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Guide

ZIMRA fiscalisation and FDMS, explained

Fiscalisation is how ZIMRA sees your sales as they happen rather than at the end of the tax period. This guide covers what it means, who it applies to and how to do it without slowing down your counter.

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What is fiscalisation?

Fiscalisation means recording each sale with the tax authority at the moment it is made. Instead of ZIMRA relying only on the VAT return you file, every sale is reported through a fiscal device and the customer receives a fiscal receipt that can be checked.

The aim is to close the gap between the sales a business makes and the VAT it declares.

What is FDMS?

FDMS is ZIMRA’s Fiscalisation Data Management System, the central system that receives sales data from fiscal devices. It replaced the older approach where fiscal data mostly sat on standalone fiscal memory devices and was collected later.

Under FDMS a fiscal device can be a physical device or software built into a POS system. When a sale is made, the device sends it to FDMS and the receipt is issued with the details ZIMRA needs to verify it.

Which businesses need to fiscalise?

ZIMRA requires VAT-registered operators to fiscalise their sales. If you are VAT registered, or are about to cross the registration threshold, you should plan for fiscalisation. Rules, thresholds and deadlines change, so confirm your position with ZIMRA or your tax adviser.

What a fiscal receipt shows

A fiscal receipt typically carries more than an ordinary till slip, including:

  • Your business name, TIN and VAT number
  • The invoice number, date and time
  • Each item with its price and the tax applied
  • Totals and tax in the currency of the sale, USD or ZWG
  • Buyer details where the buyer needs them for their own VAT records
  • A verification code and QR code so the receipt can be checked with ZIMRA

Getting your products ready

Each product you sell needs the right tax details: its HS tariff code, VAT rate and tax type. Getting these right once, on the product, means every receipt is right afterwards. A product with missing tax details is the most common reason a fiscal receipt fails.

How to fiscalise from your POS

  1. Register with ZIMRA

    Make sure your business is VAT registered and you have your fiscalisation credentials from ZIMRA.

  2. Use a POS with FDMS built in

    Choose a till that issues fiscal invoices with the sale, rather than separate fiscal software you retype sales into.

  3. Set tax details on your products

    Add HS codes and VAT rates to your catalogue before you start selling.

  4. Sell as normal

    Each sale is fiscalised as it happens and the customer gets a verifiable receipt.

Questions

Can I fiscalise sales made in ZWG?
Yes. Fiscal invoices are issued in the currency of the sale, US dollars or ZWG.
Do online sales need to be fiscalised?
Sales are sales, whether they happen at a counter or online. On Revoluno, online store orders are fiscalised the same way as till sales.
Do I need to buy a fiscal device?
Not necessarily. Under FDMS, fiscalisation can be built into POS software. Revoluno’s Starter + Fiscalisation plan is US$10 a month, till included, with no separate device.

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