The core difference: hardware versus software
TIMS, the Tax Invoice Management System, required a physical control unit, a small certified device that sat next to your till and signed each invoice. If you had several tills, you generally needed several units, and they had to be bought, installed and maintained.
eTIMS, the electronic Tax Invoice Management System, moves that signing into software. The control unit becomes virtual (a VSCU) or online (an OSCU), so an invoice can be signed and transmitted from a phone, a POS app, the web portal or a direct system integration. No dedicated box is required.
For KRA this means wider reach at lower cost, because a trader with just a smartphone can now comply. For you it means cheaper setup, more flexibility, and the ability to issue compliant invoices from anywhere rather than only at the counter where the hardware lived.
What changed for businesses, point by point
If you ran TIMS for years, here is what is genuinely different now.
- 1
No mandatory hardware box
eTIMS does not require you to buy a physical control unit. Software does the signing, which removes a real upfront cost for small traders.
- 2
More ways to issue invoices
Portal, USSD, mobile app, eTIMS Lite or full system integration. You pick the method that matches your volume instead of being tied to one device.
- 3
Reach beyond VAT
Because the barrier to entry dropped, KRA extended electronic invoicing to non-VAT taxpayers, sole proprietors and landlords.
- 4
Online and offline signing
The OSCU signs online while the VSCU can sign offline and sync later, which suits Kenyan connectivity far better than a fixed box.
- 5
Integration for real volume
Busy businesses connect their POS or ERP directly so invoices are signed and transmitted automatically, with no manual entry.
Mistakes during the move from TIMS to eTIMS
Thinking the old control unit still covers you
A legacy TIMS device does not automatically make you eTIMS compliant. Confirm your current method meets eTIMS requirements.
Assuming nothing changed because invoices still print
The format and the validation changed. A compliant eTIMS invoice carries the control number and QR code from the software control unit.
Delaying because you fear new hardware
eTIMS often needs no new hardware at all. Many businesses move using only the phone they already own.
Letting the legacy unit dictate your setup
Some owners keep one till chained to the old box out of habit. eTIMS lets every device sign invoices, so there is no reason to design your counter around a single ageing unit.
A practical comparison
A hardware shop in Eldoret ran TIMS on two tills, each with its own control unit. When one unit failed, that till could not issue valid invoices until it was repaired, and sales backed up. The owner was effectively held hostage by a small box.
After moving to eTIMS on a POS, the same shop signs invoices in software across both counters and a phone the owner carries on the floor. There is no single box to fail, and when the connection drops the system queues invoices and syncs on reconnect. The monthly cost is predictable and there is no hardware to replace.
Put numbers on it and the case is stark. A failed control unit might mean a day of lost sales plus a repair callout, repeated each time the hardware ages. Software signing across several devices removes that single point of failure, so a dead phone becomes a shrug rather than a crisis at the till.
Trading without eTIMS-compliant tax invoices risks KRA penalties, blocked VAT input claims for your customers, and receipts a business buyer cannot expense.
Veira signs every sale to KRA eTIMS automatically, so each receipt is compliant the moment it prints, with no separate device to reconcile.
Moving to eTIMS with Veira
Veira runs eTIMS in software across every till and device on one account, so there is no hardware single point of failure. Invoices are signed, stamped with a QR code and queued for KRA automatically, online or offline.
If you are coming from TIMS, you keep selling the way you always have while the compliance happens underneath. Every paid plan includes a free handheld terminal, so even a counter that used to rely on a control unit is covered.
Because everything runs on one account, adding a till or a second branch is a setting rather than a hardware order. The system that replaces your TIMS box on day one is the same one that scales with you, so leaving legacy hardware behind is also the last migration you need to make.
Frequently asked questions
Is TIMS still valid in Kenya?
Do I have to throw away my TIMS control unit?
Is eTIMS cheaper than TIMS?
What is an OSCU and a VSCU?
Can I still use a POS with eTIMS?
Did the invoice format change?
Will my old TIMS invoices still be valid records?
Do I need to tell KRA I am switching from TIMS?
eTIMS vs TIMS comes down to software replacing a box, and that change makes compliance cheaper, more flexible and far more reliable. If you are still leaning on a legacy control unit, now is the time to move. Run the readiness checker to confirm your method, or book a free demo and let the till sign every invoice for you.