Accounting and invoicing for architects

What comes up for architects

How Saldiqo helps

• Stage invoices per phaseQuote, stage invoices, final invoice.
• DisbursementsPlots, travel and copies as a line.
• Record consultantsInvoices as expenses with the project’s cost centre.
• Cost centre per projectEffort, fee, third-party services.

Typical invoice lines

Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.

• Work stage 2, design, stage invoice
• Work stage 4, planning application
• Site supervision, hours
• Disbursements, flat fee 3 %
• Structural design re-invoiced as per receipt
• Plots and copies

Tax and invoicing in Malta

What applies to invoices in Malta, in short. As of October 2026.

VAT

Rates 18 %, 12 %, 7 % and 5 %. Malta has no zero rate in law. Exports, EU supplies, food and medicines are exempt with credit, which lets you reclaim input VAT. Exempt without credit does not.

Article 11 small undertakings

With up to €35,000 of domestic turnover a year you can be exempt under Article 11. The status ends on the day the limit is passed, and you still register with the VAT department. Saldiqo adds the exemption note and leaves VAT off.

Tax invoice or fiscal receipt

A tax invoice is issued only when the customer gives you a VAT number. Otherwise a fiscal receipt from an approved system is required. Saldiqo writes invoices. It is not a fiscal receipt system, and a Saldiqo PDF does not replace a fiscal receipt.

Invoice timing

Issue the invoice by the 15th of the following month, or when payment arrives if that comes first. Simplified invoices are allowed up to €100.

E-invoicing

There is no mandate. Public bodies accept e-invoices through Peppol (EN 16931). The tax authority plans e-invoicing and real-time reporting but has set no dates, and EU rules apply from 1 July 2030.

VAT returns

Returns are due by the 15th day of the second month after the period, with 7 extra days when you file and pay electronically. Article 11 businesses file a yearly declaration by 15 February. Saldiqo does not file returns.

Record keeping

VAT records for 6 years, income tax records for 9 years and company records for 10 years. Plan for 10 years.

Late payment

Interest on late business payments is 10.40 %, plus €40 compensation between businesses.

Languages

Use Saldiqo in English or Maltese and send invoices in either language.

Frequently asked questions

How do I bill work stages?

With stage invoices per phase from the quote and a final invoice that deducts them.

Does Saldiqo calculate fees under a fee scale?

No. You enter the agreed amounts, and Saldiqo does not calculate scale fees.

Do architects in Malta have to charge VAT?

If you are registered under Article 10, yes. Small undertakings under Article 11 with domestic turnover of up to €35,000 a year are exempt from charging VAT, but the status ends on the day the limit is passed.

Do architects in Malta need a fiscal receipt?

Sales to consumers need a fiscal receipt from an approved fiscal receipt system, and Article 11 businesses use one for all sales. Saldiqo is not such a system. It covers tax invoices to customers who give you their VAT number.

How long should architects keep invoices?

VAT records for 6 years, income tax records for 9 years and company records for 10 years, so plan for 10 years. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records stays with you.

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