Accounting and invoicing for consultants and coaches
A fee by time, a workshop with a prepayment, a retainer for three months: consultants and coaches rarely have two identical jobs. Saldiqo keeps quotes, invoices and payments together, even when you run several companies.
What comes up for consultants and coaches
Different fee models
Hourly rate, day rate, flat fee, success fee: each model needs its own presentation on the quote and the invoice.
Prepayment and instalments
Coaching packages and workshops are often paid upfront, larger projects in instalments. The final invoice has to make that traceable.
Fixed monthly amounts
A retainer brings planned income but needs an on-time invoice every month.
Several businesses
Many consultants have a company or a second line next to their sole trader business. Each needs its own books, but not its own software.
How Saldiqo helps
- Quote by fee modelYou create services as items: hour, day, package. The quote is built from these blocks.
- Time tracking and invoice from timeIf you bill by effort, you record the time and create the invoice from it.
- Retainer as a recurring invoiceThe monthly invoice is created on a fixed date, without writing it anew each time.
- Deposit and final invoiceYou issue prepayments from the quote, and the final invoice deducts them automatically.
- Several companies, one loginSwitch between your companies and invite team and tax adviser with their own rights.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Strategy consulting, 6 hours
- Full-day workshop, up to 12 participants
- Coaching package, 5 sessions
- Retainer, October
- Preparation and follow-up, flat rate
- Travel costs at cost
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
Can I bill by time and with flat fees?
Yes. You create hourly, daily and package rates as items and mix them in one quote or invoice.
How do I bill coaching packages with prepayment?
With a deposit invoice from the quote. The final invoice deducts the prepayment and shows the rest.
Can I manage several companies?
Yes. Several companies run under one login, each with its own books and its own invoice numbers.
Do consultants and coaches 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 consultants and coaches 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 consultants and coaches 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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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.