What Peppol actually is
Peppol is an international network that carries business documents between companies. Every participant is identified by its company number and connects through an accredited access point, much like an address and a carrier for registered mail.
What travels is not a PDF. It is a structured file in the Peppol BIS format that the recipient's software reads on its own: invoice number, date, lines, VAT rates, payment details. Your customer never has to retype it.
-
A PDF sent by email is still a document a human has to read, however well it is laid out.
-
A Peppol invoice is a set of data validated at sending time, so incomplete invoices are stopped straight away.
-
The network confirms delivery, so you know whether your invoice reached the recipient.
You can still send a readable PDF to your customer alongside it. One does not replace the other: the structured document is the one that counts as the original.
Who is covered and who is not
The obligation applies to invoices between VAT registered businesses established in Belgium. If you invoice professionals you are covered, whether you run a company or work as a sole trader, full time or as a side business.
Invoices to private customers stay outside the scheme. You keep sending them by email or on paper, with the same legal mentions as before.
-
Self-employed people under the VAT exemption scheme must at least be able to receive structured electronic invoices.
-
Businesses exempt under article 44 of the VAT Code, such as certain medical professions, fall outside the obligation to issue.
-
Sales to private customers, point of sale takings and receipts are not concerned.
Even if you mostly serve private customers, switch on reception. Your suppliers will send their invoices through Peppol and you do not want to discover them a quarter late.
What changes in your daily work
The first change is how strict the data has to be. A wrong company number or a line without a VAT rate went unnoticed in a PDF, but it makes a Peppol transmission fail.
The second is payment rhythm. Your invoices land directly in the customer's accounting tool instead of a crowded inbox, which shortens the time before approval.
The third concerns your purchases. Supplier invoices arrive in structured form and are read automatically, which cuts manual entry and missed deductible VAT.
-
A clean customer database becomes an asset: complete company number, legal form, exact address.
-
Mandatory details belong on the invoice line, not as free text at the bottom of the page.
-
Credit notes follow the same route as invoices.
Sending your first Peppol invoice
The path is shorter than it looks. In practice it comes down to four steps.
-
Check your own record: company number, registered address, VAT scheme and bank details.
-
Complete the company number of your business customers, then check that they are registered on the network.
-
Create the invoice as usual, making sure every line carries its VAT rate.
-
Send it, then check the delivery receipt. If it is rejected the reason is shown and the fix takes seconds.
Make your first send to a customer you trust, ideally early in the month. You will see immediately whether anything is missing from your company record.
The mistakes that cost time
Rejections almost always come from the same causes, and none of them is hard to fix.
-
A company number typed with spaces or without the country prefix.
-
An invoice line at 0 % with no mention of the exemption or of the reverse charge.
-
A billing address that differs from the one registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises.
-
A customer not yet registered on the network, who still needs a PDF until they are set up.
-
Advance payments invoiced outside the software, which break the continuous numbering.
Keep one single continuous numbering for all your invoices, whatever the sending channel. It is the first thing your accountant will look at.
How Novadesko handles Peppol
Sending and receiving run through the built in access point, with no extra software and no separate contract.
-
The invoice is validated before sending, and missing fields are flagged while you write it.
-
The delivery status sits on the invoice itself, with the exact reason when something is rejected.
-
Incoming purchase invoices are filed and matched against your payments.
-
The exports for your accountant stay available, in the same place as before.
Frequently asked questions
Is a PDF sent by email still valid between businesses?
It is still useful as a reading copy, but it no longer replaces the structured invoice between VAT registered Belgian businesses. The electronic document sent over the network is the one that counts.
Do I have to pay a separate subscription for Peppol?
At Novadesko, sending and receiving are included in the plans. The details are on the pricing page, with no charge per document.
How do I know whether my customer can receive a Peppol invoice?
The check runs on their company number when you create or save the customer record. If they are not registered yet, you know before you send.
What happens if an invoice is rejected by the network?
It does not count as sent. The reason for the rejection is displayed, you correct the field concerned and send again without recreating the invoice.
What about my private customers?
Nothing changes for them. You keep sending a classic invoice by email or on paper, with the same legal mentions.
Read next
This article is for information only. Rules and thresholds change every year, so confirm your situation with your accountant or the FPS Finance before acting on it.
