Peppol as a fast track towards compliant e-invoicing

Electronic invoicing is growing increasingly important for Belgian businesses. No wonder, since it’s more secure, more standardized, more efficient, and more economical than invoicing on paper. delaware specializes in implementing e-invoicing with Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online), an international standard for e-invoicing.

Why use Peppol?

In Belgium, electronic invoicing is regulated by law, and companies can use electronic invoices provided they meet certain legal requirements. These include ensuring that electronic invoices are signed with an advanced electronic signature, preserving the integrity of the invoice throughout its life cycle, and ensuring that electronic invoices are in a structured format.

Since 2019, the use of e-invoicing has been mandatory in Belgium for all B2G (business-to-government) invoices. It is expected that on 1 January 2026, this obligation will be extended to B2B invoices (as referred to in this press release). Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations in Belgium to switch to e-invoicing to remain compliant, but also to enjoy the benefits of this modern and efficient invoicing method.

Compliance: Implementing electronic invoicing ensures compliance with legal requirements for invoicing, sparing your organization from potential penalties and legal issues.
Increased efficiency: Electronic invoicing reduces the time and costs associated with paper-based invoicing. The automated invoicing processes also minimize the risk of errors. By speeding up payment cycles, e-invoicing results in faster payments to suppliers.
Enhanced security: Compared to paper-based invoicing, invoicing via electronic means ensures greater security, as it enables secure data transfer and minimizes the risk of fraudulent activities.

Environmental impact: Implementing e-invoicing in an organization promotes sustainability by reducing paper consumption and waste associated with traditional invoicing methods. It also supports the organization's efforts towards environmental responsibility and contributes to a greener future.
Cost reduction: The implementation of paperless invoicing enables companies to reduce costs associated with printing, paper, postage, and manual data entry. By eliminating paper-based invoicing, it also mitigates the risk of lost or misplaced invoices that can result in further expenses.

Let's go into detail

Peppol is a set of technical specifications initiated by the European Commission, enabling businesses and government organizations to exchange electronic documents, such as e-invoices, across borders in a standardized format. This is in line with the 2014/55/EU legislation that established common European standard for e-invoicing in public procurement, making it easier for businesses to exchange invoices with public entities across the EU.

The Peppol standard operates on a four-corner model that involves a sender, a recipient, and two access points. The sender creates a message in the network's format and sends it through their access point, which in turn references the recipient's Peppol ID and forwards the message through their access point. The access points then confirm the successful delivery of the message with a transport acknowledgment.

By embracing electronic invoicing, companies can streamline their operations, save money, and prepare for the approaching legal requirements.

Peppol with SAP

The SAP Document and Reporting Compliance (DRC) solution spans the entire workflow, from the generation of electronic documents and compliance reports in the prescribed format, to the endorsement and submission. In addition, this solution ensures a seamless and standardized user experience across all supported compliance reports via the intuitive interface of SAP Fiori.

One of the solution’s main strengths is the massive global coverage: Belgium is among more than 57 countries already covered by SAP DRC. The country-specific formats are fully compliant with the Belgian e-invoicing legislation, including the requirements for public authorities to accept e-invoices in the Peppol BIS format. As a certified Peppol Access Point, SAP DRC can facilitate secure and reliable transmission of e-invoices. SAP DRC also provides a range of features to support compliance, such as a holistic dashboard to unify the user experience across scenarios and countries, convenient management of corrections, and real-time monitoring of compliance status.

Want to know more?

Get in touch with Isabel De Bruyn

Peppol with Microsoft Dynamics

delaware customers running the Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O platform can be confident of their compliance with the imminent e-invoicing requirements in Belgium. Support is provided by an integrated solution that performs the required communication directly from the Dynamics 365 F&O towards the PEPPOL network.

The delaware solution SmartLink ensures the connection between your Dynamics 365 F&O solution and the Peppol network. Using this connection, a seamless communication with this network is performed using a limited set of dedicated APIs that automatically and securely retrieve the required customer info to avoid errors and delays in invoice processing, send the invoice to the network, and monitor the status of the invoice communication in real time. All information is gathered in a portal, enabling customers and end users to clearly monitor what happens at Peppol.

Want to know more?

Get in touch with Anne-Sophie Speybroeck

Why work with delaware?

delaware offers specialized expertise to businesses operating in diverse industries. Our team of highly experienced consultants possesses deep knowledge and understanding of the Belgian market and its unique legal landscape. We excel in implementing and customizing cutting-edge technologies, such as SAP and Microsoft Dynamics, ensuring that our solutions are tailored to suit your specific business requirements.

We prioritize collaboration and maintain close partnerships with our clients, fostering long-term relationships and providing ongoing support to help you achieve your business objectives. You can count on delaware to deliver comprehensive consulting services that drive growth and success for your organization in the Belgian market and beyond.