Accounting and invoicing for driving schools
Basic fee, driving lessons, special drives, test fees and theory courses: a driving school bills many small items per pupil over months. Saldiqo writes the pupil’s invoice with the hours driven so far, creates instalment invoices and records vehicle costs and fuel.
What comes up for driving schools
Many small items per pupil
Basic fee, every lesson, special drives and test presentations run over months.
Instalments
Many pupils pay in instalments. Every instalment needs a date and an amount.
Vehicles and fuel
Driving school cars are large items with high running costs.
How Saldiqo helps
- Invoice per pupilBasic fee, lessons and tests as lines.
- Instalments as a recurring invoiceMonthly instalment on a fixed date.
- Record fuel and maintenanceReceipts by phone photo, cost centre per vehicle.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Basic fee category B
- Driving lesson, 45 minutes, practice
- Special drive, cross-country
- Presentation for the practical test
- Theory course, package
- Instalment 2 of 4
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 instalments automatically?
Yes. A recurring invoice creates the instalment on a fixed date.
How do I treat test fees?
Fees that you pay to third parties for the pupil you can show as a pass-through line. How that is treated for tax you clear with your tax adviser.
Do driving schools 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 driving schools 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 driving schools 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.