Set up your company's legal name in the system
When managing invoices, every detail matters. Properly setting up your company's legal name not only ensures that your documents have legal and fiscal validity, but also prevents future issues with the tax authorities and gives you peace of mind. The good news: the system allows you to create and manage multiple legal names easily.
What is the legal name?
The legal name is the official registered name of your company that must appear on invoices issued in its name. Unlike the trade name or the owner's details, the legal name is what identifies you to the tax authorities and is used in all legal and tax documents.
👉 If you're looking to set up the owner's legal name, check out this guide: How to set up an owner's legal name.
Where to find the company's legal name
You can access the Legal Name and Invoicing Details section from two different paths:
Sidebar Menu → Configuration → Company
Scroll to the bottom of the page and open the "Legal Name and Invoicing Details" section.Sidebar Menu → Accounting → Invoicing → Tax Data Entry and Editing
This path takes you directly to the company configuration page, where you'll find the relevant section at the bottom.
How to create a legal name?
To create a new legal name, first navigate to the Legal Name and Invoicing Details section on the company configuration page. Once there, click the "New" button.
When creating it, pay special attention to the following fields:
Legal name: enter the company's registered legal name. ⚠️ It cannot be changed once the first invoice is issued.
Contact person: if you have a representative, you can add their details in this field.
Tax ID/VAT ID: enter the tax identification number associated with the legal name. ⚠️ This information is final after issuing invoices. It cannot be changed.
Full address: make sure to include it, as it will appear on invoices and is often required for electronic invoicing.
Country: defines the available taxes and VAT rates. For example, if you select Spain, only Spanish VAT rates will appear in the invoicing rules associated with that legal name.
Default legal name: if you check this option, the selected legal name will automatically apply to all new properties you create.
Document series and numbering
Additionally, you can set up series and numbering for each type of accounting document available in your account:
You can create as many series as you need.
The numbering updates automatically with the last issued document.
You can customize the initial numbering, as long as no document has been issued in that series yet. ⚠️ Once documents are issued in a series, you cannot change their numbering or switch the series of those existing documents.
Activate, block, or delete series
Each series has a toggle that allows you to activate or deactivate its use.
If no document has been issued in a series, it can be deleted.
Once at least one document is issued, the series can no longer be deleted, but it can be blocked.
A blocked series cannot be used to issue more accounting documents.
For contracts and settlements, there is only one unique series (it cannot be activated or deactivated).
There must always be at least one active series. It is not possible to block them all.
This functionality is available for all companies, except those with NF525, which only have one series.
Important notes
You can create as many legal names as you need.
It is not possible to change the legal name, Tax ID/VAT ID, or series of already issued documents.
It is not possible to delete a legal name if invoices have already been issued with it.
If you need to invoice in the owner's name, you must create the legal name directly from their profile in the system.
Common mistakes to avoid
Entering the Tax ID/VAT ID incorrectly: remember that you cannot change it after issuing invoices.
Selecting the wrong country: this will cause incorrect VAT rates to appear in the system.
Forgetting to mark a legal name as "default," which can cause confusion in new properties.
Not including the full address, which can invalidate invoices in some countries.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have multiple legal names in my account?
Yes. You can create as many as you need and choose which one to use for each property.
What if I need to change the Tax ID/VAT ID?
You can only do this before issuing the first invoice. After that, it is no longer editable. You will need to create a new legal name with the corresponding Tax ID/VAT ID.
Can I delete a legal name?
No, if invoices have already been issued with it. You can only stop using it.
How do I invoice in the owner's name?
You must create the legal name from the owner's profile in the system.
What happens if I don't set a default legal name?
New properties will be associated with the existing default legal name in the account.