Choosing a ZATCA compliant POS in Saudi Arabia: 7 questions to ask first

1. What happens to each sale after it rings up?

Ask them to show you, on screen. Every sale should produce a tax invoice with a QR code and be reported to ZATCA without anyone doing a thing, and you should be able to see the status of each invoice. If the demo cannot show that status, ask where you would find it.

2. What does the cashier do when the internet drops?

This one matters more than most feature lists. A lunch rush will not wait for your router. Ask whether the till can keep selling and printing valid receipts, how unsent invoices are held, and how you would find out that some are stuck. Then ask them to unplug the connection and show you.

3. Can it issue a standard invoice as well?

Sooner or later a company will ask for an invoice in its own name, with its VAT number. That is a standard tax invoice, and it follows a different path to a till receipt. Our guide to the two invoice types explains why it matters.

4. How do refunds and mistakes work?

Have the salesperson refund a sale in front of you. It should create a credit note linked to the original invoice. If the system lets a cashier quietly delete an issued invoice, walk away, because deleting one is a listed violation and the responsibility is yours.

5. Is it properly Arabic?

Look at a printed receipt, then switch the screen to Arabic and try ringing up a sale. A translated menu sitting on an English layout gets tiring by the second shift, and your staff are the ones who will live with it.

6. Is it built for your kind of shop?

A general POS can often be made to work, with effort. It is worth checking for the things you do fifty times a day:

• Restaurants and cafés need tables, a kitchen screen and takeaway or online orders. That is what Hisaabii POS is for.
• Groceries and mini-markets need fast barcode scanning and customer credit with limits. See Hisaabii Baqala.
• Salons and barbershops need appointments and staff commission at checkout. See Hisaabii Salon.

7. What will it really cost in month two?

Get the full monthly figure in writing: the plan, each extra till or branch, hardware, setup and support. Then ask what happens when the free period ends. Ours is on the pricing page: first month free, then from SAR 99 a month.

Try before you commit

Sit a cashier in front of the system for ten minutes before you decide. They will spot problems a sales demo never shows. All our products have a live demo with sample data, so you can do that today. If you are not sure when your business has to comply, our wave 25 guide will tell you.

This guide is general information, written for business owners. For a decision about your own company, check ZATCA's published rules or ask your tax adviser.