A customer or supplier wants to send you e-invoices via Peppol. What do you need to arrange? The good news is that you only set this up once. This page explains what receiving via Peppol means, which routes are available and which steps you take to become reachable.
What receiving via Peppol means
Receiving via Peppol means that a supplier sends a structured e-invoice to your Peppol ID. The e-invoice travels across the Peppol network to your designated Peppol Serviceprovider, which then delivers it to you: in your software, in a web portal or through a connection with your own system.
You do not need to arrange this separately for each supplier. Once you are connected, every participant on the Peppol network can reach you, regardless of which Peppol Serviceprovider that participant uses or which country it is based in.
Registering your Peppol ID
To receive e-invoices, you need a Peppol ID. This is your address on the network. Registration is usually handled by your Peppol Serviceprovider, and the Peppol ID is based on an identification number your organisation already has, such as a business register number or VAT number.
Want to know exactly how a Peppol ID is structured and how registration works? Read the page on the Peppol ID.
Routes for receiving e-invoices
Through your accounting software
Through a Peppol Serviceprovider portal
Through a connection
What happens to the invoice next
Once received, an e-invoice follows the same process as any purchase invoice. Depending on your route, this happens automatically or manually: the invoice is checked, matched with a purchase order where relevant, and passed on for approval and payment.
Because an e-invoice contains structured data, this process is considerably easier than with a PDF invoice. Amounts, VAT, invoice number and supplier details sit in fixed fields and do not need to be retyped or extracted. This saves time and prevents input errors.
Keeping the original file
The readable version you see on screen is not the actual document. The legally valid document is the original structured file you received via Peppol. You must keep that file for the statutory retention period that applies in your country.
So check with your Peppol Serviceprovider or software vendor: whether they archive received e-invoices, including the original file, on your behalf; for how long they do so; and whether you can export the original files yourself, for example if you later switch provider.
What this means for entrepreneurs
What this means for software vendors
Businesses expect their software to be able to receive e-invoices via Peppol. For your product roadmap, this means receiving via Peppol is a core feature rather than an add-on. The user experience matters just as much: display received invoices clearly, keep the processing flow straightforward, and make sure the original file is properly archived and can be exported. For the technical side, see Integrating Peppol into your software.
In conclusion
Just getting started? Also read Getting started with Peppol. Curious about the costs involved? See What does e-invoicing via Peppol cost.
You set up receiving e-invoices via Peppol once, and from then on you are reachable for every supplier on the network. Which provider suits your administration best depends on your software, your volumes and how much automation you want. Explore and compare the options on peppol.nu.
