Essential Business Vouchers and Credit Titles

The Role of Vouchers in Business Accounting

Vouchers serve as the primary source for the registration book for every administrative action within a company. Whenever an event occurs that qualitatively or quantitatively changes the company's assets, a document must be drafted in written form. This record confirms a specific trade, adhering to widespread usage, trade customs, and legal requirements.

The preparation of these documents must comply with specific rules set by law or business practices. Within a business organization, they fulfill several key roles:

• Accounting function
• Control function
• Legal and tax functions

Types of Evidentiary Documents

These documents provide testimony or evidence that a transaction occurred. They indicate the parties involved, the type of operation, conditions, and the transaction price.

• Invoice (Factura): Documents the company's credit sales, including those in current accounts or conformities. It is issued by the seller, with the original delivered to the buyer. It must include the sale date, buyer's name and address, VAT, quantity, unit price, and total sale amount.
• Receipt (Boleta): Documents cash sales. The formalities for this document are identical to those of an invoice. It allows the seller to justify cash entry and the buyer to justify cash outflow.
• Purchase Order: If the purchasing department approves a request, it draws up a purchase order as proof of external processing. This administrative act requests raw materials from a supplier. It is issued in duplicate: the original for the supplier and a copy for internal verification, alongside the invoice.

Understanding Credit Titles

• Conforme: A document acknowledging a debt from the buyer to the seller, with a promise of payment on a specific date. Payment cannot be demanded before that date. It signifies equal value received in merchandise.
• Voucher (Vale): Similar to a conforme. The difference is that a conforme arises from credit sales of merchandise, while a Vale originates from a cash loan. Formalities are identical, except the Vale indicates the origin of the claim as "equal value received in money."