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Accounting and invoicing for creators

Brands pay with money, with products or with both. Platforms pay commissions, brands book videos with usage rights, and the gear wants to be written off. Saldiqo writes your invoices, shows what is paid and lets you record what you received in return.

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What comes up for creators

Many clients, small amounts

A video for one brand, a package for the next, commissions from platforms in between. Every job needs its invoice and every payment has to be matched to a job.

Money and products

Brands send products, sometimes instead of money, sometimes on top. The package is part of the payment, and you should record what it was worth.

Usage rights and packages

One video, three variants, raw footage, use as an ad for six months: brands buy more than footage, and the invoice should show it.

Gear and expenses

Camera, lights, microphone, computer, software and travel are business costs that add up over the year.

How Saldiqo helps

  • Invoice with scopeYou create videos, variants, usage rights and raw footage as lines. The brand sees what it pays for.
  • Deposit before productionFrom the quote you create the deposit invoice. The final invoice deducts it.
  • Record payment in kindIf you got a product instead of money, you write the invoice as usual, state product and value in the description and mark it paid with the payment method other.
  • Match paymentsUpload the bank statement or platform payout, and Saldiqo suggests the matching invoice.
  • Receipts from the shootPhotograph the receipt with your phone and capture it as an expense, including props and travel.

Typical invoice lines

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

  • Video, 30 seconds, vertical, concept and production
  • Two extra variants with a different hook
  • Usage rights for paid ads, six months
  • Raw footage and project files
  • Payment in kind: product package worth 180
  • Deposit 50 % before production starts

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 treat free products?

Products you receive from brands in return for content usually count as income at their value for tax. How you treat them in your case, you clear with your tax adviser. In Saldiqo you record product and value in the invoice.

Can I invoice brands abroad?

Yes. For businesses in other EU countries you choose the tax type reverse charge. For brands outside the EU you clear with your tax adviser which rule applies.

Do I need a business registration as a creator?

That depends on your country and your activity. Saldiqo writes invoices and calculates, but does not replace advice on registration.

Do creators 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 creators 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 creators 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.

Try Saldiqo for free

Write invoices, match payments, collect receipts and send reminders: free and without a trial period.

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As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.