Optimal Solution for Automated Invoice Lookup on the General Department of Taxation Website

Automating the incoming invoice lookup process on the General Department of Taxation website is a solution that frees up significant time and resources for the Accounting department. For financial institutions such as Banks, invoice lookup is a crucial step in the appraisal process for controlling credit risk. This solution helps businesses achieve instant verification speed, eliminate the risk of manual errors, and ensure absolute compliance with Vietnam’s e-invoice regulations.

Operational Reality: The Challenges of Manual Invoice Lookup

E-Invoices: A Mandatory Requirement for Validity Check

Currently, according to the latest accounting and tax regulations in Vietnam (especially the Decrees and Circulars on e-invoices), all invoices must be issued in electronic form. This facilitates the public and transparent checking and lookup of invoice validity on the General Department of Taxation website.

Checking valid invoices on the TCT is vital for businesses:

• Risk Prevention: Ensuring incoming invoices are genuine, issued by an active business, and not flagged for risk, thereby preventing tax authorities from disallowing expenses during inspections.
• Ensuring Compliance: Confirming that the information on the invoice (tax code, entity name, invoice status) is accurate and matches the TCT’s original data.

Specific Operations: Invoice Lookup in Banking and Finance

Particularly, in the operations of Banks and financial institutions, invoice lookup also helps to verify and authenticate:

• The Customer’s Business Activity Status: For corporate loan customers, checking large-scale incoming and outgoing invoices helps the Bank appraise the authenticity of transactions and revenue size, thereby controlling credit risk.
• Document Verification: The invoice is one of the important documents used to verify the purpose of the loan, preventing illegal activities.

Manual Burden and Error Risk

The monthly volume of invoices that need verification is immense, especially for large-scale enterprises:

• Large Volume and Repetition: Accountants must perform repetitive tasks:
  • Download the invoice to the computer.
  • Log in to the General Department of Taxation website.
  • Manually enter each data field from the invoice (Seller’s Tax Code, Lookup Code, Security Code/Captcha) into the TCT portal.
  • Screenshot or manually save the verification result.
• Error Risk: Mistyping the Lookup Code, Tax Code, or Captcha Code is very common, leading to time waste and reduced work efficiency.
• Process Bottlenecks: Manual lookup significantly slows down the invoice processing cycle, affecting accounting progress and payment approval.

Actual Data on Invoice Lookup Volume

• Practical Example: An average-sized manufacturing or trading business may receive 5,000 – 10,000 incoming invoices per month.
• Manual Processing Time: On average, an Accounting staff member takes about 30 – 60 seconds to look up and record the result for a single invoice on the TCT portal (mainly due to login time and Captcha data entry).
• Repetition Level: With 10,000 invoices, manual lookup alone can consume up to 166 hours (equivalent to over 20 working days) just for verification.

Solution Description: Automated Invoice Lookup with Hyperautomation Technology

The Automated Invoice Lookup solution uses the combined power of RPA, IDP, and OCR technology to completely automate the invoice verification process on the General Department of Taxation website.

Applied Technologies: RPA, IDP, and OCR

• IDP (Intelligent Document Processing) and OCR: Acts as the “cognitive brain.” Automatically extracts necessary data fields from incoming invoices (PDF/XML), including the Seller’s Tax Code and Invoice Lookup Code.
• RPA (Robotic Process Automation): Acts as the “executing arm.” Simulates human actions to log into the TCT portal, enter the extracted invoice data, and handle web interface interactions.
• AI (Artificial Intelligence): Addresses the Captcha Code challenge. AI is trained to automatically identify, decode, and accurately enter the complex Captcha Code on the TCT website, ensuring the Robot can maintain continuous working sessions.

Detailed Description of the Automated Invoice Lookup Process

The process is executed completely automatically by the Robot (Agent):

1. Data Receipt and Preparation:
   • The Robot scans and collects incoming invoices (usually XML/PDF files) from centralized sources (email, DMS, folder).
   • IDP technology automatically extracts key information (Seller’s Tax Code, Lookup Code, Invoice Date) and creates a standardized data file (e.g., Excel/CSV) for the Robot to use.
2. Automated Login and TCT Portal Access:
   • The RPA Robot automatically opens the web browser and accesses the General Department of Taxation invoice lookup website.
   • Performs Automated Captcha decoding using a specially trained AI/ML model for the TCT Captcha format, then automatically logs in.
3. Bulk Invoice Lookup Execution:
   • The Robot repeats the process: Reads each data line from the prepared file => Automatically enters the Tax Code and Lookup Code => Clicks the lookup button.
   • If a new Captcha is encountered during the lookup, the Robot automatically decodes it and continues.
4. Result Recording and Reporting:
   • The Robot automatically reads and stores the result returned from the TCT (Invoice Status: Issued, Cancelled, Has Risk…) into an output file or directly updates the business’s Accounting/ERP system.
   • The Robot generates a summary report, clearly marking Valid invoices (STP – Straight Through Processing) and Problematic invoices (Need rechecking).

Superior Value of the Automated Invoice Lookup Solution

Notes When Applying the Automated Invoice Lookup Solution

To ensure the long-term effectiveness and stability of the automated invoice lookup solution on the General Department of Taxation website, businesses need to pay attention to the following core points:

Technology and Technical Factors

• AI-Powered Captcha Handling: The TCT website frequently changes the Captcha Code. The automation solution needs to use a sufficiently powerful AI/ML model that is continuously trained to adapt to Captcha changes, preventing the Robot from stopping due to decoding failures.
• Access Speed Management: To prevent the TCT portal from blocking access due to the Robot querying too quickly and continuously, the Robot’s query speed needs to be configured with a reasonable delay, simulating human behavior.
• High-Quality IDP Integration: The accuracy of the lookup is 100.0% dependent on the ability to accurately extract the Invoice Lookup Code and Tax Code from the original invoice. Advanced IDP technology is needed to handle diverse incoming invoice templates.

Process and Human Factors

• Centralized Invoice Data: For the Robot to operate efficiently, a centralized channel for collecting and storing incoming invoices (DMS or a shared folder) must be established before automation.
• Setting up Exception Handling Procedures: Clear rules must be established for lookup results:
  • Valid (Issued): Automatic accounting posting.
  • Not Found/Invalid Code: Automatically notifies the Accountant to contact the supplier.
  • Risk/Cancelled: Urgent alert to the Finance Manager.
• Monitoring and Maintenance: The TCT portal’s interface (UI) can change at any time. Businesses need a technical team or professional partner to continuously monitor and maintain the Robot when web interface changes occur.

Conclusion: Automated Invoice Lookup – Redefining Accounting Efficiency

The Automated Invoice Lookup solution on the General Department of Taxation website, powered by Hyperautomation technology (RPA, IDP, AI), is not just a minor improvement but a core transformation in Accounting operations. By automating a time-consuming, repetitive, and error-prone task, businesses not only achieve absolute compliance but also free up valuable resources, increasing operational speed many times over. For Banks, this is a powerful tool for credit risk control. Automated invoice lookup is the crucial step for Vietnamese Accounting to transition and embrace the future of digitalization.