Support at a glance
| Area | Status in Rwanda | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | Supported | New organisations start in RWF, and multi-currency is available |
| VAT | Records only | Starting VAT codes, which you check and edit, plus a VAT return report |
| RRA EBM | Not connected | Navigate does not issue EBM invoices or send data to RRA |
| Mobile money | Manual records | Add an MTN MoMo or Airtel Money account and enter each receipt |
| Cards and online checkout | Possible through a provider | Connect your own Flutterwave or Pesapal account |
| Payroll | Set up by you | You must add Rwandan rates before running payroll |
| Language | No Kinyarwanda | English, Kiswahili or French only |
EBM and tax
RRA describes an Electronic Billing Machine as having two parts: a Certified Invoicing System (CIS) and a Sales Data Controller (SDC), which records transactions and produces a verifiable signature on receipts.
- Navigate is not a certified invoicing system and has no EBM connection. An invoice from Navigate is not an EBM invoice.
- If EBM applies to you, you must issue through an RRA-approved route as well as keeping your books in Navigate.
- That can mean entering sales twice, so consider this before you choose Navigate.
- In Navigate, new organisations in Rwanda start with Standard, Zero-rated and Exempt codes. Check the rates with RRA or your accountant.
- The VAT return report and its export give you figures. Navigate does not file them.
Mobile money
In Bank & cash accounts, add a mobile money account and choose a provider, such as MTN MoMo or Airtel Money, and its channel: paybill, till or phone wallet. Each account has its own ledger account, so its balance agrees with the books.
- A customer pays on their phone in the usual way. A staff member then enters the receipt and reference in Navigate.
- Navigate sends no payment prompts and does not fetch or match mobile money payments in Rwanda.
- On screens today, the mobile money method is labelled M-Pesa in every country. In Rwanda, this method records money into the mobile money account you chose.
- Navigate's M-Pesa link uses Safaricom in Kenya shillings and does not work for Rwandan businesses.
Online payments through a provider
A business can connect its own Flutterwave or Pesapal account to send payment links on invoices. Navigate opens the provider's hosted page with the invoice currency. What the customer can use on that page is set by the provider.
- Flutterwave's documentation lists RWF with card and Rwandan mobile money.
- Pesapal's developer article names Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia, and not Rwanda. Ask Pesapal directly before you plan on it.
- Test a small payment before you rely on either provider.
Payroll
The payroll engine is driven by rates per country and year. Only Kenya is set up for you. You must add Rwanda's PAYE bands and deductions before running a pay group. The ready-made statutory return exports are Kenyan formats, so you would use the general payroll reports to prepare your own returns.
Language and paying for Navigate
The interface starts in the browser's language, else English, and each person can choose English, Kiswahili or French. There is no Kinyarwanda interface. Prices on the website appear in RWF where a rate is available, as a guide. M-Pesa subscription payments are for businesses in Kenya, so a Rwandan business pays by card where offered. The charge is in US dollars by default at the day's rate.
Where Navigate may not fit
- No RRA EBM link. If you must issue EBM invoices, you need a separate route, and Navigate may mean double entry.
- No live MTN MoMo or Airtel Money link. Payments are entered by hand unless a provider checkout is used.
- Navigate's Kenyan M-Pesa and eTIMS features do not apply in Rwanda.
- No Rwandan payroll rates or return formats are set up for you.
- There is no Kinyarwanda interface.
- A business that wants invoices and EBM signing in one certified system should look elsewhere today.
Frequently asked questions
Does Navigate integrate with RRA EBM?
No. Navigate has no EBM connection and is not a certified invoicing system. It records VAT for your books only.
Can I receive MTN MoMo payments in Navigate?
You can record them in a mobile money account with their reference. There are no live prompts or automatic matching. A connected provider's checkout page may offer MoMo, depending on that provider.
Is Navigate available in Kinyarwanda?
No. The interface is available in English, Kiswahili and French.
Can I run payroll for Rwandan staff?
Yes, after you add Rwanda's statutory rates in Payroll Setup. The rates are yours to enter and keep up to date. There is no ready-made Rwandan return export.