What is an online checkout and how does it work?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

According to the law, all those who are engaged in retail trade and sell something must have a cash register. However, more recently, a new concept has appeared - online cash registers. Changes since 2017 in the Federal Law oblige all trading enterprises to replace a conventional device with an Internet cash register. In this regard, businessmen have a lot of questions, the answers to them are of particular concern to representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. Is it possible to do without an online checkout? Does everyone need to switch to new standards? What happens if the company ignores the new requirements? And anyway, what is an online checkout? Let's try to understand this difficult topic and answer all the questions.

Changes in legislation

As mentioned above, all retail businesses must have a cash register. Until recently, this requirement was mandatory, but many ignored it and were in no hurry to work according to the law. It was impossible to check everyone, so many transactions and sales were carried out through "gray" accounting, that is, without proper control by the state and, in fact, outside the law. Because of this, legislators decided to tighten control and make some changes. So, now everyone who trades and sells something (goods or services) is required to have an online cash register. This will help government services to more closely and accurately monitor revenue accounting, replenish the country's budget, restore order in the field of online commerce and online stores, and, of course, this will protect consumers (buyers) from fraud by sellers.

Such good intentions have brought real chaos and sowed panic among entrepreneurs. Of course, if you have done everything and are doing it according to the law, then you have nothing to fear. The main thing is to understand all the innovations and understand what the essence of online cash desks is. Below we will consider the types of businesses for which its use is mandatory or alternative.

What is an online checkout

Online checkout is practically no different from a regular one - it may seem so at first glance. In fact, there is one fundamental difference, for the sake of which everything was started. Such cash desks are connected to the World Wide Web and can transmit information and information about completed transactions to regulatory authorities using the Internet. Internet access opens up other possibilities. For example, now you can automatically notify the buyer by e-mail or via SMS that he has bought goods from you (in fact, issue an electronic version of the receipt). The question “What is an online checkout?” baffled many businessmen, despitethat there is nothing particularly new in this concept.

Some people thought it was a special cash desk that was created on the state portal or something like that. In fact, this is far from the case. All you have to do is explore new online checkouts and connect just like you did with a regular checkout. Here, of course, there are some nuances that are not difficult to understand.

How the online checkout works

We will not go into technical details and details, but will only answer the main questions that haunt entrepreneurs who are forced to upgrade their devices. By the way, not 100% businessmen need to do this, but only some of them, but we will talk about this a little later.

Online cash desk works with the help of the Internet. In this regard, there is a need to connect to the global web, since without it the meaning of using the new cash register is completely lost. The Internet for an online cash register is a necessary thing, and, fortunately, it will not be difficult to set up a network for yourself. Each owner of the outlet has the right to choose a provider. For an online checkout, both wireless Internet and cellular networks 2G or 3G are suitable.

And now the good news: the work of the new online cash register is almost no different from the work of your good old machine, if you, of course, had one. All the main processes remain unchanged, refunds at online checkouts are carried out quickly enough and without unnecessary paperwork. Only the fiscal accumulator is new here. This is the device that makes transmission possible.data online. That's all. Connecting an online checkout is a separate issue that requires additional clarification, so we will move on to it immediately after we find out whether you need an online checkout or not.

Who needs her

Those who today have (or should have by law) an old-style cash register cannot do without an online cash register. If you are the owner of a hairdressing salon, atelier, transport company, if you sell tour packages or tickets to concerts, excursions or other events, if you accept online payment for your goods or services, you must have a new type of cash desk.

But if you repair shoes, make keys and locks, sell handmade goods, rent out housing for long-term or short-term rent, then the law still exempts you from the mandatory use of an online cash register. Those who sell newspapers and magazines, ice cream, soft drinks, vegetables and fruits also fall into this category of lucky ones.

Individual entrepreneurs (IP) temporarily (until July 1, 2018) may not be in a hurry to switch to online cash registers. Owners of various payment systems and individual entrepreneurs who work under the simplified taxation system (UTII or PSN), or are engaged in the sale of goods using vending machines, may also not yet install an online cash register.

Where to get it

So, what is an online cash register, we have roughly figured it out, now we need to answer another important question: where to get it? Again, there is nothing complicated here. The process of acquiring a new cash desk is no different from how entrepreneurs did it a year or five years ago. As mentioned above, the technical equipment of the modernized CCPs is almost no different from the old devices, with the exception of one device. Therefore, the only way to get a new online cash register is to simply buy it.

We will not advertise individual services and companies involved in this, but just in case, we remind you that you need to remain vigilant in this matter and not fall for the bait of scammers. Buy goods from trusted sellers and carefully study it before paying. It is important that in the documents to the cash desk there is a note “Complies with 54-FZ”.

The cost of Internet cash desks differs depending on the functionality, size and scope of the device. So, the minimum price starts from 13,000 rubles, the maximum cost is about 75,000 rubles.

Connection

Another important issue that cannot be ignored is the connection of an online cash register. The instructions for this process are also spelled out in regulations and regulated by law, so there can be no exceptions or ambiguous interpretations here. It is enough to follow a simple algorithm to do everything right.

So, the first step will be the conclusion of a formal agreement with the operator of fiscal data (abbreviated OFD). This is a new participant in your relationship with regulatory authorities, thanks to which they will receive information about transactions in real time. OFDstore, transmit and process information in accordance with the 54th Federal Law and guarantee complete confidentiality of data. A lot of attention is paid to security, operators work on special software that encrypts information. This practically eliminates the chances of kidnapping her.

There are a number of difficulties that a company or individual entrepreneur may encounter when choosing a fiscal data operator. The fact is that this role is assigned not to some single special body, but to various companies that have all the necessary licenses (including from Roskomnadzor) and have the equipment required by law. Therefore, you need to pay special attention to the choice of OFD and follow simple recommendations: you need to find out from a potential partner about its technical capabilities, functionality, the ability to receive notifications, and control the information sent. Specify the competence of the contractor, do not forget to clarify what exactly will be included in the cost of services. It would be quite useful to be required to present all the necessary documents and licenses allowing to carry out this type of activity.

After the OFD is selected, you need to connect to it. It is very simple to do this: just go to the company's website and leave an application there in a special form. After simple manipulations, a manager will contact you, who will answer all your questions and draw up an agreement for signing. In some cases, instead of a contract, the organization uses an offer, which also meets the requirements of the law and to some extent facilitates the processsigning the agreement.

From this moment on, all processes take place automatically: collection, storage, processing and transfer of data is carried out by the operator of your choice. You do not need to implement or control the above processes - this is done by professionals under the supervision of the state.

Register

After you have purchased a new CCP or upgraded the old one, concluded an agreement with the fiscal data operator, you need to proceed to the last important step, which you cannot do without - registering an online cash register. What is it for? Since all sales data must be registered by the state and be completely transparent, you are obliged to transfer them to the tax office. If earlier some operations could be hidden, now it becomes almost impossible. Within a second after the sale of a product or service and the issuance of a check at online cash desks, the tax office will have this information in full.

So, to register your online cash register with the tax office, you can use two methods. The first is the usual, paper, bureaucratic. You need to go to the nearest branch of the Federal Tax Service with a regular application. Employees of the service will review it within three working days and register the device. A sample application can be found on the Internet or in the Federal Tax Service itself. However, in order to save time and nerves, it is better to use the second method - register a cash register via the Internet. To do this, you need to register onofficial website of the Federal Tax Service, enter your personal account and fill out an electronic application, in which you should indicate the serial number of your cash register and fiscal drive.

After the tax authorities check these numbers and make sure they exist, they will give you a special registration number that you must not tell anyone. It will need to be entered into the online cashier. This is done differently everywhere, so carefully study the instructions from the manufacturer of the cash register before trying to randomly enter numbers into the fields. If you figured everything out and did it as it should, then your device will print out a registration report itself. It will contain special data that will need to be entered in your personal account on the website of the tax service in a separate field. After you click on the “Finish” button, the cash register registration process will be over - you can work in peace.

Benefits

After the State Duma deputies introduced amendments to the legislation that changed the approach to the operation and use of all cash registers, a lot of businessmen showed their dissatisfaction. At first, no one really could understand what these innovations meant, and what an online cash desk was. After time passed and it became clear that no radical changes were foreseen, the fervor subsided a bit, and many entrepreneurs even came to the conclusion that online checkout is more good than bad.

Among the advantages of new cash registers from a business point of view, for example, there is no need for maintenancetechnology, since the same “magic” fiscal accumulator will be changed directly by sellers.

Another definite plus is the ease of registering the cash desk: no need to stand in line and wait a week for connection, just fill out a simple form on the website of the Federal Tax Service and, following the instructions, connect the device yourself in just a few steps. Thirdly, tax inspectorate employees will no longer go to checks, because they receive all the information themselves automatically via the Internet. This is a definite plus, because this approach almost completely eliminates the corruption component (the tax authorities will not be able to put pressure on you and demand money, attributing non-existent violations to your business).

For others, these benefits are not. This applies to those who are used to working under illegal schemes, bribing civil servants and hiding their real income. Everything must be fair, and the requirement to acquire online cash registers is another step towards bringing small and medium-sized businesses out of the shadow.

What happens if you don't go to the online checkout?

From February to July 2017, the number of online cash registers in Russia grew tenfold, but not all entrepreneurs managed to switch to new equipment at the appointed time. Moreover, many of them did not want to do this, and some businessmen who still have time until 2018 are even thinking about not switching to online cash registers. For this, they will face punishment and pen alties. If the offense is committed for the first time, then the business owner will be punished in the form of a fine. For individual entrepreneurs, its size will be up to 50% of the profit received, but not less than 10,000 rubles, for an LLC - from 75 to 100% of revenue, but not less than 30,000 rubles. In case of a repeated violation (if the revenue exceeded one million rubles), you will be deprived of the right to engage in entrepreneurial activities for a period of 90 days. If the revenue is less than 1,000,000 rubles. – fine again.

As for the use of cash registers with violations (for example, your cash register is not registered in accordance with the law, you do not have a fiscal drive, there are artificial failures in online payment, the cash register does not print receipts of the established form), for this you are waiting for fine from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles.

In order not to get caught and create problems for yourself, the best solution is to do everything according to the law and get an online cash register as soon as possible, if you have not already done so.

Conclusions

Thus, online cash registers are a really useful tool for any business. They make transactions transparent and understandable, stop corruption schemes, and help the state to exercise more precise control over trading activities. We examined the very concept and instructions of the online cash register and realized that it is practically no different from a conventional device. You should not have any particular difficulties in purchasing the device, since the instructions for connecting and registering it are quite clear. Switch to a new cash register so as not to have problems with the law in the future and not pay high fines for the lack of a cash register or its incorrectoperation.