Is MEI required to issue an invoice?

Whether MEIs are required to issue an invoice is a recurring question among those who join the program.

After all, if the MEI is an entrepreneur, he must issue an invoice, right? 

But, on the other hand, we must consider that the MEI is also considered self-employed, which changes the tax rules applied.

So reaching a conclusion to this question may not be so obvious.

But the good news is that in today's material we will solve this problem for you.

So, to learn everything about issuing invoices through MEI, just continue reading! 

What is MEI? What are its legal obligations?

Before we discuss whether MEIs are required to issue an invoice, it is important to discuss the category.

This is because there is a lot of doubt as to whether MEI is an entrepreneur or self-employed, which results in difficulties in understanding the tax aspect.

And, regarding this, the first thing we need to understand is that yes, the MEI is a businessman, in the Individual Microentrepreneur category.

This category aims to formalize recognized autonomous activities.

This means that, if before the self-employed worked without any registration or guarantee, with the MEI program this changed.

Therefore, we can consider that MEI emerged as an alternative to facilitate access for small entrepreneurs.

This is because we know how difficult it can be to undertake, especially when we talk about the tax side of the business.

With the MEI, these issues are made easier, starting with the tax charged, which is unique and is paid through the DAS form.

This offers greater convenience to the MEI, who avoids high taxes and gains greater ease with the famous corporate bureaucracy.

Furthermore, the MEI has the same guarantees as any other entrepreneur, since he also has his CNPJ.

But, we know that entrepreneurs need to issue an invoice, but what about the MEI, what happens in this situation?

We'll see later! 

Is MEI required to issue an invoice?

After what we saw in the previous topic, you now understand that the MEI is a self-employed professional with a business registration.

This means that when registering as an MEI, the citizen starts to have a CNPJ that officializes their self-employed activity.

This information is important to help us answer our central question.

After all, is an MEI required to issue an invoice? 

In the general business sector, this obligation exists to guarantee the payment of taxes arising from the company's financial receipts.

But, as we have already seen, the MEI does not pay taxes beyond the DAS, for this reason, this note issue is a little more flexible.

The general rule is that the MEI is obliged to issue an invoice when providing services to a legal entity, that is, to another company.

However, when the service is provided to an individual, this obligation does not exist.

Therefore, it is up to the MEI to decide whether to issue an invoice when the service provided is for an individual.

But, be careful, it is important to highlight that this possibility only exists in this case, as for legal entities this is different, as already mentioned.

The reason for this difference has nothing to do with the MEI itself, but rather with the other company.

This is because the note is intended to record that a financial transaction took place.

This must be recorded in the company information for reporting and payment of taxes.

So, now you know in which cases the MEI is obliged to issue an invoice! 

Step by step guide to issuing an invoice for free as an MEI 

At this point we already know in which cases the MEI must issue an invoice.

This raises a concern: how can you issue an invoice as an MEI? Do you have to pay?

Before anything else, we must warn you that the service for issuing electronic invoices is not it is not paid.

Many companies offer the service, and even try to convince you that it is mandatory to pay, but this is not true.

This is because the Federal Government has a specific program for issuing Electronic Invoices.

Accessing it is very simple, and it is worth noting that there are two types:

• Product Invoice Issuer;
• Service Invoice Issuer;

Therefore, you must pay attention to the activity carried out: sale of product or provision of service.

Once this is done, simply log in to Gov.br and look for the tabs: Entrepreneur > MEI Services > Invoice.

Choose which of the two systems you intend to use, and click on the option.

This takes you to the invoice issuance website, where you will need to create a login using your CNPJ.

Once logged in, simply fill in the requested information, starting with yours.

Next, you must enter the CNPJ or CPF of the service recipient, in the “Recipient” category.

The next step will be to fill in the information about the service.

Look among the options for the one that best describes the activity or product sold.

Then include a detailed description of the service or product provided.

I finished including the amount received from the sale, and just issued the invoice.

Remember to check that everything is correct, and then you will be able to download your grade.

It is worth mentioning that the electronic invoice does not have a physical version.

So, if you need to, you will have to print it.

However, it is perfectly possible and valid to send the digital file.

MEI is required to issue an invoice: advantages of adopting this practice 

We know that you came to this article concerned about the issue of the Invoice.

However, throughout the content, we explain the MEI requirement and how you can easily issue an invoice.

With that, you no longer have any reason to worry.

But, do you remember that we said that MEI is required to issue an invoice only to legal entities? 

So, it's worth mentioning that although it's not mandatory, there are advantages to issuing an invoice to an individual.

Want to know what they are? See below! 

Security for both parties 

The purpose of issuing the note is to offer tax guarantees, as it records financial transactions.

However, the note also serves to formalize the sale made.

This is because it records the service provided or product sold, the date and value of the transaction.

This way, it is possible to resolve any possible problem by checking the note.

Therefore, when issuing an invoice, you protect both the customer and yourself from possible confusion.

Making it easier to complete the annual declaration 

Another advantage of issuing invoices to individuals is filling out the annual declaration. 

This is because, when you issue the invoice, that amount is recorded in your annual receipts.

Therefore, when filling out the declaration you will not need to look for information or do calculations, as everything will be registered on Gov.br.

So, to make your life easier and still offer you guarantees, it's worth issuing the invoice as an MEI!