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What is Smart Invoice?

ZRA Smart Invoice is Zambia Revenue Authority’s mandatory electronic fiscal system for VAT-registered businesses. Every sale must be submitted to ZRA in real time and returned with a unique receipt number, digital signature, and QR code before a valid tax invoice can be issued to a customer. DishInk integrates directly with ZRA Smart Invoice — cashiers never need to think about it. When a payment is completed at the POS, DishInk automatically submits the sale to ZRA, receives the fiscal signature, and prints the verified receipt. The entire process takes under two seconds.
Smart Invoice Receipt

A DishInk ZRA-compliant tax invoice with fiscal QR code

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What DishInk handles automatically

Real-time submission

Every completed sale is submitted to ZRA within seconds. No manual uploads, no end-of-day batches.

Verified QR code

Every receipt includes a scannable QR code that ZRA inspectors can verify on the spot.

Digital signature

Each receipt carries a unique fiscal signature from ZRA’s VSDC confirming it is genuine.

Offline resilience

If ZRA is temporarily unreachable, sales are queued and submitted automatically when connectivity returns.

Audit trail

Every submission is logged with timestamps, receipt numbers, and ZRA responses — always ready for inspection.

Multi-branch support

Each branch and terminal has its own ZRA device registration with separate credentials.

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Two tax modes

For VAT-registered businesses. Every sale is fiscalised in real time through ZRA’s Smart Invoice system.What you get:
  • Receipt number from ZRA on every sale
  • Verified digital signature
  • Scannable QR code for inspector verification
  • VAT breakdown per tax category (Standard 16%, Exempt, Zero-rated)
  • Full audit log for regulatory review
Requirements:
  • Active TPIN from ZRA
  • ZRA Smart Invoice device approval
  • Device initialised in DishInk (one-time setup)
Receipt header shows: TAX INVOICE
Switch modes under Settings → Billing and Tax → Tax Mode.

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The setup process at a glance

1

Get your ZRA approval

Register on the ZRA Smart Invoice Taxpayer Portal and obtain your device serial number and TPIN. ZRA approves your registration before you can proceed.
2

Add your device in DishInk

Go to ZRA Smart Invoice → Devices → Add Device. Enter your TPIN, branch code, and device serial number. DishInk calls ZRA to complete the one-time handshake.
3

Map your menu items

Assign UNSPSC classification codes and VAT categories to each menu item under ZRA Smart Invoice → Item Mapping. This tells ZRA what type of goods you are selling.
4

Sync items to ZRA

Click Sync to ZRA to register your mapped items. ZRA must receive item registrations before they can appear on fiscal receipts.
5

Start taking payments

From this point everything is automatic. Every sale at the POS is fiscalised without any action from the cashier.

ZRA Integration

Device setup, TPIN configuration, and environment switching.

Item Mapping

UNSPSC codes, VAT categories, and syncing items to ZRA.

Fiscalisation Queue

Monitoring job status, retrying failures, and understanding offline mode.

Receipt Format

What appears on a ZRA-compliant tax invoice and why each field is required.

Purchase Management

Acknowledging supplier invoices and claiming input VAT.

FAQ

Common questions about ZRA Smart Invoice and DishInk.
Last modified on August 17, 2026