The short answer
Where a business already runs an ERP, eTIMS is one more thing the ERP has to talk to, and the work is a software project rather than a download.
The other system
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
An ERP is the system a larger business runs everything through: sales, purchasing, stock, finance, sometimes production, in one data model. Its defining property for this purpose is that it is already the source of truth, so a second source of truth is not acceptable.
Why a business joins them
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
Because the alternative is a parallel invoicing process alongside the system everyone already uses, which produces two records of the same transaction and a reconciliation nobody owns. At the volumes that justify an ERP, re-keying is not a slower option; it is not an option.
What would move, and which way
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Invoices out of the ERP at the point the ERP considers a sale complete, which is not always the point the shop floor does
- Whatever identifies the resulting document, back into the ERP against the original transaction
- Credit and debit notes, which in an ERP have their own approval path and have to keep their reference to the original
Settle these first
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- Which control unit the integration is built against, which follows from the integration rather than being chosen from a menu - and whose specifics are a question for KRA and your implementer
- Volume and what happens at peak: an approach that works at fifty invoices a day may not at five thousand
- Who monitors it. An integration nobody watches fails quietly, and in an ERP the failure is buried further from anyone who would notice.
- Upgrade paths on both sides, because the integration is the thing that breaks when either end moves
What this does not solve
Our reading, not a rule. Nothing below is a statement of what KRA requires.
- This is not a configuration exercise. It is a project with a budget, a test plan and someone accountable for it afterwards.
- A business without an existing system has nothing to integrate and should be looking at the channels instead.
The question to ask a vendor. Ask who is accountable for the integration after go-live, and how a failed submission surfaces to a human. In ERP projects the second question is usually unanswered until the first failure.
What the rules say
Stated by the publisher from the cited KRA material. Our reviewer has not yet re-checked it against the source, so confirm anything you are about to act on with KRA directly.
KRA identifies several categories of eTIMS solution, among them eTIMS Online, the eTIMS Client, eTIMS Lite, system-to-system integration, reverse invoicing and buyer-initiated invoicing. Which one suits a business depends on how it issues invoices rather than on what it sells.
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.
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.
Common questions
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 integrations
Sources
- officialeTIMS (Electronic Tax Invoice Management System) — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18
- officialKenya Revenue Authority — Kenya Revenue Authority, checked 2026-09-18