What "installing eTIMS" actually involves
Installing eTIMS is mostly a software and setup process, not a hardware installation. The old idea of buying and fitting an ETR machine no longer applies to most businesses. Instead you register with KRA, choose a certified method to issue invoices, configure your products and tax types, and go live. The "installation" is getting that certified system ready to transmit compliant invoices.
You have a few options for the issuing method: KRA's eTIMS taxpayer apps and portal for low volumes, or a KRA-certified integration like Veira that connects your POS directly to KRA for everyday selling at speed. For any business with real sales volume, integrated software is the practical choice.
The setup that matters most is your items: mapping products to KRA item codes and the correct tax type. Get that right at install time and every sale afterwards carries the correct classification automatically.
How to install and set up eTIMS, step by step
Follow these steps to go from nothing to a transmitted first invoice.
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Step 1: Confirm your KRA PIN and obligation
Make sure your KRA PIN is active on iTax and the correct tax obligation is registered. eTIMS is tied to an active PIN.
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Step 2: Register for eTIMS
Register for eTIMS through a KRA-certified integrator or the KRA channels, and set a password specifically for eTIMS (separate from iTax). Your branch and device get set up here.
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Step 3: Choose your issuing method
Pick how you will issue invoices: the KRA app/portal for very low volume, or certified software like Veira for everyday selling. For most businesses, integrated software is the right choice.
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Step 4: Set up your items
Add your products with their KRA item codes, tax types and units of measure. This is the most important setup step; doing it well means every future sale is correctly classified.
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Step 5: Issue a test invoice
Make a test sale and confirm it transmits to KRA and returns a control number and QR code. This proves your setup works end to end.
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Step 6: Go live and train staff
Start issuing real invoices. Make sure every attendant knows that every sale must produce a compliant receipt, and confirm offline behaviour works.
Common eTIMS setup mistakes
Assuming you must buy a machine
Most businesses no longer need a physical ETR machine. eTIMS is software; you can issue compliant invoices from a phone or terminal with certified software.
Skipping item-code setup
Rushing setup and lumping everything under one generic code causes rejected invoices and unreconciled VAT later. Take time over item codes and tax types.
Confusing iTax and eTIMS passwords
eTIMS uses a password separate from iTax. Mixing them up is a common reason first-time login or setup stalls.
Not testing transmission
Going live without a test invoice means you discover transmission problems on a real customer. Always confirm a test invoice returns a control number first.
Using uncertified software
Only software on the KRA certified list can issue compliant invoices. Confirm certification before you set anything up.
A hardware store installs eTIMS in a day
A hardware store owner in Nakuru thought installing eTIMS meant buying an expensive machine and waiting weeks. He had received a KRA reminder and was anxious.
Instead, he registered for eTIMS, chose certified software, and spent an afternoon mapping his products to item codes and tax types. A test invoice transmitted to KRA in seconds and returned a control number.
He went live the next morning issuing compliant invoices from a terminal, with no machine to install. The whole installation was a same-day software setup, and the careful item-code work meant every sale was correctly classified from the start.
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.
How Veira makes this automatic
Veira is a KRA-certified eTIMS integrator, listed on the official kra.go.ke certified software page. When you ring up a sale, Veira generates the compliant invoice, applies the right item code and tax type, transmits it to KRA, receives the control number, and prints the receipt with a QR code, automatically and offline-capable. Your VAT return reconciles with your eTIMS data with no manual matching.
It runs on a phone you already own or an affordable terminal from KES 2,999 a month, and it sits in the same app as your M-Pesa payments, stock and reporting. The hardest parts of eTIMS, getting the invoice, the codes and the timing right, become a guided setup step rather than a recurring worry.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install eTIMS in Kenya?
Do I need to buy a machine to install eTIMS?
What is the most important setup step?
How long does it take to set up eTIMS?
What password do I use for eTIMS?
How do I know my eTIMS is working?
Installing eTIMS today is a software setup, not a hardware project: register, choose certified software, set up your items, test, and go live. Veira makes it a guided, same-day task and issues compliant invoices automatically from KES 2,999 a month. Run the free eTIMS readiness check and book a free demo.