Who built this software?
This software is backed by Webnet IT, a Japanese company operating in Japan since 2003, and was co-founded by Paul Oswald and Jay Winder.For more information about the team, please check out our about page.
MakeLeaps
Why did a foreigner co-found MakeLeaps, a tool for businesses in Japan?
“I’ll answer this one directly. I came to Japan in 2001, and I started sending invoices for my freelance services in 2002.In 2003, I started to send out a lot more invoices, and I started running into all sorts of problems. So I built a basic prototype inside my original company designed to solve my problems. After showing this software to my entrepreneur friends, everyone wanted to buy it. This was both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because I had accidentally built something that people desperately wanted to buy and use. Frustrating because it’s 50 times more difficult to build a solution that works for every company, instead of just one company (my own).
I got very lucky when I met my co-founder Paul Oswald, and we started building MakeLeaps together back in 2010. Let me take a moment to thank you for your interest in reading this far! Please feel free to contact me directly any time if there’s any way I can help you get more value from MakeLeaps. My email address is jay@makeleaps.com.”
– Jay Winder
Was MakeLeaps localised in Japan? Where was it developed?
MakeLeaps was built in Japan, for businesses in Japan. Because it’s completely multilingual, we have some customers overseas who are using our software, but all of our features are designed to be of maximum benefit to companies and freelancers operating in Japan.
System
Do I need to install any software on my computer?
No. You can simply use your web browser, and access your data securely from anywhere in the world.
What web browsers do you support?
How does the system work?
Our system is a secure, distributed cloud architecture and operates in a similar way to other cloud services like Google Apps. Once you sign up Makeleaps, you can login to your account from anywhere in the world.
Data Security
Can anyone else access my data?
No, only the people you give access, and the MakeLeaps server administration team.
Can I invite my team members to work in my account?
Yes. Each plan sets a certain number of active members who can work as a team in one account. Please refer to our pricing page. Active members will have access to your work and can edit documents. During the 30-days free trial , the account owner can make a group and can manage access levels of each group member.
What about privacy and confidentiality?
We have carefully been looking after the confidential information of customers. Protecting our customers privacy and confidential information is built into our corporate makeup. You will find more of our security policy here (Japanese).
Is my data safe?
Yes. We go to extreme lengths to protect your confidentiality, data and privacy.
- We use SSL to secure your data, ensuring that all the data transmitted between you and us is encrypted and safe.
- We utilise high security data centers, with 24 hour monitoring.
- We use firewalls on our servers to protect against intrusion.
- We backup your data regularly to our secure servers.
- We use industry standard security methods and best practices, such as SHA256 salted password hashing, secure cookies, CSRF, XSS, SQL injection and clickjacking protection.
If you have any further questions about your data, please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@makeleaps.com.
Documents
What happens if I delete my documents?
If you made a mistake while creating a document you may want to delete it. By doing this it will be removed from all reports, lists, workflows, etc…
Be aware that deleted documents are not completely removed from the system and may be recovered from the history page. Document numbers that had been used by deleted documents may not be reused by future documents.
What is MakeLeaps Payments?
MakeLeaps Payments is a feature that allows you to collect payments from your clients via credit card. When you securely sent an invoice with MakeLeaps Payments activated your client will have the option to pay by credit card when he receives the document. MakeLeaps Payments saves you time and trouble and allows you to collect your invoices faster.
For more information in Japanese click here
Can I set the document number?
Yes. You can set the document number by simply putting numbers you want to use.
E.g. 1) “sample_02″ follows “sample_01″
E.g. 2) “sample_12b” follows “sample_12a”
Numbering order : 012 … 789aAbB…yYzZ.. “10”follows Z.
Please note that if you choose the existing document number, the data will be overwritten by new data.
If you have any questions , please contact support@makeleaps.com.
Document Preset
What is the Preset feature?
You can save contents in each document such as line items, remarks and bank details.
After setting Presets, you can create a new document and simply add document number, document date and client information and they are ready to be sent.
Can I preset the document setting I always use?
Yes. You can set Create Document Preset with default values for line items and other fields. You can then quickly fill in Documents with these Presets.
Can I use placeholders to insert dates automatically?
Yes, You can use the variables below when setting up your presets (document templates). You can use the variables to automatically set the document number, project title, line items and messages. Each placeholder will be replaced with the appropriate dates/numbers when you create the document using the preset.
Rules:
| General Rule | @(date|[placeholder]) |
|---|---|
| (For Document Numbers) | Insert _001 (or equivalent) at the end of the document number |
| (For English documents) | Insert %en before variables that need to be in English |
Variables:
| Pattern | Before Saving | After Saving |
|---|---|---|
| Year（yyyy） | %Y | 2017 |
| Year（yy） | %y | 17 |
| Month (m) | %m | 1 – 12 |
| Month (mm) | %M | 01 – 12 |
| Month | %enM | January |
| Month (Abb) | %enm | Jan |
| Day (d) | %d | 1 – 31 |
| Day (dd) | %D | 01 – 31 |
Examples:
| Pattern | Before Saving | After Saving |
|---|---|---|
| Date | @(date|%enM %Y) | January 2017 |
| Date | @(date-1M|%enM %Y) – @(date+11M|%enM %Y) | December 2016 – December 2017 |
| Date | @(date|%enm %Y) – @(date+2M|%enm %Y) | Jan 2017 – Mar 2017 |
| Document Number | @(date|%Y)_001 | 2017_001 |
| Document Number | @(date|%y%M)_001 | 1701_001 |
*Date variables reflect the issue date of the document.
Tax
Does MakeLeaps support withholding tax?
- Yes, we support withholding tax using a standard calculation:
Tax on the amount up to 1 million yen | Tax on the over 1 million yen |
Expenses × 10.00(%) | (Expenses – 1 million) × 20.00(%) + 1 million |
- We also support the Japanese Special Reconstruction Tax. Please refer to “What is the Japanese Special Reconstruction Tax being applied as of the 1st of January, 2013?”.
- While this is the correct calculation for many situations, please ensure that it is correct for your profession by contacting a MakeLeaps partner accountant or the National Tax Agency.
What is the Japanese Special Reconstruction Tax being applied as of the 1st of January, 2013?
- As of the 1st of January, there are changes to the law for withholding tax in Japan. If you need to use withholding tax in your business, this will affect how you create your quotes and invoices.
- To enable this, simply select the correct option on the ‘Create Invoice’ or ‘Create Quote’ page.
- Withholding tax rates with the Special Reconstruction Tax applied are calculated using this formula:
Tax on the amount up to 1 million yen | Tax on the over 1 million yen |
Expenses × 10.21(%) | (Expenses – 1 million) × 20.42(%) + 1 million |
How do I enable withholding tax support in MakeLeaps?
Please click on “Your Company” in the application, “Edit Company”, and turn on “Enable Japanese Withholding tax”. Then you will be able to apply withholding tax to individual line items in your invoices.
Should I apply withholding tax to my invoices?
It is very important to always check with an accountant regarding tax and withholding tax for your specific business situation. We have a number of excellent accountants and tax accountants who are MakeLeaps partners.
Automatic Creation
Can I automatically create batches of invoices by importing a file?
Yes. From the Car Plan and above, MakeLeaps supports batch creating invoices through our custom format. Please download our sample data file here (sample data is currently in Japanese only).
Send Document by Post
How do I cancel “Send by Post”?
If you have mistakenly sent a document by post, you can cancel your order.Documents sent by post will be available for canceling for up to 30 minutes after clicking the “Sending” button.
To cancel your order, you can find the correspondent document in the [List View] and click on the [Cancel Sending by Japan Post] button. Alternately, you can cancel it from the [Document View] page [Send] menu. 1 MailPoint (¥158 tax exclusive) will be refunded per one message after the cancellation.
It is also possible to cancel from the [Sent Documents] page in the [History] section by clicking the [View details] link.
When is my invoice actually sent?
Your invoice will be sent by the end of the next business day from when you clicked “Send by Post”.
Examples
- If you click “Send By Post” anytime on Monday, it will be sent on Tuesday.
- If you click “Send By Post” during a holiday or a weekend, it will be sent on next business day.
How do I know my invoice was sent?
You will receive an email notification confirming the time and date your invoice was sent. This email notification also includes the invoice number and your client name.
You can change the notification setting from the left menu [Team] > [(click your name)] > [Notification].
“Send by Post” is greyed out, I can’t click it.
The button is grey unless you have filled out your client’s address.
Do I need to fill out my address as well?
Not necessarily. Please bear in mind that Nexway do not support returning post to sender if it is not deliverable.
Can you send by Registered Mail? or Express mail?
In the future, we’re planning to have these options and many more. Unfortunately though for now, we do not support these features.
How much does it cost?
This entire process costs ¥158 tax exclusive yen, including the stamp fee and sales tax.
What is this Send By Post?
This feature allows you to send your document by post to any address in Japan.
Sending documents properly in Japan is very time consuming. With the click of a button we’ll do it all for you.
Once your documents are sent, you’ll receive an email notification.
How many MailPoints does it take?
Sending one invoice takes one MailPoint.
What happens when I click “Send By Post”?
An actual document will be printed, automatically sealed into an envelope, and then sent to your client. Step by step:
- Two extra documents will be attached in the envelope when it is dispatched.
- an address sheet that displays your client’s name, and your return address.
- a cover letter (送付状) for Japanese invoices with your client’s details, and your details. The date printed on the cover letter (送付状) is the same as on the invoice date.
- Your invoice and these two additional documents are queued to be sent by our partner printing company.
- All documents requested to be sent before 6pm will be posted by the end of next business day. After 6pm, document will be sent in two business days. (You can check the expected arrival date on the screen just before you click “Send”)
- After a document is dispatched, it will be sent by Japan Post, just like other envelopes.
- You can cancel your post request within 30 minutes from the time you click “Send”. The cancellation button is available in the [History] page or also in the right-hand menu in the document list page.
Your invoice quality, style, and presentation is a direct reflection of your company and services. We have spent a lot of time and effort making your invoice look great, and we’re very sensitive to your image and to details. Please check out these pictures for an idea of what your client will see when they open your invoice.
Who is your printing company?
Our printing and posting partner company is Nexway (株式会社ネクスウェイ). MakeLeaps and Nexway have been collaborating since February 2015. All invoice data is strictly managed and handled by both companies. You will find more of our security policy here (Japanese).
Secure Send
What is Secure Send?
Secure Send is the best way to send documents to your clients, and the best way for your clients to receive documents. It’s free, secure and environmentally friendly.
When securely sending a document the recipient will receive an email with a link to the document. The document can be downloaded or in the case of an invoice even paid if MakeLeaps Payments is activated for your account.
The link is unguessable and expires after 60 days. With optional settings, additional password protection could be enabled to the documents.
Is it possible to change the sender address of MakeLeaps emails?
With the “Custom Mail Domain” add-on, you can configure the sender address to be from your own domain.
This add-on is a paid option and is available only for customers in the Organization plan or above.
Please contact support for further details.
How do I cancel secure send document ?
If you have mistakenly securely sent a document, you may attempt to cancel it. Documents have been sent by secure send are send immediately but will be able to cancelled as long as the recipient has not yet clicked the link to view the document.
To cancel a secure send, find the document in the list view and click on “Cancel Secure Send”. Alternately, you can cancel the document from the Document View page “Send” menu.
It is also possible to cancel from the “Sending List” or “History” section by clicking the “View details” link.
Who receives emails when securely sending documents?
Each contact selected in the “Send to” section of the sending screen will receive their own email with the secure send link. By clicking the edit button you can select additional client contacts with an email address.
Each team member listed in the “Team Notification” section of the sending screen will receive a notification that the documents have been sent. To change which of your team members receive notifications edit your Notification Settings.
Email Notifications
What is custom domain setting?
For ¥4630 (tax exclusive) per month, custom domain setting allow you to use your own email address when sending documents via the MakeLeaps app.
If you’re looking for more help or have a question to ask, please contact us at (support@makeleaps.com). We’ll also be able to help you by chatting with you online. To start a new chat or to continue an existing one, you can click on the “Chat” icon in the lower right-hand corner of your browser.
Access control
What is Sales management?
MakeLeaps “Sales management” feature means the ability to create/convert documents, send by email or post, and mark as sent or paid anytime. Check Pricing.
What is Time tracking?
The MakeLeaps “Time Tracking” feature offers the ability to enter your team members’s time entries and add them to a timesheet. You can use this feature with any paid MakeLeaps plan.
Support
How do I contact you?
If you’re looking for more help or have a question to ask, please contact us at (support@makeleaps.com). We’ll also be able to help you by chatting with you online. To start a new chat or to continue the existing chat, you can click on the “Chat” icon on the lower right-hand corner of your browser.
When is support available?
Business days between 10am to 6pm(JST).