Before you touch the system
Decisions, not tasks.
Name the owner: finance, not IT
Confirm your obligations and phase dates with KRA
Decide the control-unit approach with IT
List every channel that issues an invoice: ERP, POS, e-commerce, field sales
Data
Most delays are here.
Classify every item with KRA classification codes
Map units of measure to KRA unit codes
Clean customer PINs and tax details
Decide how services and non-stock items are classified
Process
Edge cases decide go-live.
Credit and debit notes linked to the original
Rejected or failed submissions: who sees them and who fixes them
Offline receipts and reconnect behaviour at the till
Back-dated or corrected invoices
Supplier invoices: validate that they are eTIMS-compliant before you rely on them for expense claims
Test and go-live
Use real document types, not a happy path.
Test each document type and tax treatment in KRA's sandbox
Reconcile submitted documents to the ledger daily in the first weeks
Train posters and the people who answer a rejection
Switch on site by site, not all at once
Frequently asked questions
Who should own eTIMS in the business?
Finance, with IT as an implementer. The failure modes are tax and process failures.
Can the ERP post an invoice KRA has not accepted?
That is a design choice. We recommend that an unaccepted invoice does not become a ledger fact.
General information, not tax or legal advice. Rates, limits and filing rules change; confirm the current position with the Kenya Revenue Authority, the relevant statutory body or your tax adviser before relying on it.
Last reviewed 2026-10-12