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GrandTotal 10 at a Glance

What GrandTotal 10 adds over version 9: Ask GrandTotal, Web Access from your phone, progress billing, automatic payment matching and more.

GrandTotal on Mobile Devices

GrandTotal on your phone and tablet while the Mac stays in the office: the file stays on the Mac, the Relay only passes encrypted data along, and pairing works via QR code.

Receiving Inbound Invoices: Peppol Inbox, Folder and Mailbox

Received invoices right in GrandTotal: automatic polling of the Peppol inbox via Recommand and e-invoice.be, from a watched folder or from a mailbox.

News & Updates

GrandTotal 10 at a Glance

What GrandTotal 10 adds over version 9: Ask GrandTotal, Web Access from your phone, progress billing, automatic payment matching and more.

20 Years of Business Software from Media Atelier

Two decades of experience developing Mac software for freelancers.

Security & Organization

GrandTotal on Mobile Devices

GrandTotal on your phone and tablet while the Mac stays in the office: the file stays on the Mac, the Relay only passes encrypted data along, and pairing works via QR code.

When the File Is Gone: Restoring Your GrandTotal Data

File deleted, drive dead, sync overwrote it: “All Documents” shows what is still there and rebuilds a document from Time Machine or from the cache.

Setting Up Cloud Sync on macOS

Practical guide to setting up local synchronization for major cloud services on macOS – with full offline availability.

The new file format

GrandTotal’s new file format: far fewer files for faster syncing, automatic consolidation, signed saves, and a history that stays even after optimizing.

AES-256 Encryption Explained

Protect your financial data with state-of-the-art encryption technology.

The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy

Why backups are essential and how to really avoid data loss.

Unique Invoice Numbers Across Multiple Macs

Users running GrandTotal on more than one Mac can occasionally end up with duplicate invoice numbers because of the sync window. An optional server reservation closes that gap.

Cloud sync services compared: version history and file recovery

Side-by-side facts on version history and deleted-file recovery for Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, pCloud, Nextcloud, ownCloud, Seafile and Synology Drive.

Data Security on the Mac: How Your Business Data Is Protected

How your Mac protects business data – from FileVault and Touch ID to the encrypted file and the backup. With the key steps for sensitive data.

Mac Desktop Risk Factor

Why the desktop is a risk factor for data loss and where to store files safely.

Working from home

GrandTotal for home office: Share company files in the cloud and activate licenses for distributed work.

How secure does a password really need to be?

Why password managers and random passwords are the only realistic protection.

Encrypt Company File

Protect your business data with AES encryption. Passwords are securely managed in the Keychain.

E-Invoices & Compliance

Receiving Inbound Invoices: Peppol Inbox, Folder and Mailbox

Received invoices right in GrandTotal: automatic polling of the Peppol inbox via Recommand and e-invoice.be, from a watched folder or from a mailbox.

Peppol on the Mac: Send and Receive E-Invoices from GrandTotal

Send e-invoices from GrandTotal straight into the Peppol network and receive supplier invoices from it – in Germany, Belgium and other Peppol countries.

Swiss QR-Bill: New Requirements from November 2025

Since November 22, 2025, Swiss banks only accept structured addresses in QR-bills. GrandTotal supports the requirements from version 9.

What is PEPPOL?

The international network for electronic business documents explained – from PEPPOL-ID to practical usage.

E-Invoice Explained Interactively

Explore the new tool for analyzing and understanding e-invoices in XML format.

XRechnung: What Actually Changes for You

E-invoice reception mandatory since 2025 in Germany. Transition periods and inbound invoices right in GrandTotal.

EHF Invoices from the Mac: E-Invoicing in Norway with GrandTotal

Norway makes sending e-invoices via Peppol mandatory from 2027: GrandTotal creates EHF invoices on the Mac and sends them through Recommand.

PDF/A: The Archive Format for Documents

Why documents are archived as PDF/A — and what makes the ISO format different from regular PDF.

PINT A-NZ: Peppol e-invoices for Australia and New Zealand from GrandTotal

Peppol e-invoicing for Australia and New Zealand: GrandTotal creates PINT A-NZ invoices and credit notes with your ABN or NZBN, GST categories and local bank details.

Tariff 590: Health Insurance Receipts for Therapists in Switzerland

GrandTotal automatically creates the Tariff 590 receipt for Swiss supplementary insurance with every invoice – including tariff codes, 5-minute units and ZSR number.

German VAT Return (UStVA) and EC Sales List from GrandTotal

GrandTotal hands the German advance VAT return (UStVA) and the EC Sales List (ZM) directly to Steuererklärung.app – key figures and ZM lines are pre-calculated from your invoices.

Signing Facturae: get the certificate, GrandTotal does the rest

Facturae invoices to Spanish authorities must be signed. How your company obtains the certificate – the signing then happens automatically.

VeriFactu: Spain's New Invoice Verification System

New requirements for electronic invoices in Spain from 2027.

E-Invoicing on Mac: Factur-X & PDP France (2026/2027)

France mandates e-invoicing from September 2026. What you need to know about platforms, formats, and deadlines.

E-Invoices in Belgium: PEPPOL is Now Mandatory

Peppol has been mandatory in Belgium since 1 January 2026: who is affected and how to send and receive e-invoices from your Mac via e-invoice.be or recommand.eu.

Cassa Previdenziale & Ritenuta d'Acconto in Italy with GrandTotal

Rivalsa INPS, cassa previdenziale and ritenuta d'acconto: calculate Italian freelancer invoices correctly with GrandTotal and report them in FatturaPA.

Heilpraktiker Invoices per GebüH – with Codes from the Catalog

GebüH invoices that German private health insurance reimburses without queries: fee schedule codes as item numbers in the catalog, treatment date per line, diagnosis on the invoice.

Making Tax Digital: file your VAT return from GrandTotal

File your VAT return under Making Tax Digital from GrandTotal on the Mac: fill the MTD Sheets template with your sales figures and submit the nine VAT boxes to HMRC.

Swiss VAT Declaration with the Net Tax Rate Method — from GrandTotal

GrandTotal produces the Swiss VAT declaration using the net tax rate method (eCH-0217) as a ready-made upload for the FTA ePortal – including foreign-currency conversion.

E-Invoicing on Mac: FatturaPA & SdI Italy

E-invoicing in Italy on the Mac: FatturaPA XML, the SdI exchange system and direct sending via Aruba with GrandTotal.

E-Invoicing Requirements in Europe: EU & EEA Countries

The EU documents e-invoicing requirements for all 27 member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland with legal frameworks and standards.

E-invoicing to the Dutch Rijksoverheid: from the Mac with SI-UBL 2.0 (NLCIUS)

E-invoicing to the Dutch Rijksoverheid: mandatory since 2017, format SI-UBL 2.0 (NLCIUS), submission via Peppol, Digipoort or the Leveranciersportaal. What Mac users need to know.

Payments & Finance

Why Invoices Get Paid Late

Why do customers pay late? Practical strategies against payment delays and delinquent payers.

Customer Care

Customer care for year-end: Reward loyal customers and strengthen relationships.

Posting payments from CAMT files

GrandTotal gives every invoice a RF or QR reference and posts the payments from your bank's CAMT file itself – optionally without any action on your part.

The Perfect Payment Term: 14, 30 or 60 Days?

Choosing the right payment terms: deadlines, discounts and how to get paid faster.

SEPA QR Code

Make it easier for your customers to pay with standardized QR codes for SEPA transfers.

Reverse Charge for Cross-Border Invoices: Simply Explained

When reverse charge applies and how to correctly state it on invoices.

Swiss QR-Bill

The QR-bill replaces the payment slip. GrandTotal generates the payment part and Swiss QR Code and inserts both automatically during layout recognition.

iDEAL Payments on Invoices for the Netherlands

Offer iDEAL payments via the Stripe QR code on your invoice – exclude credit card to save on fees.

Guides

Cumulative Partial Invoices

Cumulative partial invoices: the final invoice grows with the job, each partial invoice shows the work done so far and deducts the partial invoices already issued.

VAT rates in Europe: how they have evolved since 1970

How standard VAT rates in 31 European countries have evolved since their introduction – as an interactive chart for comparison.

When Numbers Jitter in Tables

Why amounts look restless in tables – and how tabular figures calm the column. Switched with a right-click in GrandTotal's typography menu.

First Toggl, Now Clockify: API Limits on Free Accounts

First Toggl, now Clockify: both have drastically cut API limits for free accounts. Why free services are always a risk.

Professional Invoicing Software Instead of Word and Excel

Why professional invoicing software pays off for freelancers.

Mac App or Web Service: Which is the Better Choice?

Why desktop software is the better choice for many freelancers.

Artificial Intelligence

The missing 5 %

Software fits 95 %. The missing 5 % decide efficiency and satisfaction – and today you can build them yourself.

Ask GrandTotal: The AI of Your Choice, Without Revealing Client Data

Ask the AI of your choice about your invoices without revealing client names: it gets placeholders, you see the real names.

MCP Server: Automate Invoices, Estimates and Reports with AI

Save time on complex analyses across invoices and estimates.

MCP Server or AI-Written Plugin: Which Way Fits?

MCP server or AI-written plugin? One way lets the AI work live in GrandTotal, the other has it write a plugin once that then runs without AI. Which fits when.

Privacy with AI: Client Names Stay on Your Mac

Ask the AI about client Müller without the name leaving your Mac: GrandTotal replaces names with placeholders and puts them back into the answer.

AI Plugins: Integrations Without Coding Skills

Develop custom tool integrations with AI – no coding required. Security and privacy focused.

Simon Iannelli: AI-Powered Quotes for Photo Shoots

How a photographer uses Claude and GrandTotal to create professional quotes in minutes – including mixed calculations, travel routes, and automatic document structure.

Data Migration: Out of Your Legacy System, Into GrandTotal

Migrate clients, articles and invoices from legacy systems to GrandTotal – via AI assistant instead of CSV import.

Automation & Efficiency

Scanning Documents: Reading PDF, Scan and Photo on the Mac

Bring paper invoices, PDFs and scans into GrandTotal: document recognition reads out invoice number, amounts, tax and IBAN – entirely locally on your Mac.

Online Dashboard

Access your GrandTotal Dashboard from anywhere - end-to-end encrypted and optimized for mobile devices.

Machine Learning for Layout Recognition

Machine Learning recognizes layout elements in existing PDFs – a first step towards automatic layout creation.

Optimize File

What “Optimize File” does depends on the file format: in the current format the history stays, an older file is converted or consolidated.

Send to Bookkeeping

One command exports all documents for a period as structured folders with PDFs and CSV files.

Customize Your Catalog

How to organize your product catalog individually and customize it with custom fields to meet your business requirements.

Delivery Address

Optionally specify a delivery contact with a different delivery address for your documents.

Paste Tables as Line Items

Copy tables from Excel or Numbers and paste them directly as line items.

Migrate Additional Fields

How to migrate your additional fields to the new dedicated data fields in GrandTotal.

Text Placeholders: The Underrated Automation

Automate recurring texts and save time when creating invoices.

Pricing & Calculation

Gross or Net Invoice: When to Use Which?

When gross prices make sense and how to avoid misunderstandings in invoicing.

Fees as Percentages: Line Items Calculated from a Base Value

Line items calculated as a percentage of a base value: set the base once per document, enter the percentage as quantity – ideal for fee scales like the German HOAI or Swiss SIA.

Interactive Estimates

Let your customers choose between options with interactive PDF estimates.

Why You Should Track Your Work Time

Why freelancers should track their work time – even with fixed prices. For transparency, better calculation, and profitability control.

Tips for Writing a Professional Proposal

How to create offers that convince and lead to more contracts.

The Hourly Rate Dilemma

Why hourly rates are often the worse choice for freelancers. Alternatives to hourly billing.