![\"Invoice](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bfa5a2f4a7774d7436efdea1e1bb1cf3-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHello, everyone.<\/p>\n
This is Enta.<\/p>\n
This time, we\u2019ll look at the question, \u201cIs it a good idea to email invoices as PDFs?\u201d<\/p>\n
So, I\u2019d like to write about the question, \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference between a paper book and a PDF?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s still common in the construction industry to send \u201cpaper invoices\u201d by mail.<\/p>\n
However, in reality, there is no law that requires it to be on paper.<\/p>\n
That's because we generally send files in digital format (PDF).<\/p>\n
To be honest, when you consider the hassle and cost of mailing it, it's mostly a waste.<\/p>\n
Even if you send an invoice in electronic format, such as PDF or Excel, it is valid as long as the recipient acknowledges receipt.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, as stipulated by the National Tax Agency,\"Electronic Record-Keeping Act\"<\/span><\/strong><\/span>According to this,<\/p>\n You can also save it as a PDF and use it for accounting purposes.<\/p>\n *The Electronic Bookkeeping Act is listed at the bottom of this page.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Legal Effect<\/strong>: Both are the same (valid if the other party agrees)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Shipping Costs<\/strong>: The PDF is free; for the paper copy, printing and shipping fees apply.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Speed<\/strong>: PDFs are sent the same day; paper copies are mailed and take 1\u20132 days.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Save<\/strong>: PDFs are stored electronically and are easy to search, while paper documents must be stored in an archive.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Evidentiary Value<\/strong>: PDFs can be secured with digital signatures and timestamps; paper documents are authenticated with seals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Although there are still many companies in the construction industry that \u201conly accept paper documents,\u201d this stance has softened considerably.<\/p>\n Also, the practice of using physical seals is still deeply ingrained, so the only question is whether the other party will approve a PDF even if you include an image of the company seal.<\/p>\n That said, the seal used on invoices is generally just a personal seal (mitome-in). It\u2019s not a particularly important seal (you wouldn\u2019t use the company\u2019s official seal for this).<\/p>\n Furthermore, due to the impact of the invoice system that took effect in October 2023, there is a growing trend toward requiring support for \u201celectronic invoices\u201d\u2014a step beyond \u201cPDFs\u201d\u2014going forward.<\/p>\n Major companies in particular are rapidly shifting from print to digital.<\/p>\n Recently, I received an email from a major company saying they were discontinuing email invoices and asking me to send a paper copy instead.<\/p>\n This is seriously crazy lol<\/p>\n In conclusion,The printed version and the PDF are essentially equivalent in terms of legal validity.<\/strong><\/span>That's it.<\/p>\n However, in the construction industry, \u201cbusiness practices of clients\u201d have a strong influence, so<\/p>\n In practice, it might be more realistic to adapt to the other person.<\/p>\n Since the shift toward digitalization is set to accelerate, getting used to PDF invoices will definitely be an advantage.<\/p>\n Also, make sure to have an electronic seal ready if possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since we generally issue all our invoices electronically,<\/p>\n Even if that major company mentioned above told us to send them the invoice forms, we\u2019d just print them out on a printer.<\/p>\n It doesn't make any difference whether I print it at home or the recipient prints it after receiving it via email.<\/p>\n It's just a waste of time and money...<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To be honest, I think this is a field that most office workers wouldn't understand.<\/p>\n If the company tells me that, it\u2019s just a matter of saying, \u201cOh, really?\u201d and that\u2019s the end of it.<\/p>\n However, I\u2019d like to point out that it\u2019s actually very wasteful.<\/p>\n And also that it's legal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n See you later.<\/p>\n **The Electronic Bookkeeping Preservation Act** is a law enacted in 1998 (Heisei 10), and It establishes rules for the electronic storage of national tax-related records, invoices, receipts, and other documents.<\/p>\n National Tax-Related Records<\/strong>(Journal, General Ledger, etc.)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n National Tax Documents<\/strong>(Invoices, receipts, quotes, contracts, etc.)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The Electronic Bookkeeping Act stipulates the following three main methods:<\/p>\n Electronic Record Keeping, etc.<\/strong> Scanned and Saved<\/strong> Electronic Transaction Data Retention<\/strong> In exchange for allowing electronic storage, there are requirements in place to prevent tampering and ensure searchability.<\/p>\n Ensuring Accuracy<\/strong>(Mechanisms that prevent tampering, such as timestamps and log management)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ensuring Visibility<\/strong>(Can be displayed on screen or printed)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Search Function<\/strong>(Ability to search by date, amount, business partner, etc.)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Enacted in 1998<\/strong>: Permitting Electronic Record Keeping<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 2005 Amendment<\/strong>: Scanned documents can now be saved<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 2020 Amendment<\/strong>: Simplification of procedures (such as the abolition of the prior approval system)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Effective January 2022<\/strong>: Mandatory Retention of Electronic Transaction Data<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fully Implemented in January 2024<\/strong>: Saving in paper format is not permitted; electronic data must be stored electronically.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The Electronic Bookkeeping Act is, Starting in 2024, the storage of electronic transactions in electronic data format will be fully mandatory, and all industries\u2014including the construction industry\u2014must comply.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, everyone. This is Enta. In this post, I\u2019d like to discuss two topics: \u201cIs it okay to send invoices via email as PDFs?\u201d and \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference between a paper invoice and a PDF?\u201d Sending invoices as PDFs is legally acceptable. In the construction industry, \u201cpaper invoices\u201d are still commonly used\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[4432,5771,6960,6961,6962],"class_list":["post-55664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-others","tag-4432","tag-5771","tag-6960","tag-6961","tag-6962"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Difference Between PDFs and Paper<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"Print\"](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ddbbc6ffd33c274f1e5f6d42ada4270f-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPoints to Note Specific to the Construction Industry<\/h3>\n
![\"Electronic](\"https:\/\/norimen.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3f33666fc198599e372e93352162cb53-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nWhat Is the Electronic Bookkeeping Act?<\/h1>\n
This allows companies to \u201cstore their ledgers and documents as electronic data rather than on paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n1. Eligible Documents<\/h2>\n
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2. Three Categories of Storage Methods<\/h2>\n
\n
\u2192 Save the ledgers created using accounting software or similar programs directly as electronic data.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u2192 Scan paper invoices and receipts and save them as digital files.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u2192 Save invoices, receipts, and other documents received as PDF files or email attachments\u2014that is, documents exchanged electronically from the outset\u2014as electronic data.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n3. Retention Requirements<\/h2>\n
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4. The Process of the Amendment<\/h2>\n
\n
Summary<\/h2>\n
**\"A law that establishes rules allowing ledgers, invoices, and receipts to be stored as electronic data rather than on paper.\"**<\/p>\n