, eTIMS Client, eTIMS Lite and integration.
By Achekam · · 4 min read · For Running a business businesses in Kenya
"Get on eTIMS" sounds like one instruction. In practice it is a choice between several different tools, and the wrong one can make daily invoicing harder than it needs to be. A consultant who sends ten invoices a month and a hardware shop ringing up sales all day need very different things.
KRA offers a range of eTIMS solutions, each built for a different kind of taxpayer. This article goes through them, the questions that decide between them, and how to keep your accounting records in step whichever you choose.
The solutions KRA lists
KRA lists the eTIMS solutions as:
- The online portal at etims.kra.go.ke.
- The eTIMS Client, downloadable software for Windows and Android.
- eTIMS Lite, available on the web through eCitizen, by USSD on *222# and as a mobile app.
- System-to-system integration, through the Virtual Sales Control Unit (VSCU) or the Online Sales Control Unit (OSCU).
- Reverse and buyer-initiated invoicing, where the buyer raises the invoice.
KRA says the eTIMS Lite USSD option is for individuals and sole proprietors. The integration route is for businesses with their own invoicing or ERP systems, and is covered in integrating your own system with eTIMS.
Services only, or goods?
The first question is what you sell. KRA says the eTIMS online portal suits taxpayers who supply services only, while the eTIMS Client suits taxpayers dealing in goods, or goods and services.
The reason is practical. Goods bring stock, item codes and quantities into every invoice, and the eTIMS Client is designed for that. A firm of surveyors invoicing fees does not need it; a pharmacy does.
Many businesses sit in between: a garage that charges labour and sells parts, or a printer that designs and prints. KRA puts "goods and services" with the eTIMS Client, so if any of your invoices carry goods, start there.
Cost is rarely the deciding factor. KRA says eTIMS software, including the online portal and the eTIMS Client, is free, but that businesses integrating their own invoicing system may incur costs if they use an approved third-party integrator.
Working without a connection
The second question is how reliable your internet is. KRA says:
| Solution | Needs a stable internet connection? |
|---|---|
| Online portal | Yes |
| eCitizen (eTIMS Lite web) | Yes |
| OSCU integration | Yes |
| eTIMS Client | No, invoices offline and transmits when the connection returns |
| VSCU integration | No, invoices offline and transmits when the connection returns |
| USSD (*222#) | No internet needed |
A shop in an area with patchy connectivity should lean towards a solution that keeps invoicing offline. A business that cannot invoice when the network drops will either lose sales or fall behind, and catching up later has its own rules.
KRA's frequently asked questions about eTIMS cover which solution suits services or goods, which work offline and the limits on installing the eTIMS Client.
More than one solution, and the one-device rule
You do not have to pick only one. KRA says taxpayers can register on more than one eTIMS solution at the same time without KRA's approval. That is useful for a business that sells goods at a counter but also invoices services from the office.
There is a limit on the eTIMS Client itself, though. KRA says it can only be installed on one device per taxpayer, and that changing devices within the eTIMS Client needs KRA's help. KRA also says the eTIMS Client supports multiple branches and cashier tills or pay points. Choose the device that will carry it with care, especially if you have more than one site.
Recording eTIMS invoices in Achekam today
If you keep your books in Achekam, the eTIMS choice still matters, because Achekam does not yet send invoices to eTIMS itself. Its connector for KRA's online channel (OSCU) can work with KRA's sandbox, but it does not transmit Kenyan invoices in production. Three things have to happen first: KRA certifies the integration, an Achekam platform administrator records that authorisation, and the business initialises a production eTIMS device.
Until then, you issue each invoice through one of KRA's channels, such as eTIMS Lite, the eTIMS Client or an integrator, and then record in Achekam what eTIMS gave back: the control-unit invoice number, internal data and receipt signature. A second person verifies those details, and only then does Achekam treat the invoice as fiscalised.
Achekam does not claim to be a KRA-approved eTIMS integrator, and it never generates eTIMS receipt numbers, internal data or signatures itself. Every identifier in your books comes from KRA's own system. That makes the KRA solution you pick the one your staff will use every day, so choose it for ease of use as much as for compliance.
A short decision checklist
Answer these in order:
- Do you sell goods, or only services? Services only points to the online portal; goods point to the eTIMS Client.
- Is your internet reliable where you invoice? If not, favour the eTIMS Client, VSCU or USSD.
- Are you an individual or sole proprietor with low volumes, not registered for VAT? Look at eTIMS Lite; see eTIMS Lite on eCitizen, USSD and the app.
- Do you already run your own invoicing or ERP system? Consider integration through OSCU or VSCU.
- Do you have several sites? Plan where the eTIMS Client goes and whether a second solution is needed.
- Which transactions must go through eTIMS at all? Check which transactions need eTIMS before you design anything.
Write your answers down and share them with whoever will do the invoicing. The right solution is the one they can use correctly on a busy day.
General guidance only, not advice on your own circumstances. Tax and payroll rules change: check the current position with the authority or your adviser.
