PEPPOL

What is Peppol?

Peppol stands for Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line. It is a secure network set up by the European Union over which files, such as an e-invoice in UBL format, are sent. Peppol is often used for exchanging electronic invoices.

The aim of this platform is to organise the standardised exchange of e-invoices (receiving and sending) both between companies and governments (B2G) and between companies (B2B).

Governments in more and more countries require companies to send (electronic) invoices over Peppol for their transactions with public services. Since 2017 this has been the norm when invoicing the Flemish government and its services.  

Why use Peppol?

Peppol is comparable to email: every company has a Peppol address, the so-called Peppol Identifier or Peppol ID, with an inbox where invoices arrive. Sending invoices via this channel has important advantages for both parties:

  • Thanks to the UBL format, received invoices can be processed automatically. All software applications interpret the format and can process the data.
  • Peppol provides a conclusive acknowledgement of receipt, so the delivery of an invoice is formally confirmed. No discussions about that.
  • As with all electronic data exchange, all parties save time, errors are avoided and efficiency increases through automated processing afterwards.

Who can send via Peppol?

To send e-invoices via Peppol, an entrepreneur or company must register. This is done on the basis of the unique company number. onFact lets you activate your free Peppol registration with one click. Invoices are sent to the address – the registration – of the recipient, who is also registered on Peppol. In onFact you can immediately see whether the recipient you want to reach is already active on Peppol and can receive your messages.

How do you receive an invoice via Peppol yourself?

As soon as your company is registered, your suppliers can send you e-invoices. If an invoice arrives in your Peppol inbox, the document automatically appears in your processing list in onFact. Thanks to the universal UBL format, onFact imports the received document, so that, for example, an invoice can be processed fully automatically. The invoice is also immediately stored in onFact in the digital area where purchases are kept.