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Accounting and invoicing for gaming creators

Sponsorship from publishers, keys to test, tournament prizes and merchandise: gaming creators often get games and hardware instead of money or on top. Saldiqo writes the invoices to publishers and hardware brands, lets you record keys and devices as payment in kind and captures gear as an expense.

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What comes up for gaming creators

Keys and loaned devices

Game keys, controllers and graphics cards arrive for testing. Some stay with you, some go back. That changes the billing.

Sponsorship at releases

Publishers book videos or streams for the release date. Date, scope and rights are in the contract.

Expensive hardware

Computer, graphics card, capture card and monitor are large items over their useful life.

How Saldiqo helps

  • Invoice to the publisherVideo, stream, date and usage rights as lines.
  • Record payment in kindName product or key with value in the invoice. For a pure exchange mark it paid with the payment method other.
  • Match paymentsUpload the bank statement, and Saldiqo shows which job is paid.

Typical invoice lines

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

  • Sponsored video for the release, 12 minutes
  • Stream integration, 2 streams of 3 hours
  • Usage rights for trailer clips, six months
  • Payment in kind: game and accessories worth 120
  • Travel to the event as per receipt
  • Deposit 40 % on signing the contract

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 game keys?

Keys you receive in return for content usually count as income at their value. Keys only for testing without consideration you clear with your tax adviser.

Can I depreciate hardware?

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 gaming 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 gaming 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 gaming 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.