Guides
Rent in the name of your company: invoice and VAT
The prices displayed on the site are inclusive of VAT. For an individual, it’s the amount that counts. For a company, no: what matters is the amount excluding taxes, the recoverable VAT, and the fact that the invoice bears the name of the structure. Here is the actual route, with exact amounts.
A numerical example, with catalog prices
Let's take a three-day shoot with two cameras. A GoPro HERO 11 Black over three days is €47.02 and a Insta360 X5 is €74.68, or €121.70 including tax. On the invoice it reads:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total excluding tax | €101.42 |
| VAT 20% | €20.28 |
| Total including tax rental | €121.70 |
The real charge for the taxable company is therefore not €121.70 but €101.42, the VAT being recoverable under the usual conditions. This is the first reason to inform the company before paying, and not after.
Informing the company takes a minute
When entering your contact details, a choice Professional opens the company fields. You enter the SIRET, 14 digits, and the intra-community VAT number. A SIREN search queries the public business directory and pre-fills the company name and head office address: all you have to do is check.
This information never influences the price. They are only used to produce a compliant invoice, and they are kept on your account for subsequent rentals.
What the bill actually covers
- the name of the company, its SIREN, its SIRET and its VAT number in the “billed to” block;
- the breakdown of Total excluding VAT, VAT and total including VAT;
- the mentions of article L441-10 of the commercial code, obligatory between professionals: late payment penalties at three times the legal interest rate, payable without reminder, and fixed recovery compensation of €40;
- the reminder that the invoice is kept for ten years, under article L123-22 of the commercial code.
The invoice can be found at any time from your account, in the order documents section, with the contract. A video editing service added to a rental must be paid separately and is subject to its own invoice: this is normal, it does not form part of the rental total.
The deductible is not a charge
This is the point that surprises accountants the most. The deductible – €100, €150 or €250 depending on the device – is not turnover. It lives outside of HT, VAT and TTC, on a separate line. This is not an expense but a security deposit: it is returned within five working days after the equipment is returned and checked, and it does not count as a rental charge.
In the example above, the two devices carry €100 and €150 deductible, i.e. €250 immobilized for the duration of the rental, in addition to €121.70. The deductibles are added when the order includes several devices.
A quote before booking
The standard route does not require any: the price is firm and displayed before payment. But if your structure requires a quote to incur the expense, it is requested by message from your account, subject “quote request”, or via the contact page. The response arrives within 24 working hours. This is also the way to create a tailor-made pack for an event.
If the headquarters is outside France
A company established in another Member State and having a valid VAT number is subject to reverse charge: the invoice is then issued without VAT and bears both identification numbers. This changeover is not automatic, it is requested and observed on a case-by-case basis - report it before booking.
Beware of a common confusion: a individual established in Belgium or Germany is invoiced with 20% French VAT, and that is correct. The rental of equipment is a provision of services, taxable at the place of establishment of the service provider. This is not a billing error.
Rental or purchase
The question of accounting treatment — operating expense rather than depreciated asset — is covered separately in our article on the tax advantages of leasing for professionals. This article only describes the administrative process.
This article describes how our invoices work and is not tax advice. The treatment applicable to your situation is validated with your accountant.