Configure the SAR Invoicing Regime in Zoho Books
This guide explains how to prepare a Zoho Books organization to use the Honduras invoicing extension: taxes, SAR Data records, the customer RTN field, and default PDF templates.
Overview
The SAR Invoicing Regime for Zoho Books extension adds the elements required to support documents with Honduras fiscal invoicing requirements inside Zoho Books.
After installing the extension, the administrator should review these areas:
- Manually create the tax rates used by the organization.
- Create the SAR Data records for Invoice and Credit Note.
- Confirm that the custom RTN field is available for customers.
- Set the SAR Invoice and SAR Credit Note templates as the default templates.
Important: This extension does not replace accounting, tax, or legal review. Confirm with your accountant that the configured taxes, documents, and fiscal data comply with applicable SAR requirements and current Honduras regulations.
Before you begin
- Administrator access to the Zoho Books organization.
- Permissions to modify Taxes, Custom Fields, PDF Templates, and Custom Modules.
- The issuer's fiscal information: RTN, CAI, authorized range, issue deadline, and related data.
- The list of applicable taxes validated by your accountant.
Configuration order: Taxes may be created before or after installing the extension. SAR Data records must exist before issuing real documents.
1. Configure taxes manually
Tax rates must be configured manually in Zoho Books. This can be done before or after installing the extension.
1Go to tax settings
- Sign in to Zoho Books as an administrator.
- Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
- Go to Taxes and Compliance > Taxes.
2Create the required tax rates
- Click + New Tax, if the button is available in your Zoho Books edition.
- Enter the tax name and corresponding rate.
- Save the tax.
- Repeat the process for each tax used by the company.
| Suggested tax | Rate | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| EXENTOS | 0% | Exempt transactions, when applicable. |
| EXONERADOS | 0% | Exonerated transactions, when applicable. |
| ISV | 15% | General sales tax, when applicable. |
| ISV ALC | 18% | Tax applicable to alcohol or other categories subject to a differentiated rate, when applicable. |
| Other applicable rate | 7% or other | Use only if it applies to the company's operations and has been validated by your accountant. |
2. Create SAR Data records
SAR Data records contain the fiscal authorization that will be printed on invoices and credit notes. These records must exist before users issue real documents.
Required: Create one record for Invoice and a separate record for Credit Note. If they are missing or incorrect, the automation will not be able to generate the fiscal data correctly on the document.
Create SAR Data for Invoices
- Open Zoho Books.
- In the left menu, open Custom Modules.
- Select SAR Data.
- Click + New.
- Complete the required fields: Code, Location, Document Type, CAI, Authorized Range, and Issue Deadline.
- For Document Type, select Invoice.
- Save the record.
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Code | Internal code or identifier associated with the location or point of issue. | 103 |
| Location | Location configured in Zoho Books for document issuance. | Head Office |
| Document Type | Fiscal document type that will use the authorization. | Invoice |
| CAI | Print Authorization Code authorized by SAR. | 11111-22222-33333-44444-55555 |
| Authorized Range | Authorized numbering range for that document type. | 00001000 to 00001500 |
| Issue Deadline | Authorized deadline for issuing documents. | 12/31/2026 |
Create SAR Data for Credit Notes
- Go to Custom Modules > SAR Data.
- Click + New.
- Complete Code, Location, CAI, Authorized Range, and Issue Deadline.
- For Document Type, select Credit Note.
- Save the record.
3. Verify the customer RTN field
The custom RTN field is created by the extension on the customer entity. The administrator should confirm that the field exists and is available to users.
- Go to Settings > Preferences > Customers.
- Open the custom fields section.
- Confirm that the RTN field is available.
- If the field does not appear, review the extension installation.
4. Set the SAR Invoice template as default
The invoice template must be the default template so documents are printed with the required fiscal fields.
- Go to Settings > PDF Templates.
- Select Invoices.
- Find the extension template.
- Use the actions menu and select Mark as Default.
5. Set the SAR Credit Note template as default
Repeat the same process for credit notes. The SAR Credit Note template must also be set as the default template.
- Go to Settings > PDF Templates.
- Select Credit Notes.
- Find the extension template.
- Use the actions menu and select Mark as Default.
6. Final validation
- Applicable taxes are created and active.
- There is a SAR Data record for Invoice.
- There is a SAR Data record for Credit Note.
- The RTN field is available on customers.
- The SAR Invoice template is set as default.
- The SAR Credit Note template is set as default.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Probable cause | What to review |
|---|---|---|
| CAI, issue deadline, or authorized range does not appear. | No SAR Data record exists for the document type. | Review the SAR Data module and confirm Invoice or Credit Note. |
| The RTN does not appear. | The customer does not have an RTN or the field is unavailable. | Verify the custom RTN field on customers. |
| The PDF does not use the fiscal format. | The SAR template is not set as default. | Review PDF Templates for Invoice and Credit Note. |
| Tax amounts do not match. | Rates or taxes are not configured correctly. | Review Taxes and Compliance with your accountant. |
Support
For technical support, contact Sunspots Latin America at support@sunspotsla.com or visit https://www.sunspotsla.com.