Spanish invoicing, explained in English
Spanish invoice template: what a factura must include
A Spanish invoice (factura) is not a free-form document: the law lists exactly what has to be on it. This page works like a glossary, the Spanish term you will see on a real factura next to its English meaning, with the article of the regulation behind each one. It is not tax advice: which rate or mention applies to your case, you decide with your gestor.
The required fields, term by term
Article 6 of Real Decreto 1619/2012 (the Reglamento de facturación) lists what every invoice and its copies must contain. Translated field by field:
| Spanish term | English meaning |
|---|---|
| número de factura (y serie) | Invoice number, from a series without gaps (art. 6.1.a) |
| fecha de expedición | Issue date (art. 6.1.b) |
| nombre, razón social, NIF y domicilio (emisor y destinatario) | Name, legal name, tax ID and address of both issuer and recipient (art. 6.1.c, d, e) |
| descripción de la operación | Description of what was sold or performed (art. 6.1.f) |
| base imponible | Taxable base, the amount before VAT (art. 6.1.f) |
| tipo impositivo | VAT rate applied, e.g. 21%, 10%, 4% (art. 6.1.g) |
| cuota de IVA | VAT amount, shown separately from the base (art. 6.1.h) |
| retención de IRPF | Income tax withholding, when it applies (see below; not part of RD 1619/2012 itself) |
| factura rectificativa | Corrective invoice, the only way to correct an issued invoice under Veri*factu (art. 15) |
Note. This is the general regime. Some operations have extra requirements (exempt operations, EU intra-community supplies, new means of transport); article 6 of RD 1619/2012 covers those cases, and your gestor confirms which ones apply to you.
Retención de IRPF
Retención de IRPF is an income tax amount a professional withholds on their own invoice and pays to the tax agency on the client's behalf, so the invoice total ends up lower than base plus VAT. It is not listed in RD 1619/2012; it is regulated in the Reglamento del IRPF (Real Decreto 439/2007).
Whether a given invoice carries a retención, and at which percentage, depends on who issues it, who receives it and the kind of activity, questions only the issuer and their gestor can answer. contix offers the usual percentages as a field you choose per customer; it never applies one on its own.
Why the invoice stays in Spanish
The regulation does not require Spanish by name, but a factura is read by a Spanish customer, filed by a Spanish gestor and eventually checked by the AEAT. contix keeps the invoice itself, and the email your customer receives, in Spanish for that reason; the rest of the app, including this very explanation, is available in English. You write your line items in whatever language you work in.
How contix builds it for you
contix fills in every field above from what you enter, not from a guess: your customer's data, the line items, the VAT rate and withholding you choose. Every invoice ships Veri*factu-ready: a QR code and a cryptographic hash chained to the previous invoice, required by Real Decreto 1007/2023 from 2027. What Veri*factu changes, in English →
Questions
What has to be on a Spanish invoice?
Invoice number, issue date, the name, tax ID and address of issuer and recipient, a description of the operation, the taxable base, the VAT rate and the VAT amount (Real Decreto 1619/2012, art. 6).
Does the invoice have to be in Spanish?
Not by law, but in practice it is: your customer, their gestor and the AEAT expect the standard Spanish terms. contix issues it in Spanish and keeps the rest of the app in English.
Is this page tax advice?
No. It explains the published regulation with its article numbers. Which rate, withholding or mention applies to your specific invoice is a decision you make with your gestor.
Every required field, filled in automatically
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