Accounting for trades and construction
Receipts from the van, invoices from the site
Builders, electricians, plumbers and fitters buy material every day and invoice in stages. Kontevia turns a photo from the hardware store into a booked expense and handles deposits and the reverse charge where it applies.
Where the paperwork hurts
Material receipts in the glove box
Five stops at the builders' merchant a week, five thermal receipts that fade. By the time you get to them, half are unreadable.
Deposits, stages and final invoices
A deposit invoice, two progress invoices and a final settlement need to add up, with VAT handled correctly at each step.
Reverse charge on construction work
Several countries move the VAT on construction services from the subcontractor to the main contractor. Get the note wrong and the invoice bounces.
What Kontevia does for you
Photo, extract, file
Photograph the receipt at the counter. Kontevia reads it, assigns it to the job and stores the image, so faded paper does not matter.
Deposit and stage invoices
Issue a deposit invoice, then progress invoices that deduct it, and a final invoice that settles the balance, all under one job.
Reverse charge handled per country
Where your country applies the domestic reverse charge on construction services, Kontevia sets the VAT treatment and adds the mandatory wording.
Costs per job
See material, subcontractors and hours per job, so you know which ones actually made money.
Kontevia is in early access. Connections to national e-invoicing and clearance systems are not available yet; support is planned country by country.
By hand versus with Kontevia
| Task | By hand | With Kontevia |
|---|---|---|
| Material receipt | Shoebox, sorted in December | Photo at the counter, booked to the job |
| Deposit invoice | Separate document, easy to forget to deduct | Linked to the job, deducted automatically |
| Reverse charge wording | Copy from an old invoice | Set by country and service type |
| Job profitability | Gut feeling | Costs and revenue per job |
| Handing over to the accountant | Bag of receipts | Structured export with images |
Rules that apply across the EU
- Many member states apply a domestic reverse charge to construction services between VAT-registered businesses, so the customer accounts for the VAT. The exact scope is national.
- Standard VAT rates differ by country, for example 19 % in Germany, 23 % in Poland and 22 % in Italy; several countries apply a reduced rate to renovation of private housing.
Examples are taken from our country data for individual EU states. Pick your country from the menu to see the rules that apply to you.
Our sister product DokladBot processed 2,455 documents in its Czech pilot (Apr–Aug 2026). Kontevia runs on the same engine, extended with rules for all 27 EU countries.
Frequently asked questions
Does the reverse charge apply to my work?
It depends on your country and on the type of service and customer. Kontevia stores the rule per country and applies it when you mark the invoice as construction work for a VAT-registered customer, but the final decision is yours or your accountant's.
Can I record receipts without internet on site?
Take the photo as usual; WhatsApp sends it when the phone reconnects. Kontevia processes it on arrival.
How do deposits work?
You issue a deposit invoice and, when the money arrives, Kontevia matches it. Later invoices for the same job deduct the deposit and show the remaining balance.
Can my accountant see the receipts?
Yes. Every extracted document keeps its image, and your accountant gets access or an export with images attached.
Photograph today's receipts
Start in early access and send what is in the van. No card needed.
Start for free