ZATCA-compliant accounting software

This page is a practical guide for any Saudi business looking for accounting software that meets the e-invoicing requirements of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA). It explains what the Authority genuinely requires, how to verify any vendor before you buy, and where Fahim stands. It is written for owners of small and mid-sized businesses and for accountants who want a decision based on facts rather than on the word “approved” in an advertisement.

Search for “ZATCA-approved accounting software” and dozens of vendors will put the word on their homepage. The trouble is that “approved” carries several meanings, and some of them mean nothing at all.

What the Authority actually requires

Saudi e-invoicing has two phases. Phase One (generation) requires invoices to be issued electronically in a structured format, with mandatory fields and a QR code, and has been mandatory since 4 December 2021. Phase Two (integration) adds a direct link to the Authority's Fatoora platform: standard tax invoices are cleared before they reach the buyer, and simplified invoices are reported within the required window. Phase Two is rolled out in waves that the Authority announces by revenue band, and its first wave began on 1 January 2023.

So compliance is not a checkbox in a settings screen. It is three things together: a correct invoice format, a cryptographic stamp with keys registered with the Authority, and an integration channel that genuinely works against Fatoora.

How to check any vendor before you buy

Ask these four questions, and ask for the answers in writing:

• Do you issue both standard and simplified invoices? Some systems cover only one. That is fine for a retail shop and not fine for a business selling to companies.
• Show me a real invoice cleared by Fatoora. A correctly formatted file is one thing; a file that came back from the Authority cleared is another.
• Who holds the cryptographic keys and who renews the certificates? If the answer is “you do”, that is a recurring operational burden you are taking on.
• What happens when the integration goes down? A sound system queues the invoice and retries. It does not stop you selling.

If a vendor says it is “approved”, ask exactly what is approved — the company, the solution, or one specific release — then verify it through the Authority's own channels. That is your right as a buyer, and no serious vendor will object.

Standard or simplified invoice: which do you need?

The Authority's rules define two kinds of invoice, and each follows a different path in Phase Two:

• The standard tax invoice (B2B) is issued to a VAT-registered business, carries the buyer's tax details, and is cleared before delivery.
• The simplified tax invoice (B2C) is issued to an end consumer, handed over immediately with its QR code, and then reported to the Authority within the required window.

For example: a grocery selling to individuals needs the simplified invoice for most of its transactions. A building-materials supplier selling to contractors needs the standard one. A service centre serving both individuals and companies needs both kinds on the same day. In every case, VAT applies at 15% on taxable goods and services, and its amount must appear clearly on the document.

How you issue an invoice from WhatsApp, in 3 steps

The idea is that the invoice comes out of the conversation your team already has open, not out of a machine in the office. A typical example:

1. You type the request or say it by voice: “Issue an invoice to Al Nakheel Contracting: 20 cartons of water at SAR 18.”
2. The system shows a draft for review: net SAR 360, VAT at 15% equals SAR 54, total SAR 414, with the customer's tax number taken from their file. You reply “approve” or correct any line.
3. The invoice is issued and sent: as a PDF with its QR code, ready to forward to the customer, and it is reflected in inventory, accounting and the tax report at the same moment.

A credit note is issued the same way: “Issue a credit note against invoice 1043 for two returned cartons,” and it is tied to the original invoice as the rules require.

What Moeen adds

Moeen is the personal assistant included from the Moeen plan upwards. It does not issue invoices on your behalf without permission, but it watches, reminds and prepares:

• A morning summary of yesterday's invoices and notes, and what has not yet been paid.
• An immediate alert if a submission to the Fatoora platform fails, with automatic retry.
• Reminders for invoices past their due date, with a draft reminder message to the customer that you review before it is sent.
• A draft VAT return before the end of the period, built from the invoices issued and the purchases recorded.

The fixed rule: Moeen suggests, and asks your permission before any action that touches your data.

Where Fahim stands

Fahim is built for the Saudi e-invoicing requirements from the ground up: mandatory fields, QR code, sequential numbering and VAT handling live inside the system rather than in settings you configure and own the risk for. Credit and debit notes are tied to their original invoice as the rules require.

Because invoicing sits inside a full ERP rather than a separate tool, every invoice flows straight into inventory, accounting and tax reporting — no month-end reconciliation between an invoicing app and a spreadsheet.

The practical difference: you issue the invoice from a WhatsApp conversation in Arabic, by text or by voice, from anywhere. The invoicing machine is no longer a machine in the office.

A practical comparison: three ways to invoice

• A spreadsheet and an invoice template: no structured QR code, no tamper-proof numbering, no link to Fatoora. It was enough before December 2021, and it is not enough today.
• An invoicing app separate from accounting: it produces a correct document, but stock and journal entries are recorded somewhere else, so the manual month-end reconciliation comes back.
• An integrated system: invoice, inventory, accounting and tax in one database, issued from WhatsApp or the web. This is the option Fahim is built on.

How long does it take to start?

Moving over does not need a project. In practice there are three steps: register the business and its tax details, import your customers and items from your current file, then issue the first real invoice from WhatsApp. A small business with tidy data gets through that in a few days, for example, and spends its trial month on real operation rather than on setup. Phase Two integration follows the wave the Authority has announced for your business, and our team accompanies you through it.

Plans and trial

Prices are per user per month in Saudi riyals, excluding 15% VAT:

• Essential — SAR 75: a full ERP on the web, with e-invoicing, inventory and accounting.
• Moeen — SAR 375: operations from WhatsApp with the personal assistant Moeen.
• Fahim — SAR 935: AI that modifies the system at your request and applies the change within minutes.
• Enterprise: on request, for businesses with specific requirements.

You start with a full free trial month, and after subscribing you are covered by the “Golden Guarantee”: a full refund within 30 days if the system does not suit you. Details are on the pricing page.

What we do not claim

We put no approval claim on this page that we cannot back with a document. If your purchase decision depends on a specific registration status with the Authority, write to us and you will get the precise position in writing instead of a marketing phrase. We would rather lose a customer than walk one into a violation.

Read next

• E-invoicing: what changes in daily operations
• A guide to preparing and filing your VAT return
• Tax invoicing in Fahim