Accounting and invoicing for drone pilots
Aerial images for property, inspection of roofs and installations, event videos and surveying: drone pilots sell flight time, material and processing and have costs for insurance, permits and batteries. Saldiqo writes invoices by job, records insurance and equipment and shows per client what a job brings.
What comes up for drone pilots
Job and processing
The flight is one part, evaluation, editing and delivery of the data another.
Insurance and permits
Liability insurance, flight permits and registration are running costs.
Expensive equipment
Drones, cameras and batteries cost money and wear out.
How Saldiqo helps
- Invoice by jobFlight time, travel and processing as lines.
- Record insurance and permitsReceipts with due dates.
- Match paymentsUpload the bank statement.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Drone flight property, photo and video
- Roof inspection with report
- Aerial event video, 3 hours
- Processing and editing, hours
- Travel as per receipt
- Permit fee re-invoiced as per receipt
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 permits?
You record the fee as an expense and re-invoice it as a line if agreed.
Can I depreciate the drone?
In Germany Saldiqo keeps an asset register. For other countries you record the purchase as an expense and clear depreciation with your tax adviser.
Do drone pilots 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 drone pilots 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 drone pilots 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.