eTIMS Compliant POS Software Kenya
KRA eTIMS-Compliant POS Software for Kenyan Businesses
sell.ke generates KRA Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS) invoices automatically on every sale — QR code, digital signature and VAT breakdown included. Both VSCU and OSCU modes are supported, and connecting your KRA PIN typically takes under an hour.
What is KRA eTIMS and who needs it?
KRA's Electronic Tax Invoice Management System (eTIMS) is the government's mandatory framework for real-time tax invoice reporting. Rolled out in phases from 2023 and mandatory for VAT-registered businesses since 2024, it requires that invoice data is transmitted to KRA as sales happen rather than reconstructed at the end of a tax period.
In practice this covers retailers, restaurants, pharmacies, wholesalers, distributors and service providers. Enforcement is active and KRA conducts compliance audits. Failure to issue compliant electronic tax invoices carries significant penalty exposure under the Tax Procedures Act, alongside the operational risk of being unable to invoice corporate customers — which is how most businesses lose B2B contracts over compliance.
The important distinction: eTIMS is a business obligation, not a software one. You enrol your business with KRA. What your POS determines is whether meeting that obligation is automatic or a daily manual chore.
eTIMS VSCU vs OSCU: which one do you need?
When you apply for eTIMS on iTax you are asked to pick an integration mode. Most merchants meet this question for the first time in the middle of the application, with no explanation attached. Here is the practical difference.
| Aspect | VSCU | OSCU |
|---|---|---|
| What it stands for | Virtual Sales Control Unit | Online Sales Control Unit |
| Where invoices are signed | A virtualised control unit that can sign locally, then transmit | Signed online, against KRA's system at the moment of sale |
| Connectivity assumption | Tolerates intermittent connectivity — suited to high-volume or multi-branch operations | Assumes a working connection at the point of sale |
| Typically suits | Wholesalers, distributors, supermarkets and chains with heavy daily invoice volume | Smaller retailers, restaurants, pharmacies and service businesses with steady internet |
| Invoice volume | Built for bulk — large batches of invoices per day | Comfortable at low-to-moderate transaction counts |
| Supported by sell.ke | Yes | Yes |
The short version: if you are pushing high invoice volume across branches, or your connectivity is unreliable, VSCU is the safer fit. If you are a single shop with steady internet, OSCU is simpler. Because sell.ke supports both, picking one does not lock you into or out of any POS decision later.
What counts as an eTIMS-compliant receipt?
A hand-written receipt or a plain thermal printout is not compliant, regardless of how much detail it carries. KRA requires specific fields and cryptographic proof:
- ✓Your KRA PIN and registered business name
- ✓The eTIMS-generated unique invoice number
- ✓A QR code the customer can scan to verify authenticity
- ✓A digital signature issued by KRA's system
- ✓Sequential invoice numbering with no gaps
- ✓Full item detail — description, quantity, unit price
- ✓A VAT breakdown per line item
sell.ke KRA eTIMS compliance checklist
How to get eTIMS compliant with sell.ke
Five steps, and only two of them involve us. Merchants already enrolled on iTax are usually issuing compliant receipts the same day.
Enrol for eTIMS on iTax
Register your business on KRA's iTax portal at itax.kra.go.ke and apply for eTIMS under your account, selecting either VSCU or OSCU. If you are unsure which applies to you, the comparison above covers it — and sell.ke supports both, so this choice does not lock you out later.
Connect your KRA credentials once
Enter your KRA PIN and eTIMS credentials in sell.ke under Settings → Tax → eTIMS. sell.ke auto-configures your eTIMS certificate. Onboarding assists with the configuration over WhatsApp, and most merchants finish this step in under an hour.
Every sale auto-generates a compliant invoice
When a cashier completes a sale, sell.ke creates the invoice, assigns the required sequential number, calculates VAT correctly per product type, and prints a receipt carrying the QR code and digital signature — with no extra steps at the till.
Invoices are submitted to KRA in real time
sell.ke submits each invoice to the KRA eTIMS portal immediately. If KRA's servers are unreachable or your internet drops, invoices queue locally and submit automatically once connectivity returns. Selling never stops.
Export your audit-ready register
At any time, export a full invoice register showing every transaction, its KRA submission status, and the tax breakdown — formatted for a monthly VAT return or an audit request.
What does eTIMS compliance cost?
Automatic eTIMS invoicing is part of the Enterprise plan. Within it there is no compliance add-on, no per-invoice charge and no separate fiscal device to buy — which is the comparison that matters for wholesalers and distributors, where per-invoice pricing on other systems scales badly against high daily volume.
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no credit card, so you can put your real invoice volume through it and see the submissions land in KRA's system before you commit. The pricing breakdown shows what sits at each tier.
KRA eTIMS POS — frequently asked questions
What is KRA eTIMS and why does my POS need to support it?
KRA eTIMS (Electronic Tax Invoice Management System) is the Kenya Revenue Authority's system for real-time tax invoice reporting. VAT-registered businesses in Kenya are required to issue eTIMS-compliant receipts for every sale. A POS that doesn't generate compliant receipts exposes your business to penalties and audit risk, and leaves you unable to issue valid tax invoices to corporate customers.
What is the difference between eTIMS VSCU and OSCU?
VSCU (Virtual Sales Control Unit) signs invoices through a virtualised control unit and tolerates intermittent connectivity, which suits wholesalers, distributors and multi-branch retailers pushing high daily invoice volume. OSCU (Online Sales Control Unit) signs each invoice online against KRA's system at the moment of sale, which suits smaller retailers, restaurants and pharmacies with steady internet. You select one when you apply for eTIMS on iTax. sell.ke supports both, so the choice does not restrict which POS you can run.
How fast can I actually be eTIMS compliant?
The part that depends on sell.ke — connecting your KRA PIN and credentials and having the eTIMS certificate configured — is typically completed in under an hour with onboarding support over WhatsApp. The gating factor is usually KRA's side: your business must first be enrolled for eTIMS on the iTax portal, and that approval runs on KRA's timeline, not ours. Merchants already enrolled on iTax can be issuing compliant receipts the same day.
Does sell.ke automatically generate KRA eTIMS receipts?
Yes. Every sale processed through sell.ke generates a tax invoice that meets KRA's eTIMS format requirements, carrying the QR code and digital signature. No extra steps, no manual uploads, no separate visit to the eTIMS portal — the receipt is produced automatically at checkout.
What does eTIMS compliance cost on sell.ke?
Automatic eTIMS invoicing is part of the Enterprise plan. Within it there is no separate compliance add-on, no per-invoice fee and no fiscal device to buy, which is what usually decides total cost for a wholesaler or distributor pushing high daily invoice volume. Every plan includes a 14-day free trial with no credit card, so you can run your real volume through it before committing.
Do I need to register my POS separately with KRA?
KRA requires the business, not the POS software, to be registered for eTIMS. You enrol on the iTax portal and select VSCU or OSCU. sell.ke's onboarding team will guide you through which KRA credentials you need to connect your account. Once connected, all receipts flow automatically.
Can sell.ke handle both VAT and non-VAT items in a single transaction?
Yes. You mark each product in the catalogue as VAT-exempt, VAT-inclusive or zero-rated. sell.ke calculates the correct tax per line item and displays the split on the receipt.
What happens if KRA's system is down at the time of sale?
sell.ke queues the invoice submission and retries automatically when KRA's system is available. Your sale is recorded and your customer's receipt is still printed without interruption. KRA allows a window for offline submission in connectivity-limited environments.
I'm not VAT-registered — do I still need eTIMS?
KRA's phased rollout prioritised VAT-registered businesses, but the direction of travel is that all businesses are expected to comply. Enrolling early avoids a last-minute rush and means you can already issue valid tax invoices to corporate customers who require them.
Can I see my eTIMS submission history?
Yes. sell.ke's compliance dashboard shows every receipt submitted with its status confirmation from KRA's system, and the full register exports for audits and VAT returns.
Get KRA eTIMS compliance built into your checkout
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