🇰🇪 Kenya · Compliance built in

eTIMS invoicing that just works — with real books behind it

Every invoice you raise in PeppyBooks clears KRA's eTIMS in real time — including credit notes, POS receipts and van sales from the road — while your books, stock and VAT reports stay perfectly in sync.

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Kenya e-invoicing · Live

INV-0231 · issued 09:41Cleared ✓

QR + control dataOn document

Credit note CN-12Cleared ✓

Books, stock & tax reportPosted

Send to the tax departmentd and posted — automatically

Who it's for

Built for teams like yours

VAT/GST-registered businesses

Meet eTIMS requirements without changing how you bill.

Retailers & POS counters

Compliant receipts at checkout speed, online or offline.

Distributors with field teams

Vans and reps stay compliant from the road, even without signal.

The problems this solves

Before PeppyBooks → after PeppyBooks

Re-typing invoices into a government portal

Documents transmit and validate automatically as you bill

Standalone fiscal tools that don't match the books

One system: the cleared invoice IS your books entry

Connectivity gaps risking eTIMS deadlines

Offline queue with automatic retry the moment signal returns

How it works

From invoice to cleared — automatically

Bill as you always do

Raise the invoice at the counter, in the office or on the road — online or offline.

We talk to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)

PeppyBooks transmits and validates the document under eTIMS in real time, adding the required QR and control data.

Books stay filing-ready

The same invoice posts to your books, stock and tax reports — nothing to re-enter.

What eTIMS means for your business

KRA requires businesses — including many non-VAT registered traders — to issue electronic tax invoices through eTIMS. Manual portals and disconnected fiscal devices slow billing down; PeppyBooks makes compliance a side effect of invoicing.

Invoices cleared through eTIMS as you bill

KRA control data and QR on every document

Credit notes handled with correct references

VAT return-ready reports

Offline queueing for low-signal routes

Invoices that send to the tax department themselves

Issue an invoice in PeppyBooks and compliance happens in the background — no middleware, no separate device, no re-typing into a portal. Every document is transmitted, validated and stored per the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) requirements.

Real-time transmission and validation as you bill

QR codes and control data printed on every invoice where required

Credit and debit notes handled with the same compliance flow

Automatic retry queue if the tax authority endpoint is briefly down

Compliant archive of every send to the tax departmentd document

Full accounting behind every invoice

Unlike standalone tax-department reporting tools, PeppyBooks is a complete cloud accounting platform — so the same invoice that clears compliance also posts to your books, updates stock and shows up in your P&L.

Proper bookkeeping with a custom list of accounts

Smart bank matching and receivables tracking

Multi-currency with automatic forex gain/loss

Inventory, POS and CRM in the same subscription

Return-ready tax reports for filing season

Built for how business really works here

Field reps, market stalls and delivery routes don't always have signal. PeppyBooks keeps billing offline and syncs — including compliance submission — the moment you're back online.

Offline invoicing on iOS and Android

Van sales and POS billing included

Works in your currency and language of business

Local support that understands the regulation

Inside the product

What you'll actually see

erp.peppybooks.com

Invoice clearing through eTIMS in real time

erp.peppybooks.com

Tax return report generated from cleared documents

90-second product tour

Your first minute and a half

0:00Create an invoice exactly as you always do.
0:15On save, PeppyBooks transmits it under eTIMS — status turns to Cleared.
0:30The QR and control data appear on the printed document.
0:45Raise a credit note — it references the original and clears the same way.
1:00Open the tax report: every cleared document already accounted for.

Do this on your own data — free

What you get

The outcomes that matter

Compliance as a side effect

No extra step, no middleware — clearance happens inside normal billing.

Filing without fear

Return-ready tax reports generated from the same cleared documents.

Customers keep their claims

Your buyers get valid eTIMS documents — and keep buying from you.

Included in plans from $17/user/month — every plan starts with a full-featured trial. See pricing Start for free

Works with what you already have

Native to the PeppyBooks platform, open where it counts.

Reports that come standard

VAT/GST return-ready report
Cleared documents register
Sales by tax rate
Receivables ageing
Exception & retry log

The complete guide

eTIMS invoicing that just works — with real books behind it: what you need to know

Last updated 3 July 2026 · Reviewed by the PeppyBooks product & compliance team

What is eTIMS?

eTIMS (electronic Tax Invoice Management System) is the Kenya Revenue Authority's software-based invoicing system, succeeding the hardware-based TIMS control units. Every invoice is transmitted electronically to KRA at the time of sale, carrying KRA control data and a verifiable QR code. Unlike TIMS, eTIMS needs no fiscal device — compliance runs through software such as PeppyBooks.

Who must comply?

eTIMS obligations extend far beyond VAT-registered companies. All persons carrying on business in Kenya — including those under turnover tax and businesses below the VAT threshold — are required to issue electronic tax invoices. Critically, since 1 January 2024, business expenses not supported by an eTIMS invoice are not deductible for income tax, which means your customers will demand eTIMS invoices from you.

eTIMS onboarding options
Option	Best for	How it works
eTIMS via software (VSCU/OSCU)	Businesses running accounting/ERP systems	Invoices clear KRA automatically from your billing software — PeppyBooks uses this route
eTIMS Client application	Businesses invoicing from a single computer	Standalone KRA application installed locally
eTIMS Lite / online portal	Very small traders with few invoices	Manual invoice entry on KRA's portal or USSD

Verify current onboarding requirements at kra.go.ke.

Penalties and business risks

Beyond statutory penalties for failing to issue electronic tax invoices, the practical enforcement is commercial: your B2B customers cannot deduct expenses paid to you without an eTIMS invoice, so non-compliant suppliers get dropped. Input VAT claims also require valid electronic invoices, and KRA's visibility of transaction data makes discrepancies between invoices and returns easy to detect.

How to choose eTIMS software

Real-time clearance from your billing screen — not batch uploads
Offline queueing for shops and vans outside coverage
Credit notes referencing the original cleared invoice
Full accounting behind the invoice so VAT returns match to books
POS and mobile/van-sales billing on the same compliance flow

Real-timeclearance as you bill

Offlinequeue & auto-retry built in

0middleware or plugins needed

FAQ

Common questions

Is PeppyBooks eTIMS compliant?

Yes — invoicing is built for KRA's eTIMS, clearing documents in real time with the required control data and QR codes.

Do my van sales reps stay compliant offline?

Yes — offline invoices queue and clear through eTIMS automatically when signal returns.

Does it work for non-VAT registered businesses?

Yes — eTIMS obligations extend beyond VAT-registered firms, and PeppyBooks handles both cases.

What is the difference between TIMS and eTIMS?

TIMS relied on physical control unit devices; eTIMS is its software-based successor — compliance runs through applications and system integrations instead of dedicated hardware.

Do I need a fiscal device for eTIMS?

No. eTIMS is software-based; a system like PeppyBooks clears invoices with KRA directly, with no control unit hardware to buy or maintain.

What happens if I claim expenses without eTIMS invoices?

Since 1 January 2024, expenses not supported by eTIMS invoices are disallowed for income tax deduction — which is why B2B buyers now insist on eTIMS-compliant suppliers.