Receiving e-invoices over Peppol: what happens
Receiving an e-invoice over Peppol starts with being findable: you register a Peppol ID through a service provider. Suppliers' software looks you up, sends the structured invoice to your provider, and your provider passes it to your software, where someone checks it before it is approved and paid.
Receiving is the half of e-invoicing people tend to forget. Where a country requires e-invoices between businesses, your suppliers must send them, and you must be able to take them in. This guide walks through what happens on the receiving side, step by step. New to the network? Start with what Peppol is.
Before anything arrives: be findable
A supplier cannot email a Peppol invoice to you. Their provider looks up your Peppol ID on the network to learn which provider receives for you and which document types you accept. If you are not registered, the invoice cannot be delivered over Peppol, and the supplier falls back to whatever they did before.
- Pick a provider. That can be your invoicing software's own connection or an accredited Peppol provider you contract yourself. If you are comparing options, how Peppol access points differ helps.
- Register your ID. Usually a company or VAT number with a scheme code in front. Your provider handles the registration.
- Tell your suppliers. Give them your Peppol ID so they can check it, and ask them to stop sending PDFs for the invoices that must be structured.
What happens when a supplier sends an invoice
| Step | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supplier | Creates and sends the invoice from their software |
| 2 | Supplier's provider | Checks the format, looks you up and sends it over the network |
| 3 | Your provider | Receives it and hands it to your software |
| 4 | Your software | Reads the structured data: supplier, lines, amounts, VAT |
| 5 | Your team | Checks it, approves it and plans the payment |
Because the invoice is structured data, nobody has to retype it. The supplier, the invoice number, every line and every VAT amount arrive as fields. If someone wants to read it like a document, software can show it as a PDF, but the data is the invoice. Why a PDF invoice is not an e-invoice explains the difference.
What to check before you accept it
Structured does not mean correct. An e-invoice still deserves the same review a paper bill would get, and a few checks matter more now that data flows straight in:
- Is it really for you? The buyer details should be your company, with your VAT number.
- Do you know the supplier? Match it to a supplier you already work with, and look twice at a new one or changed bank details.
- Is it a duplicate? A supplier may send the same invoice twice, or send a PDF copy as well.
- Do the numbers add up? Lines, VAT and totals should agree with what you ordered and agreed.
- Does it need an internal reference? Some businesses ask suppliers to quote a buyer reference so each invoice reaches the right person.
The checklist for receiving Peppol invoices turns these into a routine you can hand to whoever processes supplier bills.
When something is wrong
If an invoice is incorrect, do not edit it. Ask the supplier for a credit note or a corrected invoice, exactly as you would with paper. Peppol also has a way for the receiver to report back whether an invoice was accepted or rejected, though not every provider or business uses it. A short message to the supplier with the reason still goes a long way.
The other half of the exchange is covered in sending an e-invoice over Peppol.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be registered to receive Peppol invoices?
Yes. Suppliers' software finds you through your registered Peppol ID. Without it, the network has nowhere to deliver the invoice.
Can I reject a Peppol invoice?
Yes. Peppol has an optional response message, the Invoice Response, that can tell the supplier you reject an invoice and why. Not every provider or business uses it, so a direct message to the supplier is still wise.
What if a Peppol invoice is addressed to the wrong company?
Do not process it. Tell the supplier, and ask them to credit it and resend it to the right buyer. Checking the buyer details is one of the checks to make on every incoming invoice.
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