From July 1, 2024, all VAT-registered businesses of all sizes must be able to receive invoices in electronic format from their suppliers.Article 153 of the Finance Act 2020 imposes this measure on B2B relationships. Its main objective is to combat VAT fraud. It can also be seen as strengthening business competitiveness and simplifying VAT declarations through pre-filling. However, it's high time to ask the question: from July 1, 2024, how will I receive invoices from my suppliers?
Roll-out schedule for electronic invoicing
The ordinance of September 15, 2021 specifies thatfrom July 1, 2024, all companies will be obliged toaccept electronic invoices.
Gradually, until 2026, invoicing in the same format will also become compulsory:
- July 1, 2024, for large accounts (companies with over 5,000 employees and/or sales of over €1.5 billion)
- January 1, 2025, for intermediate establishments (250 to 5,000 employees and/or sales of between €50 million and €1.5 billion)
- January 1, 2026, for small and medium-sized businesses
The law does not spare micro-entrepreneurs, even if they are not liable for VAT. They, too, will have to be able to receive electronic invoices from their suppliers, as well as send their invoicing and settlement data to the tax authorities electronically, using the method common to all businesses.
How do I receive an electronic invoice?
In concrete terms, companies will have to choose whether to issue or receive an electronic invoice:
- Or the Public Billing Portal (PPF), which centralizes and transmits billing data to the tax authorities.
- Or a partner dematerialization platform (PDP), i.e. one approved by the French government. Note that the platform does not have to be the same as that of the supplier sending the invoice.
The main difference between the two platforms is that the former is free, while the latter requires payment. The PPF will enable small businesses in particular to receive, enter and transmit their invoices online, free of charge.
How can you anticipate the dematerialization of invoices?
An electronic invoice is not a digitized paper invoice. It must go through one or two dematerialization platforms: the one chosen by the sender and the one chosen by the receiver. These platforms transform the data on the invoice into a standardized computer language that can be read and used by government software. Of course, they are also capable of converting the invoice into a format suitable for the recipient.
Initially, receiving an invoice from a professional via a platform won't pose any particular problems. All you need to do, preferably now, is think about which platform to use. This choice must be made with care, because the process doesn't stop when the invoice is received.
You also need to remember to collect the mandatory information required for all flows: B2B, international B2B and B2C, and check all contact details. Platforms check invoices for conformity, and reject them in the event of non-compliance.
In case of doubt, chartered accountants are there to help with the digital transition. The use of billing software can also be a valuable asset.