Factura

It is always awkward to be asked a simple question during a basic transaction and not understand. Here's a question you need to be prepared for: ¿Requieres factura? You are being asked if you need a tax-deductible receipt, un comprobante fiscal. The answer is no unless have un RFC, a tax ID number based on your full name and birthday. Even if you don't declare Mexican taxes, you'll want to be expecting the question and know how to answer.

An ordinary non-tax-deductible receipt is often called a nota. ¿Factura? ¿O solo nota? A special receipt issued for professional services rendered is called a recibo de honorarios.

To ask whether someone is able to issue a tax-deductible receipt: ¿Puedes facturar? The Mexican tax-collecting bureau is el SAT or Hacienda. The term persona física refers to sole proprietorships; persona moral is for larger companies. File your taxes = hacer tu declaración (fiscal). Generally speaking, Mexican taxes are filed monthly as well as annually. In these modern times, businesses must issue a factura electrónica, an XML file that you receive from the client and submit when filing your taxes.

Mexican sales tax is called el IVA and is normally included in the published price. If you ask for a factura, you may be told the price es más IVA: you will be charged the difference.

Tícket o recibo are general terms for receipts. Recibo also works for billing statements, for example, recibo de agua, the water bill, showing how much needs to be paid. A comprobante de pago would be a stub that can serve as proof of payment.