Common Compliance Challenges as Uruguay E-invoicing Requirements Expand

[Former Member]

As Uruguay continues to formalize its e-invoicing requirements, with new mandates taking effect in 2016 based on revenues, several factors distinguish its compliance processes. Today, we’re examining the common compliance challenges enterprises will face, as taxpayers with revenue greater than or equal to ~$3.1M USD (UI 30,000,000) prepare for the June 1, 2016, electronic invoicing deadline, and those with revenues greater than ~$1.5M USD (UI 15,000,000) implement changes in advance of the December 1, 2016, deadline.

The good news? These new deadlines represent a more structured approach to e-invoicing in Uruguay. Previously, the DGI, Uruguay’s tax authority, sent individual, personal letters to companies, mandating they go live with e-invoicing within six months of the notification. These new revenue targets now take the wonder out of compliance, with specific, realistic and actionable deadlines and requirements.

As mandated taxpayers prepare for these upcoming mandates, they should ensure that their compliance solution addresses the following factors specific to Uruguay’s regulations.

• Daily summary reports, a concept unique to Uruguay, require companies to file daily reports for all transactions submitted: approved, rejected and/or canceled.

• The DGI issues each company a specific number range sequence to use on each document type, called CAE. The numbers are valid for two years, and unused ones must be listed on the daily report as cancellations.

• Like Chile, Uruguay mandates an “Acuse de Recibo” process; that is, buyers must acknowledge the invoice in order for it to carry validity for tax deductions..

• On-premise, direct sales via devices not connected to the DGI must be submitted within 12 hours of the goods being delivered, via a printed version.

• If a company’s system is down or they are unable to issue an electronic invoice for another reason, contingency processes may be used. However, companies are required to inform the DGI via its website when they plan to activate contingency processes. Invoices issued in contingency must be on a pre-printed form and must be shown on the daily report. The printed version is adequate verification for shipping purposes.

• Both approved and rejected CF-e XML documents must be provided to customers via the official e-mail address registered with the DGI for suppliers and buyers.

• Companies must maintain e-invoicing archives for 10 years, significantly longer than the six years required by most countries.

Download the full list of requirements in this Checklist: Uruguay DGI Mandates for 2016.

Though the rapid expansion of e-invoicing requirements throughout Latin America means that these regulations are often built upon similar models, each country enforces unique restrictions and specific document, naming and filing instructions.