Saudi e-invoicing (Fatoora), answered for small firms
Fatoora is ZATCA's e-invoicing programme, and its Phase 2 — the Integration Phase — is rolling through Saudi businesses in waves, smallest firms included. This hub is the map: the two waves that matter now, what integration actually requires of your invoices, an honest account of where InstaJack stands, and the checker that tells you your own date.
Why a hub, and why now?
Most Fatoora content is written for accountants and ERP buyers. Small trade firms — the plumber with a maintenance contract, the tiling crew billing a developer — are exactly who the latest wave reaches, and exactly who the deadline language confuses. These pages answer the questions a firm owner actually asks, in the order he asks them: Am I in? By when? What changes in my invoices? Who connects what?
Everything stated here as a rule comes from ZATCA's announced criteria as documented in our Saudi playbook, cross-checked against KPMG, ClearTax and EY reporting. Where a fact is a deadline or a threshold, it is stated plainly with its date. Where something is not yet true of InstaJack, that is stated plainly too.
The two waves that matter now
Phase 2 arrives in waves selected by VAT-taxable revenue in named past years. ZATCA notifies the firms in each wave at least six months before their integration date — but the obligation follows the criteria, not the letter, so a firm that never received its notice is still in its wave.
| Wave | Who is in it | Integrate by |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | VAT-taxable revenue above SAR 375,000 in any of 2022–2024 | 30 June 2026 — passed |
| 25 | VAT-taxable revenue above SAR 187,500 in any of 2022–2025 | 1 February 2027 |
What integration requires of your invoicing
In plain terms: your invoicing stops being a document you print and becomes a conversation your system has with ZATCA at the moment of issue. The Phase 2 guide in this cluster walks through each mechanic; the CSID explainer covers the onboarding that connects you.
- Invoices generated as UBL 2.1 XML by a connected e-invoicing solution — not typed documents or PDFs alone.
- Standard (business) tax invoices cleared through Fatoora before they are issued to the customer.
- Simplified (household) tax invoices reported within 24 hours, each carrying a QR code.
- A cryptographic stamp (CSID) identifying your firm's solution, a UUID on every document, and hash-chaining between consecutive invoices.
What InstaJack does today — and what it does not do yet
Today, a Saudi firm on InstaJack runs its quotes and invoices in Saudi riyals with the Saudi VAT name, rate and wording, its tax ID labelled “VAT Number”, and a full Arabic interface — quotes approved by clients on WhatsApp links, invoices chased from the same phone. That paperwork discipline is the groundwork Phase 2 builds on.
What InstaJack does not do yet: the Fatoora integration itself. Clearance of standard invoices and 24-hour reporting of simplified ones are in active development ahead of the Wave 25 deadline; they are not live, and no page on this site claims otherwise. Until the integration ships, a firm in Phase 2 scope needs a Fatoora-integrated solution for its Phase 2 documents.
Keep reading
Phase 2 guide
Fatoora Phase 2 without the fog: standard invoices cleared before issue, simplified ones reported in 24 hours, and…
Read →CSID onboarding
The CSID sequence in order: portal OTP, CSR, compliance stamp, production stamp — and the three places firms get st…
Read →Wave checker
Free checker: enter your VAT-taxable revenue for 2022–2025 and get your Fatoora wave, your threshold and your integ…
Read →Choosing the software that will carry your Phase 2 connection is a decision of its own — six criteria, and the questions to put to any vendor, are set out in the software-choosing guide.
Asked often, answered straight.
What is Fatoora, in one sentence?+
Fatoora is the name of ZATCA's e-invoicing programme and its platform. Phase 2 — the Integration Phase — connects your invoicing system directly to that platform, so standard invoices are cleared and simplified invoices are reported as you issue them.
Is InstaJack approved by ZATCA?+
No. InstaJack is not approved or certified by ZATCA, and it does not claim to be. ZATCA's Solution Providers Directory is an indicative list, not an approval — and InstaJack's Fatoora integration is still in development, so it is not listed as an integrated solution.
I am a small firm — can Phase 2 really apply to me?+
Revenue decides, not headcount or trade. If your VAT-taxable revenue exceeded SAR 187,500 in any single year from 2022 to 2025, you are in Wave 25 and must integrate by 1 February 2027. The checker on this site runs the test in twenty seconds.
ZATCA notified my firm — what do I do first?+
Start with the checker to confirm your wave and date. Then read the Phase 2 guide for what integration actually involves, and the CSID explainer for the onboarding sequence. Keep your ZATCA portal contact details current — the notification goes to the email and mobile registered there.