VFD Tax Receipts for Hosting and Domains in Tanzania: What to Expect

Proforma, invoice and tax receipt: what each one is

In plain terms: the proforma asks for approval, the invoice asks for payment, and the VFD receipt proves you paid and that the sale was reported.

What a VFD receipt is

VFD means Virtual Fiscal Device. It is the electronic system registered businesses in Tanzania use to issue fiscal receipts to the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) for every sale. A VFD receipt carries a verification code, so anyone, including your accountant or an auditor, can check that the sale was reported.

For SakuraHost customers, the receipt is generated after your payment is confirmed and sent to the email on your account.

Where your receipt arrives

• A separate email titled Tax Invoice, usually soon after payment, with a PDF attached.
• It is separate from the welcome email and from the invoice in the client area.
• It goes to the email address on your account, so keep that address current: update your contact email.

Our help article covers the same steps: VFD tax receipt.

How to verify the receipt

Get your business details on the documents

Your invoice and receipt show the name and details on your account. If you need your company name and TIN on them, add them to your client area before you pay. It is much easier than correcting a document afterwards. If you need a proforma, open a ticket with the service you want and the name to put on it: get an invoice, proforma or receipt.

If the receipt did not arrive

Receipts for domains, hosting and email

The same process applies to every service: domain registration and renewal, hosting, business email, VPS and web apps. Each payment gets its own receipt. If you pay several invoices at once, you may receive several receipts. Keep them together, and use the invoice numbers to match them to the services. For domain renewals in particular, remember that an unpaid renewal can take your site offline: what to do when a domain expires.

What your accountant will ask for

Accountants and auditors usually want three things for each purchase: the tax receipt, proof that the amount matches what was paid, and the supplier's details. For a hosting or domain purchase that means the VFD receipt PDF, the invoice number printed on it and the payment confirmation from your bank or mobile money statement.

Keep the receipt, the invoice and the payment proof together in one folder per year, named by invoice number. When the same service renews every year, the three documents for each renewal let you show exactly what was bought, when, and for how much.

• Match the invoice number on the receipt with the invoice in your client area.
• Match the amount with your M-Pesa, Mixx by Yas, Airtel Money or bank statement.
• Note the service and the period the payment covers, such as a domain name and its renewal year.

Renewals, upgrades and several payments

Every payment produces its own receipt. A hosting renewal, a domain renewal and a new mailbox are three payments, so they produce three receipts, even if you paid them in one day. If you pay one invoice in two parts, ask us how the receipts will be issued before you pay, so your records stay clean.

When you upgrade a plan part-way through the year, the upgrade invoice gets its own receipt. See how to upgrade or downgrade a hosting plan and understanding your invoice and billing cycle.

Common mistakes with business documents

• Paying a proforma as if it were an invoice. A proforma is a quotation. Pay the invoice in the client area, so the payment is matched.
• Wrong company name or TIN. Check both in your client account before paying, because corrections afterwards take longer.
• Receipt sent to an old email. Keep the account email current so the Tax Invoice email reaches the right person.
• Losing the PDF. Save it the day it arrives. If you lose it, ask support to resend it, quoting the invoice number.

Frequently asked questions