What Submitting Means
Saudi law requires every VAT-registered business to send its invoices electronically to ZATCA, the tax authority. QBM does this for you: it builds the official electronic invoice, signs it, adds the QR code, sends it to ZATCA, and keeps a copy.
Your part is simple: create the invoice as you always have, save it, and click one button.
| Type of sale | What it is called | When it goes to ZATCA |
|---|---|---|
| Sale to another business that has a VAT number | Standard invoice | Before you give the invoice to the customer. ZATCA must approve it first. |
| Sale to an ordinary consumer, shop or counter sale | Simplified invoice | You give the invoice to the customer straight away, and it must reach ZATCA within 24 hours. |
The most important difference: for a business customer, wait for ZATCA approval before handing over the invoice. For a normal shop customer, hand it over immediately.
One-Time Setup
Before anyone can submit invoices, an administrator must connect your company to ZATCA once. You do not repeat this for every invoice.
- Your company details, VAT number, commercial registration number, and address are complete in QBM.
- ZATCA is switched on and your company certificate has been obtained from ZATCA.
- A folder has been chosen where every submitted invoice is saved automatically.
If the Submit to Zatca button is missing from your screen, this setup has not been completed. Contact your administrator or QBM support — do not try to configure it yourself.
Before You Submit
Check these three things. They prevent almost every rejection.
- The invoice is correct and final. Once ZATCA accepts an invoice it cannot be changed — a mistake can only be corrected with a credit note afterwards.
- The customer details are complete, if this is a sale to a business. They need a VAT number and a full address including street, building number, city, and postal code.
- The invoice is saved. QBM asks you to save before it lets you submit.
Good habit: submit each invoice as soon as you finish it. Leaving submissions until the end of the day risks missing the 24-hour deadline for shop sales, and makes problems harder to trace.
Submit a Standard Invoice
Use this for a sale to another registered business.
- Create the invoice as normal, choosing the business customer and adding the items.
- Check the customer has a VAT number and full address. Fix the customer record now if anything is missing.
- Save the invoice.
- Click Submit to Zatca on the toolbar.
- Choose the type Standard Tax Invoice from the list at the top of the window.
- Click Submit and wait a few seconds.
- Check the result. When it succeeds a QR code appears and QBM tells you where the invoice was saved.
- Now print or send the invoice to your customer.
Do not send the invoice to your customer before this succeeds. For business sales the law requires ZATCA to approve the invoice first. If the submission fails, correct the problem and submit again before handing anything over.
Submit a Simplified Invoice
Use this for ordinary customers, shop sales, and counter sales.
- Create the sales receipt or cash sale as normal.
- Save the document.
- Give the customer their invoice. You do not need to wait for ZATCA.
- Click Submit to Zatca.
- Choose the type Simplified Tax Invoice.
- Click Submit and confirm it succeeds.
The 24-hour rule: simplified invoices must reach ZATCA within one day. If a submission fails because the internet is down, QBM keeps retrying automatically while QBM is open. Leave QBM running, and tell your supervisor if invoices are still failing at the end of the day.
Submit a Credit or Debit Note
Use a credit note when you refund a customer or cancel part of an invoice, and a debit note when you charge more than the original invoice.
- Create the refund, credit, or adjustment document as normal.
- Enter the original invoice number in the reference field. This is required — ZATCA must know which invoice you are correcting.
- Enter the reason in the description field, for example Goods returned by customer. This is also required.
- Save the document.
- Click Submit to Zatca and choose the matching type: standard or simplified, credit note or debit note.
- Click Submit and check the result.
If you forget the reference or the reason, QBM stops the submission and tells you which one is missing. Add it and submit again.
Correcting a mistake: an invoice already accepted by ZATCA can never be edited or deleted. Issue a credit note against it and, if needed, raise a new correct invoice.
Understanding the Result
After you click Submit, QBM shows what ZATCA replied. This table tells you what each result means and what to do.
| Result | What it means | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| Cleared | ZATCA approved your standard invoice and stamped it. | Nothing more. Print or send the invoice to your customer. |
| Reported | ZATCA received your simplified invoice. | Nothing more. The sale is complete. |
| Accepted with warnings | ZATCA accepted the invoice but noticed small data issues. | The invoice is valid. Show the warnings to your supervisor so master data can be improved. |
| Rejected | ZATCA refused the invoice because something is wrong or missing. | Read the message, fix the data, and submit again. Do not give a rejected standard invoice to a customer. |
| Submission failed | The invoice never reached ZATCA, usually an internet or network problem. | Check your connection and submit again. Simplified invoices retry automatically. |
| Already sent to ZATCA | This invoice was submitted successfully before. | Nothing. This message protects you from sending the same invoice twice. |
The QR code shown after a successful submission is the official code for that invoice. It must appear on the invoice you give the customer, and it is stored automatically with the invoice in QBM.
Where Your Invoice Is Saved
ZATCA requires businesses to keep every electronic invoice for at least six years. QBM saves each one automatically in two places, and you do not need to do anything.
| Where | What is kept |
|---|---|
| Inside QBM | The complete electronic invoice, the QR code, the ZATCA reply, and the status. You can reopen any submitted invoice and see them again. |
| The archive folder | A copy of the invoice file, saved automatically the moment ZATCA accepts it. QBM shows you the location each time. |
- Saving is automatic and cannot be switched off, because keeping the records is a legal requirement.
- The first time you use the submit window, QBM may ask you to choose the folder. Pick the location your administrator tells you to use — QBM will remember it.
- If saving fails, QBM warns you at once and offers a window to save the file yourself. Do not ignore this message.
Ask your administrator to include the archive folder in the company backup. Losing these files means losing legally required records.
Getting a PDF Copy
You can produce a PDF copy of any submitted invoice. This is the recommended format for long-term storage, because the electronic invoice is embedded inside the PDF.
- Open the invoice that was already submitted.
- Click Submit to Zatca to open the window.
- Click Export PDF/A-3.
- Choose where to save the file, and click Save.
The PDF shows the invoice details, the totals, and the QR code, and carries the official electronic invoice inside it. It is useful for sending to customers, auditors, or your accountant.
If Something Goes Wrong
Most messages are caused by missing information, not by a fault in QBM. Use this table before calling support.
| Message you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Please save the document first | The invoice has unsaved changes. | Save the invoice, then click Submit to Zatca again. |
| Tax account must be specified… | Your VAT setup is incomplete. | Contact your administrator. A VAT account must be linked to the tax code. |
| Discount account must be specified | A discount was entered but no discount account is set. | Contact your administrator, or remove the discount. |
| Buyer information is missing | A business customer has no VAT number or a partial address. | Open the customer record, complete the details, then submit again. |
| Billing reference is missing | A credit or debit note does not say which invoice it corrects. | Enter the original invoice number in the reference field. |
| Instruction note is missing | A credit or debit note has no reason. | Enter the reason in the description field. |
| Supplier registration number is required | Your own company details are incomplete. | Contact your administrator to add the commercial registration number. |
| Invoice already sent to ZATCA | This invoice was already accepted. | Nothing is wrong. Use a credit note if you need to correct it. |
| Another submission is in progress | A colleague is submitting at the same moment. | Wait a few seconds and try again. |
| Document could not be saved to the archive folder | The saving location is unavailable. | Use the save window QBM offers, then tell your administrator. |
| Submit to Zatca button is missing | ZATCA is not switched on for this company. | Contact your administrator or QBM support. |
When you contact support, tell them the invoice number, the exact message, and take a screenshot. Never send private keys, passwords, secrets, or one-time codes by email or chat.
Rules You Must Follow
QBM handles the technical work, but these responsibilities stay with your business.
- Invoice every sale through QBM. Handwritten or off-system invoices are not allowed for VAT sales.
- Wait for approval on business invoices before giving the invoice to the customer.
- Do not leave shop sales unsubmitted overnight. They must reach ZATCA within 24 hours.
- Never delete or alter an invoice that has been sent to ZATCA. Use a credit note instead.
- Keep the records. The company database and the archive folder must be backed up and kept for at least six years.
- Enter names in Arabic where possible, because the printed invoice must be readable in Arabic.
- Tell your administrator before the certificate expires. An expired certificate stops all invoicing.
Quick Reference
Keep this next to the till or on the invoicing desk.
| Situation | Type to choose | Give to customer |
|---|---|---|
| Selling to a company with a VAT number | Standard Tax Invoice | Only after it is approved |
| Normal shop or counter sale | Simplified Tax Invoice | Immediately |
| Refund or return for a business customer | Standard Tax Credit Note | After approval |
| Refund or return for a shop customer | Simplified Credit Note | Immediately |
| Charging a business customer extra | Standard Tax Debit Note | After approval |
| Charging a shop customer extra | Simplified Debit Note | Immediately |
Every time: create the invoice, save it, click Submit to Zatca, choose the type, click Submit, and check the result before you hand anything to the customer.