missing invoices - a problem? (self employed)

PlutoinCapricorn

This sounds very odd to me too. Perhaps 'invoice' is not exactly the best word to use?

catoutthebag

Cook_County wrote: »

What kind of self-employment is this? It is a practice I have never heard of, it sounds much more like employment than self-employment.


I assume you number your invoices sequentially so you can see which are missing or unpaid?

It's pharmacy work

Not really odd at all - Just because it's different from a builder SENDING an invoice to someone doesn't mean it's wrong. Obviously you've not heard of this before which is fine.

All self employed pharmacy people are designated numbers or codes I guess so easier for payroll to process payments rather than individual pharmacy guys emailing their invoice at random times to companies.

I know what's missing because I compare the paper invoices I have to my diary which contains all my bookings made. There's gaps in the paper record.

Feel were off tangent but hope it clarified and enlightened

catoutthebag

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

This sounds very odd to me too. Perhaps 'invoice' is not exactly the best word to use?

Invoice and payslip are interchangeable. Remittance too
The paper record from companies contains the words either invoice or remittance.

Oh and see my above post too

agrinnall

catoutthebag wrote: »

Invoice and payslip are interchangeable.

Perhaps this is true in the world of pharmacies, but I've never found anywhere else where it would be the case; indeed, payslip would strongly indicate employment, whereas invoice would relate to self employment.

PlutoinCapricorn

Exactly. In the non-pharmaceutical world, an invoice is a bill or request for payment issued by the supplier/seller to the client/customer/buyer. Consultants send invoices to their clients for services performed; sellers send invoices to their customers for items supplied. A payslip is something that employees on PAYE get, usually every month. Self-employed people do not receive payslips because they are not on the payroll.

When the payment comes, it may have a covering letter with it or a confirmation or notification of a BACS payment, but not an invoice.

comeandgo

This method of payment is in the building industry too so nothing wrong with it and I do think you should ask for copies of the invoices or are they called authenticated receipts, just to keep HMRC happy if they call.

chrismac1

I think we may be talking about something called a "self-billing invoice" here. If you don't know what this is look it up. In these days of the internet they are very common in a lot of sectors and they are most definitely invoices and not payslips.

For clients on self-billing, I look even more carefully at the rest of their operations given that no way do they meet the test of self-employment which requires you to set up and operate your own system for raising sales invoices.

chrismac1

If the OP - or indeed anyone reading this thread - is on self-billing my advice is to check each one carefully. I've come across a number of errors in these, and in some cases the cash paid out by customers does not in fact match up to the invoices.

Where it is less I help the clients get their due amounts in the bank. Where it is more I inform the clients and park up the excess funds in a separate balance sheet account in case the client should discover the error of their ways.

TheCyclingProgrammer

Cook_County wrote: »

What kind of self-employment is this? It is a practice I have never heard of, it sounds much more like employment than self-employment.


I assume you number your invoices sequentially so you can see which are missing or unpaid?

Sounds like a self billing arrangement to me.

catoutthebag

Thought I would re clarify and update.

My fault as I probably wasn't clear.

Bookings and rate and location are agreed by phone or email.
I do the work.
At the end of that day, I fax over an in - house invoice (in effect I 'bill them'
A week or two later I get paid by bacs with a copy of payment etc being posted/emailed to me on a remittance advice slip for my records/tax purposes

I managed to procure the missing slips by the company emailing me copies of the missing ones

All is well