How Verifactu will affect Spanish SMEs and self-employed after its delay

The Spanish government has postponed until 2027 (source in Spanish), and later to 2028, the entry into force of Verifactu, the electronic invoicing system designed to strengthen tax control over companies and self-employed workers. The move pushes back by one year the original timetable, which had set its implementation for 2026 (source in Spanish).

Under the new calendar, companies subject to Corporation Tax will have to adapt from 2028, while the self-employed and SMEs will have until 1 July of that same year.

The system requires invoices to be issued using certified software that guarantees the authenticity, integrity and traceability of records, as part of the fight against tax fraud.

More time, but also uncertainty

The postponement gives more time to adapt IT programmes and internal processes, reducing the immediate pressure on millions of small businesses.

However, different voices in the sector point out that the delay has also created confusion because of the lack of clarity about technical requirements and the final implementation deadlines.

These doubts are compounded by warnings from organisations representing the self-employed and from the business community itself. The National Federation of Associations of Self-Employed Workers (ATA) had for weeks been calling for an extension (source in Spanish), citing adaptation difficulties and a lack of clear information.

Even so, the union representing technicians at the Ministry of Finance, Gestha (source in Spanish), believes the extension is a "key tool" that could be "useful" for millions of taxpayers.

A structural change still to come

Despite the extension, Verifactu remains a structural change in Spain's tax system that will affect most of the business sector. The rules, promoted by the Tax Agency, form part of measures to digitise the economy and strengthen fiscal transparency, with possible sanctions for non-compliance once they come into force.

According to Eurostat data, only 58% of small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU have reached a basic level of digital services, well below the 90% target set for 2030. The gap is even wider compared with large companies, where the level of digitalisation reaches 91%, highlighting the specific difficulties SMEs face in adapting to technological and regulatory change.

In the case of Spain, the figures show progress but also limits to business digitalisation. According to a survey (source in Spanish) by the National Statistics Institute (INE), 44.3% of companies use cloud computing services and 21.1% use artificial intelligence, while 84.5% have a website.

However, the level of adoption of more advanced technologies remains uneven, especially among small companies.