Do landlords need eTIMS?
It depends on your tax position. A landlord who is VAT-registered, or who lets property through a company, has different invoicing duties from an individual taxed on residential rental income. KRA's guidance changes, so check with KRA or your tax adviser before you decide. HomeManager does not decide your tax obligations. It makes the invoicing side easier once you know them.
How to get rental invoices into eTIMS, step by step
- Confirm with KRA or your tax adviser that you should issue eTIMS invoices.
- Get your eTIMS credentials from KRA for the business or landlord entity.
- In HomeManager, open Settings and enter the organization's eTIMS credentials.
- Let HomeManager generate the monthly invoices as usual. The invoices are transmitted to eTIMS.
- At month end, open Reports and download the export for your accountant.
- Compare the number of invoices with the number of occupied units. A gap tells you a unit was missed or vacant.
What an eTIMS invoice should reflect
The invoice should match what the tenant is actually charged. If rent, water and service charge appear on the tenant's invoice, the invoice you transmit should show the same lines and the same total. A tenant who receives one figure while KRA holds another is a problem waiting to happen, so avoid editing amounts outside your landlord software.
Worked example
A landlord has eight occupied units. Three pay KES 20,000, three pay KES 25,000 and two pay KES 35,000, so rent for the month is 60,000 plus 75,000 plus 70,000, which is KES 205,000. Water readings add KES 9,600 across the units. The month's invoices total KES 214,600.
After the credentials are saved in Settings, the eight invoices are generated and transmitted. On the last day of the month the landlord opens Reports, downloads the export and sends it to the accountant. The export shows eight invoices adding up to KES 214,600, matching the figure in the rent roll. If it showed seven, the landlord would know to check for a unit with no invoice.
How HomeManager handles it
In Kenya, the organization connects its eTIMS credentials under Settings and invoices are transmitted. You do not retype invoices into another system, and the tenant's invoice and the transmitted invoice come from the same record. Exports are available from Reports, which is where your accountant gets the data for filing.
HomeManager also keeps an audit trail of changes, and role-based access means your accountant can be given a role that suits them without being able to move tenants or change rent. Payment collection runs alongside this: M-Pesa payments are recorded against invoices, and an invoice records what was paid and when. HomeManager records this against the tenant's account.
One invoice, billed once, reported once.
Connect your eTIMS credentials in HomeManager and keep invoicing, payments and exports in the same place.
Get Started with HomeManagerFrequently asked questions
Do I need to issue KRA eTIMS invoices as a landlord?
It depends on how you are registered with KRA and what type of rental income you earn, so confirm with KRA or a tax adviser. If you are required to, HomeManager lets a Kenyan organization connect its eTIMS credentials under Settings so invoices are transmitted.
Where do I enter my eTIMS credentials in HomeManager?
Under Settings, at the organization level. Once connected, the invoices HomeManager generates are transmitted. Exports of your invoices are available from Reports.
Can my accountant get an export of my rental invoices?
Yes. Exports are available from Reports. You can also give your accountant an accountant role in HomeManager so they see the financial records without being able to change tenants or rent.
Does eTIMS work for landlords outside Kenya?
No. KRA eTIMS is a Kenyan system, so the connection applies to Kenyan organizations. Landlords in other countries use HomeManager's normal invoices, with payments by Pesapal where it operates or recorded manually.