Send Documents via PEPPOL

With BestInvoicing, next to sending documents via email, you can also send them over the PEPPOL network. PEPPOL is a network set up by the European Union for the exchange of electronic invoices or e-invoices.

PEPPOL can be compared to email: every company can register for a PEPPOL address to which invoices can be sent and received in a company inbox. Exchanging invoices via this channel has two important advantages for both parties:

• invoices can be processed automatically

• there's a tight proof of delivery, which rules out any discussion on whether an invoice has been delivered or not.

Activating Your PEPPOL Inbox

In order to receive invoices via PEPPOL, you first need to activate an inbox in BestInvoicing by creating a PEPPOL address.

Your PEPPOL addresses are generated based on company registration number and VAT number. This way, your suppliers can also easily detect whether or not you as recipient are actively registered on the PEPPOL network.

You can register to PEPPOL directly from BestInvoicing:

1. Navigate to your email address at the top right corner of BestInvoicing

2. Click the menu and select 'Apps and Integrations'

3. Select the tab 'Apps and Integrations Related to Documents'

4. Click 'Activate', next to the app 'Send and Receive Invoices via PEPPOL'

5. Next click the yellow 'Configure' button

6. Click the button 'Register your company on the PEPPOL network'

7. BestInvoicing will create two addresses:

   1. one based on your company registration number

   2. one based on your VAT number

   Your suppliers may now use one of both to send you an invoice.

Your PEPPOL inbox has now been activated: it can be found behind the cogwheels in the upper right corner as part of the processing lists. If your PEPPOL inbox is not activated yet, the screen will look like this (see right side, 'Click here to activate your PEPPOL inbox'):

Click the frame to activate your PEPPOL inbox. The inbox icon will turn blue and you'll see a message confirming that you've successfully registered to PEPPOL.

Receiving Invoices via PEPPOL

If you receive an invoice via PEPPOL, it is placed in the processing list for incoming purchases. A nex inbox is created to the right side of the screen, displaying your PEPPOL address. The documents will automatically be listed in the list at the bottom.

Any invoice received via PEPPOL is also sent to the email address mentioned in your BestInvoicing Company Information.

Sending Invoices via PEPPOL

Create a new invoice or open an existing invoice. In the summary window, an extra frame will appear above the timeline: it will display whether or not your customer is registered to the PEPPOL network.

If your customer is detected on PEPPOL, you'll see the option 'Send via PEPPOL' in the menu behind the blue 'Actions' button. If the customer is unknown to PEPPOL, you'll see a message indicating that the customer is not listed on the network and the blue 'Actions' button will only allow you to send via email or regular mail.

When sending an email via PEPPOL, you don't need to add an accompanying text such as you would with a regular email. Simply sending the document is sufficient.

After refreshing the window, you'll immediately see that the customer has received your invoice via PEPPOL:

Invoicing the Government via PEPPOL

In case you need to send invoices via PEPPOL to governmental services, the procedure is exactly the same. In some cases, governmental services require adding an order reference. That can easily be done in BestInvoicing: read here how to do it.

By adding this reference in a separate field on BestInvoicing documents, it can be sent in a structured way via PEPPOL.