Have you heard about the Anti-Fraud Law or the Create and Grow Law? If you are self-employed, or administrative or owner of an SME, it is possible that you have. In the last few months, they have been the target of conversation among the institutions for being considered as the new star card to face fraud with their measures, which will have to be adopted by the aforementioned groups.
However, according to a study by the consulting firm Grupo Aitana – Opentix, more than 80% of workers are not prepared to incorporate the changes that these measures will bring. This, added to the general lack of knowledge about them, has created a scenario of concern for workers, who will have to adapt to them and incorporate them in the coming years.
If you are not yet fully aware of how the Anti-Fraud Law affects your day-to-day work, today we reveal all the details you need to know. Don’t miss a thing!
Anti-Fraud Law: Everything you need to know
Here are the main features of the Anti-Fraud Law. Find out what this law is and who it will affect, its main regulations and from when you will be obliged to introduce it in your business.
What is the Anti-Fraud Law?
Law 11/2021, or the Anti-Fraud Law, is one of the main regulations passed in Spain to prevent tax fraud by strictly regulating invoicing systems. As a complement to the Create and Grow Law, it seeks to ensure the traceability of transactions and that they are reliably recorded, without hiding or manipulating accounting data.
Who is affected by this measure?
This measure affects two groups:
- On the one hand, all companies and self-employerd that issue invoices and are based in Spanish territory.
- On the other hand, manufacturers, producers and marketers of invoicing, accounting or management software.
What does it regulate?
Now you know a little of the context of the Anti-Fraud Law, but what exactly does it regulate and how will it affect us? We summarize it in the following points:
- Greater control of business operations and sales. The cash payment allowed is limited to 1,000 euros (previously 2,500 euros) for transactions between professionals or businessmen, since for individuals there could be certain exceptions, and the sanctions against programs that generate double accounting are toughened.
- The powers of the Tax Inspectorate to investigate taxpayers are increased. This regulation broadens the powers of the tax inspectors to find evidence of tax fraud. Even so, the entries in domiciles require a previous judicial authorization, except in very exceptional and justified cases.
- Reduction of surcharges for late payment of taxes. Penalties are reduced to 1% for each month late, with a maximum of 12 months. In addition, the amount for appearing on the list of tax debtors is reduced to 600,000 euros.
- Introduction of the Verifactu system, or verifiable electronic invoicing system. For each invoice issued, companies will have to generate a record and decide whether to voluntarily send it to the Tax Authorities using the Verifactu system.
When will it become mandatory?
Until recently, the official deadline set for companies to have an invoicing program adapted to the legal requirements was July 29, 2025. However, in mid-November the Ministry of Finance took the decision to extend this deadline to 2026. It will be then when the above companies will be obliged to send their invoices automatically.
However, as numerous reports and statistics indicate, there are gray clouds over the self-employed and SMEs. Among them, the study carried out by the technology consultancy Aitana Group – Openti, points out that only 16% of those involved have gone digital. That, added to the great ignorance of these laws and the changes they will introduce, as well as the rejection of computer programs to make invoices or little digital knowledge to implement them, create a scenario in which it is necessary to educate, modernize and plan to be prepared.
What are the penalties for non-compliance with the Anti-Fraud Law?
In case of non-compliance with the requirements of the Anti-Fraud Law, companies and self-employed will be liable to financial penalties that can reach up to 50,000 euros. But, in addition, software manufacturers that market software that is not approved by the administration could also face this type of sanctions.
Will I still be able to sign with Excel?
There are many self-employed and companies that use programs such as Excel, Word or PDF to carry out their accounting factors and data. However, the Create and Grow Law and the Anti-Fraud Law will make it mandatory to issue electronic invoices as of 2026, using an approved program that meets certain requirements. Excel, Word and PDF formats do not comply with security measures or traceability, so workers will have to stop using them once the deadline arrives.
The Anti-Fraud Law, a step towards a more transparent economy
We hope that, through this Viafirma‘s blog post, you have understood a little better the main aspects of the Anti-Fraud Law. Undoubtedly, it is a great step towards a more transparent and digitized economy, which will provide the opportunity to modernize processes and improve tax efficiency. However, as the Aitana Group – Opentix report points out, it is also a great challenge for the self-employed and SMEs, which will have to plan and adapt to it. In this way, we will achieve a more secure future in financial terms.