Many entrepreneurs that just came to Mainland China or those have recently set up their business, have many questions regarding the differences between an invoice and a so called "Fapiao (发票)". Even though the literal translation of Fapiao (发票) is invoice , the documents are not the same! Also among many accounting professionals, there is misunderstanding regarding the terms "invoice" and "Fapiao" (发票).
What is a Fapiao?
A Fapiao is a receipt but not an invoice due to the fact it is not a proof of payment. You can make this conclusion also from the fact that a Fapiao almost never includes a list of the services or products bought.
A Fapio is a document for registering revenue generation in China. Fapioas are registered with the relevant tax authority. The tax authority audits the issuance of Fapiaos, in order to determine the appropriate amount of tax payable.
There are two different types of Fapiaos:
- General (VAT) Fapiao
The General Fapiao is used only as evidence of payment. There are two formats of general Fapiao – the normal general VAT invoices and the roll invoices.
- Special Value-added Tax (VAT) Fapiao
The VAT Fapiao is used for tax deduction purposes, it contains detailed information including the trader’s tax code, address, telephone number, and bank account information.
This PDF template includes several examples of General Fapiao formats used in China. It contains 5 samples of basic Fapiaos.