Update Requirements Denmark

On 19th December 2023, the Danish Tax Agency published a further amendment to the requirements for digital sales registration systems (“System til digital salgsregistrering”). Together with version 1.2.1, which was released at the end of November 2023, version 1.3.0 is already the second change in the middle of the Christmas season. As far as we know, there is no talk of a postponement or transitional phase. The tax authorities are sticking to 1st January 2024 as the introduction date.

In addition to some changes to the data model of the SAF-T file, the tax authority has also provided new sample data (sample export file) and a new schema file. A new version of the SAF-T validation tool is also available, which we will be happy to send you on request.

Roadmap

  • December 2023: We are planning a new release of our Fiscal Middleware before the turn of the year, which will include the changes to the SAF-T data model 1.2.1.
  • January 2024: since the changes in version 1.3.0 are essentially simplifications of the requirements (fields are changed from “mandatory” to “mandatory if available”), we will implement these changes with the January release.

Notes for development

Please be sure to read the country information (Denmark) in our solution articles on the RetailForce document model:

Innovations at EuroShop

Euroshop Düsseldorf 2023

RetailForce at the PARTNER TECH Europe stand (Hall 6, stands E33 / E42 and E 46).

This year we will be presenting the following topics, among others:

Swissbit Cloud 2.0

We are proud to be the first provider to present the new Swissbit Cloud 2.0 integration running on a cash register system – combining the advantages of a hardware TSE as well as a cloud TSE!

Lithuania

Furthermore, you can see the implementation of Lithuanian fiscalisation in action via the RetailForce Fiscal Middleware.

Release 1.6.4

The current release of the RetailForce Fiscal Service includes the following functions and features:

  • Fiscal Middleware
    • Serbia (beta 1) – Implementation of Serbian fiscalisation
  • RetailForce Cloud
    • Parameters can be saved for all entities (Distributor, Organisation, Company, Store, Terminal).

All information on the new version can be found in the release notes.

The RetailForce team is looking forward to seeing you at EuroShop in Düsseldorf!

Fiscal Middleware – Release 1.3.1

The new version 1.3.1 of the RetailForce Fiskal Middleware is now available.

You can find the software download at: https://retailforce.cloud/downloads/.

In version 1.3.1, further stabilisation measures have been implemented. Among other things, the timeout when using an online signature creation device (HSM) in Austria was reduced to 3 seconds. If the signature web service does not respond within this time, the FiskalClient calculates an “offline signature”, compliant with the RKSV. In this case, the note “Security device failed” must be printed on the receipt. The message is, as always, returned within the FiscalResponse in the field “PrintMessage”.

In previous versions of the middleware, it happened in certain exceptional cases that the PaymentType.Cash was not resolved correctly. This bug has been fixed in the current version. We therefore recommend updating all systems in Germany to v1.3.1.

First Beta

This version 1.3.1 also includes a first beta version for Romania.

General note on updates

In general, we recommend that you always use the latest version of Fiskal Middleware and, if you are using older versions, update to the latest version Support for regular versions is discontinued after 6 months, for LTS versions after one year. LTS versions are marked as such.

Summertime is vacation time

We are proud of our team, which has done a great job over the last years and months. Therefore, we think our team has earned some time off. We kindly ask for your understanding if there are longer waiting times in the processing of your requests during the holiday season.

Thank you very much!

We wish you a great summer
Your RetailForce Team

Expiry of the TSE certificate “Bundesdruckerei D-TRUST”

In its letter dated 8 July 2022, the German Federal Ministry of Finance informs about the expiry of the certificate of the technical security device “Bundesdruckerei D-TRUST TSE, Version 1.0” of cv cryptovision GmbH.

The current certificate “BSI-K-TR-0491-2021”, for the above-mentioned TSE, is only valid for a limited period until 07.01.2023. According to the BSI, the requirements for connection certification according to the technical guidelines “BSI TR-03153-2 Regulation 2” have not yet been met at present.

More information is available on the BSI website:

Sources:

Maintenance work – FinanzOnline offline

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance informs that the service “FinanzOnline” will not be available next Wednesday, 6 July 2022, in the period from 15:30 to presumably 18:30, due to maintenance work. Furthermore, there may also be disruptions between 18:30 and 19:30.

Cash register notifications (registrations, deregistrations, failure notification of the signature creation unit) occurring during this period are buffered by the RetailForce Fiscal system and forwarded to FinanzOnline as soon as the portal is available again without restrictions. We recommend that planned cash register registrations are carried out at a later date, if possible.

RetailForce Fiscal Middleware – New Version 1.3.0

The latest version 1.3.0 of our Fiscal Middleware is now available for download at https://retailforce.cloud/downloads/.

This version includes releases for the countries:

  • Bulgaria and
  • Denmark.

Beta versions for:

  • France,
  • Poland, and
  • Sweden are also included in v1.3.0.

Austria

In addition to the above-mentioned country-extensions, version 1.3.0 is dominated by the Austrian Cash Register Security Ordinance (RKSV). A number of additions and improvements have been implemented, also with regard to the migration from other Fiscal Middleware systems to RetailForce.

Furthermore, the data collection log (“Datenerfassungsprotokoll”) according to §7 RKSV (“DEP7”) can now be checked for validity with the ASIT check tool via the RetailForce Cloud. Descriptions and details will follow in solution articles on our Solution Centre.

Technical Event Log

Starting with version 1.2.12, technical events at the checkout, which are required, for example, for the implementation of the NF525 requirements of Infocert, within the framework of the French “Anti-VAT Fraud Law”, or the law on “Digital Sales Registration Systems” in Denmark, can be transmitted to the RetailForce Middleware.

As of this version, some of these events are now automatically written to the technical event log (audit log) by the Fiscal Client. You can find more information on this in the linked article in our Solution Centre.

As usual, all details on changes, additions and extensions of version 1.3.0 are available in the release notes on our website.

DSFinV-K new version valid from 1 July 2022

Last week, the German Federal Ministry of Finance announced the publication of a new version of the so-called “Digital Interface of the Tax Administration for Cash Register Systems (DSFinV-K)”. The specifications were published on the website of the Federal Central Tax Office. The current version, 2.3, must be used from 1st of July 2022.

RetailForce integrates the changes resulting from the new version into the Fiscal Middleware.

Changes

The majority of the changes are textual additions and clarifications, but a few more serious changes have also been fixed.

One of these significant changes to the DSFinV-K concerns the cash register number (KASSE_SERIENNR). Quote:

“For technical reasons, neither slashes (“/”) nor underscores (“_”) may be used in the cash register serial number.” [translated from the original German text]

DSFinV-K, annex E Nr. 3, p. 69.

In the RetailForce system, the cash register number is used for initialising the Fiscal Client and is entered in the “Terminal number” field in the Cloud Portal when a new terminal (= cash register) is created. We recommend not using slashes (“/”) or underscores (“_”) when assigning “Store number” (creation of a new store) and “Terminal number” (only numbers and letters – without separators).

Compared to the previous version, the payment method “rechargable value card” (not to confuse with credit cards!) has been described in much more detail. The explanation is based on the EU Directive 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market. Important: These value cards are mere means of payment and are considered as such if they can be exchanged back for the amount originally paid (or the amount not yet used) at any time and without preconditions. They are therefore not equivalent to single-purpose vouchers.

Furthermore, a small but decisive textual adjustment was made to the receipt reference. The short description of the reference date (DSFinV-K field: REF_DATUM) was changed from: (v2.2) “Timestamp of the transaction being referenced” to: (v2.3) “Timestamp of the cash closure being referenced”.

In view of the changes to the KassenSichV, which were passed by the Federal Council last summer (see our article from July 2021), the section “Definition of the QR code for machine-verifiable cash receipts” was also revised. An edge length of at least 3 cm is prescribed for the display of the QR code. Further information on the QR code can also be found in our Solution Centre. An edge length of at least 3 cm is prescribed for the display of the QR code. Further information on the QR code can also be found in our Solution Centre.

From today’s perspective, all changes resulting from the new version of the DSFinV-K can be implemented by RetailForce without adapting the integration. Should there be any changes to this assessment, we will inform you in good time. The changes will be made available via a new version of the Fiscal Client, which is expected to be published by us at the beginning of the second half of May.

FinanzOnline Offline

The FinanzOnline team of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance informs about upcoming maintenance work. This time the work will take place during the week, on the 06th of April 2022. On this day, FinanzOnline will not be available from 15:30 to 18:30. Furthermore, operations may be disrupted between 18:30 and 19:30.

Cash register notifications (registrations, deregistrations, failure notification of the signature creation unit) occurring during this period are buffered by the RetailForce Fiscal system and forwarded to FinanzOnline as soon as the portal is available again without restrictions. We recommend that planned cash register registrations are carried out at a later date, if possible.

Information on country implementations

We are currently working on the implementation of fiscalisation regulations in several countries. In the near future, RetailForce Fiscal Middleware can also be used to comply with fiscal laws in the countries of France, Denmark, Sweden and Bulgaria.

Denmark

Already with version 1.2.11, first preparations for the implementation of the Danish regulation on “Digital Sales Registration Systems” were provided. The upcoming version 1.2.12 of the Fiscal Client represents a first beta version for use in Denmark, the planned major version 1.3 will be the stable version. The RetailForce Fiscal middleware performs the required signing of the receipts, generates a data export in Danish SAF-T format and archives the data securely in the RetailForce Cloud Archive for the entire duration of the legal retention period.

France

As for Denmark, version 1.2.11 of the Fiscal Client contained changes needed for the implementation of the French fiscal regulations. RetailForce is currently working on the implementation of Infocert’s certification guidelines (NF525). The “Technical Journal” included in the above-mentioned version is required for the implementation of both the Danish and the French requirements. A first beta version for the French implementation will be made available in April. With this, the implementation work can be started and a certification process can be applied for at Infocert.

Sweden

By around the middle of the year, we will expand our portfolio with another fiscal country implementation. With the connection to a so-called control unit (Danish “Kontrollenheter”) we provide a solution to comply with the Swedish Cash Register Act. In addition to this connection, we archive the fiscal data in accordance with regulations in the secure RetailForce Cloud Archive. Please note: in addition to the use of a control unit, certification of the cash register is required in Sweden.

Bulgaria

After we had to pause the work on Bulgaria for the time being due to project reasons, we have now resumed the implementation work. A beta version will soon also be available for the transpositions of the Bulgarian regulations. The first pilot installations have already been commissioned.

Do you need help with the implementation of fiscal regulations in specific countries, or in one of the countries already covered by the RetailForce Fiscal Middleware? We will of course be happy to advise you! Simply write us a message or use the contact form.

Current release 1.2.11

The latest release of RetailForce Fiscal Middleware is available in the download directory. This version is dedicated to the preparation for the country extensions that will be available soon. You will soon find more information here in the news section of our website.

The most important innovations of this version are that with version 1.2.11:

Fiscal Module

Newly added are fields for company identification, which are used, among other things, to establish the cloud connection of the Fiscal Client. The new fields are:

  • Business identification number and
  • Statistical classification number.

and must be declared as mandatory in certain countries. The identifiers listed above have different meanings for each country. Further information on this can also be found in our Solution Centre: https://support.retailforce.cloud/hc/de/articles/4405772745617.

Technical Journal / Audit Log

As of the current version, the fiscal client can manage a technical journal, also called an audit log, which is required in certain countries. Various events can be transmitted to the middleware for this purpose.

Reprint Count

Some countries require that the number of voucher reprints be recorded. The new version 1.2.11 provides for print count management.

In the course of the extensive revisions of the Fiscal Client with the present version, many test units were also newly created and existing ones revised.

All changes and improvements of this release are listed in the release notes of the current version.