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Accounting and invoicing for illustrators

Book illustration, storyboards, characters, editorial and commissioned portraits: illustrators sell images with usage rights and work for publishers, agencies and private people. Saldiqo writes invoices with motif, rights and term, issues stage invoices and records material and software.

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What comes up for illustrators

Images and rights

The price depends on the scope of the image and the usage rights.

Long book projects

A picture book takes months. Stage invoices secure income.

Private commissions

Portraits and requested motifs for private people are small jobs with a quick invoice.

How Saldiqo helps

  • Invoice with motif and rightsMotif, format and usage rights as lines.
  • Stage invoices for book projectsQuote, stage invoices, final invoice.
  • Record materialPaper, paint, tablet and software.
  • Match paymentsUpload the bank statement.

Typical invoice lines

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

  • Double-page illustration, colour
  • Character design, 3 figures
  • Usage rights book edition, print run up to 5,000
  • Commissioned portrait, A3
  • Corrections by effort
  • Deposit 40 % at contract start

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 book projects?

With stage invoices per stage from the quote and a final invoice.

How do I show usage rights?

As a separate line with duration, territory and print run.

Do illustrators 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 illustrators 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 illustrators 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.