The short answer
Something in what was submitted did not validate. The buyer's PIN is the most common culprit, and the exact rejection wording is the most useful thing you have.
What this usually means
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
A rejection is the system declining to validate the document as submitted. The cause is in what was sent, and the fastest route to it is comparing what you sent against what the invoice was supposed to say.
What to suspect first
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Buyer details that do not resolve, most often a PIN captured wrongly at the counter
- Item or classification details the submission requires and did not carry
- Figures that do not reconcile within the document itself
- A submission sent while the connection was dropping, which can fail in ways that look like a content problem
What you can check yourself
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Keep the rejection wording exactly as it appeared. It is the most useful thing you have and it is usually the first thing lost.
- Re-check the buyer's PIN against something the buyer gave you, not against what was typed.
- Check whether other invoices went through around the same time. One failure among many successes points at the document; all failing points at the connection or the setup.
- Do not re-issue repeatedly hoping it lands. A duplicate that does succeed is a correction problem you then have to unpick.
When to stop and contact KRA. What a specific rejection code means is KRA's to say. We do not publish interpretations of codes we have not seen documented, because a confident wrong reading sends you to fix the wrong thing.
What the rules say
Tax rules in Kenya change with each Finance Act and with regulations made during the year. Before acting on any figure, deadline or threshold, check the current position on KRA's own website.
This page explains how a requirement generally works. It is not tax advice, and it cannot account for the specifics of any one business. For a position you intend to rely on, confirm with KRA directly or with a registered tax agent.
Common questions
Why was my eTIMS invoice rejected?
Something in what was submitted did not validate. The buyer's PIN is the most common culprit, and the exact rejection wording is the most useful thing you have.
What should I check first when an etims invoice was rejected?
Keep the rejection wording exactly as it appeared. It is the most useful thing you have and it is usually the first thing lost.
Can you tell me the exact steps to fix it?
Not for anything inside KRA's own software, no. We do not publish click-paths through screens we have not seen documented, because a confident wrong instruction sends you to fix the wrong thing while you are already stuck. What we can do is narrow the cause and tell you when to contact KRA.
How do I know this information is current?
Tax rules in Kenya change with each Finance Act and with regulations made during the year. Before acting on any figure, deadline or threshold, check the current position on KRA's own website.
Related problems
Sources
- officialeTIMS (Electronic Tax Invoice Management System) — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18
- officialTax Procedures (Electronic Tax Invoice) Regulations, 2024 — Kenya Gazette / Kenya Law, checked 2026-09-18
- officialKenya Revenue Authority — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18