Electronic invoicing: still have questions? Good news - we’ve got the answers!

In early February, we hosted an online Q&A session dedicated to electronic invoicing and the Peppol network. Given the success of the event, we decided to gather the most frequently asked questions and answer them in this article.

1) Does a non-profit organization (ASBL) or a property management association with a company number but no VAT number need to register on Peppol?

No, the obligation does not apply. However, using Peppol remains allowed. And what if the organization is a mixed VAT taxpayer (partly exempt under article 44 and partly non-exempt)?

If the taxable activity can be clearly separated from the exempt activity, only the taxable activity must go through the Peppol network.If no clear separation exists, everything must go through Peppol.

2) Do the XML files generated by Adfinity include the legal texts related to VAT regimes (reverse charge, etc.)? And is this a legal requirement?

The requirement is to populate at least one of the following XML tags:

• TaxExemptionReasonCode
• TaxExemptionReason

Adfinity already supports generating the first tag through Peppol mapping configuration. Starting from version 2.7, Adfinity also allows populating the second tag using the same configuration as for PDF sending.

3) Besides the Démat Dashboard, is there another way to view Peppol attachments for incoming supplier documents before the encoding is completed?

The only way to view these documents is through the Démat Dashboard, which centralizes all documents before posting.

4) Are Digiteal and Mercurius competing products?

Mercurius is only available for the public sector.
Digiteal can be used by all entities required to use Peppol. Since Adfinity communicates directly only with Digiteal, a bridge was created between Digiteal and Mercurius so that public entities already registered with Mercurius can keep that registration while still using Peppol through Adfinity.

5) In which Adfinity version is it possible to map Peppol XML details to accounting/analytical allocation? Which tags are concerned?

Starting from Adfinity version 2.7, it is possible to use the following tags to perform automatic allocation:

6) How can I indicate a contact person on the invoice?

Adfinity uses the client's main contact person.

7) How are bank accounts managed when receiving a Peppol invoice?

If a single bank account is provided and it does not exist in Adfinity: The default bank account will be used for posting. The account from the XML will still be displayed on the layout generated by Adfinity.

If a single bank account is provided and it does exist in Adfinity: It will be used for posting and shown on the layout, whether it is the default account or not. If it is not the default account, a red “!” will be displayed : 

If multiple accounts are provided and none exist in Adfinity: The default account will be used for posting. The accounts from the XML will be shown on the layout (up to 3 accounts).

If multiple accounts are provided and some exist in Adfinity: The last existing account listed in the XML will be used for posting.If it is not the default account, a red “!” will appear. The accounts from the XML will be shown on the layout (up to 3 accounts).

8) When a Peppol sending fails because the customer is not registered or is foreign, is it possible to receive a notification?

It is not possible to send an invoice via Peppol if the customer is not registered on the network. An error report is generated with the list of invoices that were not transmitted. These invoices can then be sent by email as part of the process.

In version 2.7, Adfinity performs the check in a single step: If the customer is not on the Peppol network, email sending happens automatically.

With specific configuration, the sales invoice list can also show whether an invoice was sent via Peppol, via email, or not sent at all.

9) How can you keep an overview of a customer with several customer records, knowing that only one Peppol ID can be entered?

At the moment, it is indeed necessary to create multiple records. However, you can use the consolidation company feature to link the customer records together. This allows the figures to be consolidated.

10) PDF generation conditions in Adfinity based on XML (version 2.7)

• The Adfinity layout is only generated if the XML does not contain an encrypted PDF.
• It can be generated and placed either on the first or last page.

11) Handling of amounts in the PDF generated by Adfinity

In version 2.7, the amounts from the XML included in the PDF are:

• Total VAT
• Invoice total
• Prepaid amount (if applicable)

12) Is it normal to receive supplier invoices in the wrong Adfinity environments (different entities) when the XML contains the correct VAT/company numbers?

No, this is not normal. This issue is currently being handled by our Product team.

13) What should be done about supplier invoices with a total of €0 received in Adfinity? Is there a way to block them?

If it is a “prepaid” invoice, the amount should not be €0. In the new version, these invoices are now handled correctly, whether or not they have been paid.

14) What can Easi do regarding the 50‑character limitation of the “Description” field, which is essential in Peppol invoices but far too short?

When sending the invoice, a comment can be added in addition to the description. This comment is placed in the “Note” tag of the XML file.

15) Can self‑billing be sent in the same way as a regular sales invoice created in Adfinity? The details of the self‑billing arrive by email.

Self‑billing invoices must be sent via Peppol. This is done through the Purchasing section of the PSM commercial management module in Adfinity, starting from version 2.6.12 and later.

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