Checks burn out what to do. A faded cash receipt looking for a replacement. Why does the paint on the check fade?

Can I get a duplicate cash receipt?
What document will replace a cash receipt if the information on it has faded?
Is it worth contacting an expert to confirm faded information on a check?

Over time, the paint on the KKM checks turns pale, and the text almost completely fades. This is partly due to the storage conditions of the document, and the quality of the thermal paper plays an important role. If you have not made a photocopy of the check in advance, the expenses will remain without supporting documents, and this may threaten additional taxes. So, you need to restore a check or text.

First of all, you should contact the seller. Some KKM models print duplicate receipts. The check will be with the same date and details as on the faded check.

Our reference

You should not turn to craftsmen who, using special programs, will make a copy of the check according to the specified parameters. After all, it will be nothing more than a forgery of documents, which threatens with criminal sanctions (Article 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Despite the fact that you have faded sources, you will present a deliberately false document to the controllers. Not even a copy, but a fake.

If a duplicate cannot be obtained, a reconciliation must be carried out with the seller. The act will become additional evidence, it will confirm the transaction and the amount. But all this can be done with wholesalers, an ordinary retail store will not provide you with such documents. In addition, do not forget that in addition to the check, wholesalers often also issue a receipt for a cash receipt order (PKO). Inspectors, almost certainly, will not like the absence of a cash receipt (letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated February 21, 2008 No. 03-11-05 / 40). But the judges believe that a cash receipt is not the only document that can confirm the costs of a businessman. The stub from the parishioner may well replace a cash receipt (Decree of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Volga District of August 9, 2010 No. A55-30723 / 2009).

Retail purchases, as a rule, are accompanied not only by the issuance of a cash receipt, but also by the issuance of a sales receipt (written by hand, printed on a printer, or all on the same cash register). If the sales receipt is available, drawn up in accordance with all the rules, the information on it has not faded, then consider that the expenses are confirmed. Inspectors, of course, can find fault, but in a legal dispute, a sales receipt will become a weighty argument.

Sometimes sellers print a sales receipt on thermal paper, like a cash receipt, that is, it can also fade. And when buying gasoline, a sales receipt is not issued at all. Unfortunately, in such cases, it will not be possible to obtain any additional evidence confirming the costs of a faded cash receipt. Here there is hope that the faded text will be enough for the inspectors, and you can still see the necessary numbers on the check. But in case of a possible dispute, the merchant still has the opportunity to try to restore the lost text with the help of expertise. Pleasure is expensive, so businessmen prefer not to turn to specialists until the verdict of controllers. And if the case went to court, then petition for the appointment of an examination. The amount required for the examination is paid to the deposit account by the party that insists on it (in this case it will be the merchant). If the initiative comes from both parties, the costs are shared equally. Expertise, appointed at the initiative of the arbitration court, is carried out at the expense of the federal budget, therefore, in practice, judges rarely take the initiative. As a result, the cost of the examination will be reimbursed by the party in whose favor the results turn out to be. If the claim is partially satisfied, then the court costs are divided between the parties to the dispute in proportion to the amount of satisfied claims. And since the check is real, the examination will confirm the authenticity of the document, the court will oblige the inspection to reimburse the costs.

But in order to avoid such situations, make photocopies of cash receipts, especially for expensive purchases. Documents with significant amounts have always attracted the attention of controllers. And photocopies of checks of KKM and sales receipts made to save the information reflected on them, certified by the signature of the entrepreneur, are sufficient primary documents confirming the actual implementation of the costs of purchasing goods for cash (letter of the Federal Tax Service of Russia for Moscow dated April 12, 2006 No. 20-12/29007).

Check last year's advance reports. Are the inscriptions on all cashier's checks legible? Perhaps you suffered the same fate as our reader - cashier's checks turned into blank sheets of paper. But not everything is as hopeless as it seems.

Just don't panic!

- I'm shocked! - My friend Irina Solnechnaya, the chief accountant of one of the capital's firms, immediately told me on the phone. Irina is not an alarmist, so I tried to calmly find out what, in fact, was the matter.

“We have a tax audit coming soon, we are on schedule,” Irina began her story. - On this occasion, I once again decided to review the availability of primary documents and the correctness of the execution of advance reports. And, oh horror! In many advance reports, I found not just poorly readable cash receipts, but ordinary white sheets.

The first thought was to make new checks in the image and likeness of the disappeared ones. I even read about special programs, and found the craftsmen of this business.

- Forgery of documents is punished ...

- Yes, I know, not a little one, - Irina waved her off. - Imprisonment for up to two years. And the use of a knowingly forged document - arrest for a period of three to six months. Criminal Code, article 327. But there are real checks, although they are pretty faded!

– Draw up an act of reconciliation with the supplier for amounts not visible in the receipt.

- With wholesalers, perhaps, I will do the same. Moreover, they usually also issue a receipt to the parishioner.

But I have no idea how to deal with retail. All right, if sales receipts are handwritten or printed on a printer. There is at least some supporting document here. But what if the sales receipt is printed on thermal paper, which is a sin of many supermarkets? Or is there no commodity at all, as, for example, when buying gasoline?

- Well, for the future I can say that you can take photocopies of checks, and then notarize them: from three to five rubles per check. Wholesale may be cheaper. Or directly from the supplier. It is only necessary to calculate what will be less expensive - notary services or transportation costs.

- A photocopy is a good thing. We now have a secretary in the sweat of his face copies all checks. Only we decided to get off with little blood. We certify copies with our seal and signatures.

- Keep in mind that you still need to issue an order, where to indicate the reason why you are redoing the primary. Well, then certify the copies.

Instead of a checkclean paper

“The problem is, not all checks can be photocopied,” my friend continued. “Some have faded so much that it’s not so easy to make out the original text. You can still guess the amount from the advance report. And the supplier and his details - alas!

- Don't be so upset. Maybe even manage to negotiate with the tax authorities. They are people too! In addition, if you're lucky, they will be satisfied with this and will not dig deeper.

“Everything would be fine,” Irina sighed, “only the amount is already very decent for our company. And how embarrassing! It would be nice for your mistakes or negligence. And here...

- Maybe you did not comply with the conditions for storing checks?

- Yes, they didn’t soak it in alcohol, they didn’t put it under ultraviolet light, all the checks were filed in daddies along with advance reports. And who will now figure out who is right and who is wrong?

– You know, technologies that allow to restore almost any image have existed for a long time (see the reference “Father of Court Photography”). And I think that science does not stand still. So you can just restore the faded text.

- The director is unlikely to go broke on expertise, no matter how much it costs. Most likely he will want to wait for the final decision of the tax authorities. And then it will decide whether the game is worth the candle.

Expertise at the expense of tax authorities

“It’s interesting that if the tax authorities fine us for the lack of primary documents, and even recalculate taxes, and the company will challenge their decision in court, then at whose expense will the examination be carried out?” Irina asked.

With this question, we turned to Anton Luzhnov, the expert of the berator "You have come to check" . “The amount necessary for the examination is deposited on the deposit account by the side of the court case that will insist on it. If the initiative comes from both sides, then the costs will be divided equally.

The examination, appointed at the initiative of the arbitration court, is carried out at the expense of the federal budget. Therefore, practice shows that the courts are in no hurry to do this on their own initiative. Usually, in such a situation, the judges indicate that the examination is appointed at the initiative of one of the parties or at the request of both parties, and accordingly distribute the costs of paying for the services of experts.

However, I emphasize that in the end, the costs of the examination will be reimbursed by the one who does not benefit from its results. If the claim is partially satisfied, the court costs are divided between the parties to the case in proportion to the amount of satisfied claims.

And since the examination will clearly confirm the authenticity of the cash receipt, the court will have to oblige the tax authorities to reimburse you for the costs of it,” Anton Luzhnov assured.

Secrets of cash receipt longevity

So that the image from a cash receipt printed on thermal paper (it is thinner and whiter than usual, slightly translucent) does not disappear for the next five years, experts advise storing this important document in special conditions.

First of all, this is a temperature of 18–24 ° C and relative humidity of no more than 68 percent. Even the heat from the heating battery will be enough to lose information. Never expose the check to direct sunlight. You can not store checks in a pile, with an image to each other.

It is also necessary to avoid contact with various chemicals, alcohols, and other solvents on the paper. Checks are "afraid" of liquid-based glue. When making advance reports, use a glue stick, and preferably a stapler. And never keep checks under pressure.

Father of forensic photography

The ancestor of the method of restoring extinct texts is the Russian scientist Evgeny Burinsky. He was the first to use this method to restore inscriptions of the 13th century on pieces of leather found during excavations in the Moscow Kremlin.

Using photographic plates for work, Burinsky made several identical black-and-white negatives from each document. Then, by removing the emulsion layers from the negatives and stacking them together one on top of the other, he produced a more contrasting negative image. Then I got a kind of slides from each negative and put them on top of each other. By successively increasing the contrast of the negatives, Burinsky obtained photographs in which invisible and half-erased letters became readable. The Russian Academy of Sciences in 1898 awarded Burinsky the Lomonosov Prize "For a research method equal to the value of a microscope."

Svetlana BLINOVA

Keeping receipts for expensive purchases or services is a very healthy habit. It can help defend your rights or even avoid punishment in court. But it often happens that the inscriptions on this small document fade.

To prevent important evidence from turning into a stack of blank paper, you should heed the following tips.

Why does the paint on the check fade?

The first thought that comes to mind when you look at the already empty check paper is a worldwide conspiracy. It seems that stores specifically use disappearing paint so that later a person would not be able to present their claims. This version has the right to be, but there is a logical and objective explanation.

Most cash registers work without ink. For printing, special thermal paper is used, which reacts to heat, and on which the desired text appears.

This is very convenient for store employees, as there is no need to mess around with ink and cartridges. But this technology brings a lot of problems to the buyer. After a few months, the paper loses its properties and becomes completely white or black.

How to prevent?

It is difficult to save checks from fading, but it is possible. First of all, you need to adhere to the correct storage conditions for thermal paper.

An ideal place for checks would be a closed box or box where sunlight does not penetrate. Humidity should be up to 60%, and the temperature should not exceed 20 degrees.

It should be noted that it is impossible to allow contact between two receipts. It is better to allocate a separate file or envelope for each check.

But even such favorable conditions do not guarantee that the inscriptions will last a year or more.

To be on the safe side, it's best to make a copy of your receipt. This is especially important if the document concerns large sums or a serious matter. True, not all shops and institutions trust copies, so it should be certified.

This can be done at a notary or directly at the checkout using a seal and the signature “Copy is correct”.

Is it possible to recover a check?

All these tips should be taken into service for future purchases, but they will not save already faded paper. To do this, there are other ways to "resurrect" the check.

The easiest way to restore the inscriptions is to hold the check over the fire of a gas stove. You must be very careful not to burn the document and start a fire. A safer method is heating with an iron. You should use gauze or a simple cloth and set the minimum temperature.

A solution of salt and soda in equal proportions will also help. Gently wipe the paper with this mixture.

Do not throw away the receipt even after a little shopping in the supermarket. But it makes no sense to store a huge amount of paper, so you should regularly revise the stock.

Many consumers complain that it is not uncommon for ink from cashier's and ATM receipts to fade very quickly - within weeks or even days. The checks that we receive when paying for goods at the checkout are proof of purchase, but, according to the Consumer Protection Law, the absence of a check does not give the seller grounds to refuse the buyer's claims for the return of goods, warranty service, etc.

However, there are cases when the check should still be kept. For example, it must be attached to documents when applying to the tax service with a deduction for educational and medical services. Also, a check from an ATM can confirm the fact of payment for utility services if the tenant received an erroneous notice of debt.

Why can paint from checks fade?

Modern cash registers use direct thermal technology to print checks, says Tatyana Bulavina, head of the Information Policy Department at a large cash register company. “A receipt tape with this printing method is a paper carrier impregnated with a heat-sensitive composition on one side. The image on the check is formed by quickly heating individual thermal elements of the printer's print head while simultaneously winding the roll in the print path. From local heating on paper, certain areas turn black (or take on a different color, depending on the chemical composition of the thermosensitive layer), creating a visible text on the check, ”says Bulavina.

However, in order for the image on the checks to be preserved for a long time, cash tapes must be stored correctly. “Tapes must be stored under certain conditions: at low humidity, away from direct sunlight, away from hot objects. If these conditions are met, the client can count on the safety of information on the check for a period of at least six months. In case of violation of these conditions, the image on the check may lose contrast or disappear altogether,” the expert warns.

In addition, according to Bulavina, the paint from receipts can quickly fade if the seller purchased a receipt tape of dubious quality at a very low price.

How to save a receipt image?

Some people advise storing receipts in a dark, dry place, but in practice this does not always help to keep the image from the tape for a long time. Consumer Protection Lawyer Maria Sviridova says that the problem of fading checks has been around for a long time, so legal entities make photocopies of checks in a timely manner. Ordinary consumers can do the same. “A photocopy will allow you to prove the fact of the purchase, as well as verify the data of the banking transaction. At the same time, the original check itself, even if it has faded, should be saved and applied to a photocopy. In some cases, when the purchase was important and for a very large amount, the check can be immediately certified by a notary. If the check could not be saved in any form, you can prove the fact of the purchase paid by the card by receiving an account statement from the bank, ”advises the lawyer.

What are checks for?

It’s time to ask yourself: why keep a pile of unnecessary papers at all? In fact, often the receipt is needed precisely after it has already been thrown away.

Cases in which a check may be needed:

1. Return of goods under warranty. When buying expensive equipment or furniture, the buyer is given a guarantee that is valid for several years. It often turns out that the thing has deteriorated, and it needs to be returned or exchanged, and the receipt, during long storage, has already lost not only its presentable appearance, but also information. In this case, the buyer will be very unpleasant, since nothing can be done with the broken product for lack of evidence of its purchase.
2. Getting a discount in the store. Some stores have bonuses that can be obtained by accumulating receipts from purchases. For example, the buyer presents checks for a certain amount, and the seller gives him a discount card.
3. Housekeeping. Many families are busy accumulating checks for the month, and at the end they calculate the amount spent on certain products. These calculations are a necessary part of the family economy, because without it it is impossible to calculate future prospects.
4. Proof of payment for services. When paying for tuition or housing and communal services, there may be any problems that can be solved only by presenting a receipt for the actually completed payment. As a rule, these are rather big sums, so it will be sad to lose money due to bad receipt paper and ink.

Outcome

Now everything is based on money, and the documents associated with it are the most important in people's lives. That is why it is necessary to treat them with care, because in the most unexpected situation, a check may be needed to obtain monetary benefits.