Peppol F.A.Q.
On this page, you'll find answers to the questions below:
What are the benefits of Peppol?
Sending and receiving e-invoices via Peppol offers several interesting benefits:
Time savings: All your purchase invoices arrive in one place, directly in your software—you no longer have to collect paper invoices, invoices sent via email, or invoices from online portals; they’re automatically gathered in your onFact account. Through onFact, you can also easily forward them to your accountant—a huge time saver for any business.
More efficient processing: Invoices are digitally readable—you’ll never have to retype anything yourself again; the program can fully read your invoice and automatically capture all amounts, dates, and payment information. Using handy onFact features like the QR code, Ponto integration, or payment basket, you can pay these invoices in a snap.
Security: Every sender on the Peppol network is verified. This means fake invoices can no longer be sent. Before you can use the Peppol features in onFact, you must also have your business verified: this ensures that only existing companies can register on the Peppol network. Confirmation of receipt: When you send an invoice via the Peppol network, the recipient immediately confirms receipt. No more problems with emails getting lost or ending up in the spam folder.
Do I need to create an e-invoice differently in my software?
NO
In onFact, you don’t need to create a “different” invoice if you want to send it via PEPPOL. Whether you create a sales invoice in onFact to send by mail, email, or PEPPOL makes absolutely no difference when creating your invoice. So you can simply continue to create invoices as you normally would: only the method of delivery will differ.
Behind the scenes, onFact converts your input (products, prices, VAT information, customer details, etc.) into an e-invoice format. You can still view and check a PDF version via the “Print Version”; when sending the invoice via PEPPOL, we don’t send a PDF file but an XML file containing all your invoice details.
Do I have to pay extra to use PEPPOL?
NO
Sending and receiving invoices via the PEPPOL network is included in all onFact subscription plans.
How can I still receive invoices from my suppliers in my email inbox?
THAT’S STILL POSSIBLE
When verifying your business, you can enter an email address. As soon as you receive an e-invoice via PEPPOL, we’ll also forward it to the email address you provided. This way, you’ll also receive a copy directly in your inbox.
The received e-invoice will be available in your “Processing List” under “Purchases,” from where you can further process or save it in onFact.
What is my Peppol Identifier or Peppol ID?
As a business, you must verify your identity once to be registered on the Peppol network. Once you are recognized on the network, suppliers can send you e-invoices, and you can also send e-invoices to customers.
When your company is registered on the Peppol network, a so-called “Peppol ID” or “Peppol Identifier” will be assigned to your business. Think of it like an email address or phone number: your “Peppol ID” is the unique address that suppliers use to send their e-invoices to you.
Peppol identifiers are based on your company’s existing unique identifiers, such as a company number, VAT number, IBAN, GLN number, etc. The type of identifier—often referred to as a “schema”—corresponds to a specific code. For example, the code for your business registration number is “0208,” and the code for VAT numbers is “9925.” You can obtain your full Peppol identifier by adding a colon after the schema and then your unique identification number.
Where can I find my Peppol ID?
You can find your Peppol ID in the official Peppol Directory (directory.peppol.eu) by entering your company name or your VAT number (or business registration number).
As an onFact user, you can easily find your Peppol ID in your onFact account.
Click on your email address in the top-right corner of onFact and go to “Company Settings.”
Select the “Peppol” tab.
On the right side of the screen, you’ll see your Peppol ID—one based on your business registration number and, if you have a VAT number, another based on your VAT number.
In the image below, the Peppol IDs are outlined in blue:
Do I need to provide my Peppol ID to my supplier?
In principle, this is not necessary. To send or receive an e-invoice, you need specialized software. Most software programs have built-in verification mechanisms that automatically check whether your customer is already active on the Peppol network.
Your supplier’s software likely has a similar check built in as well. When they want to send the invoice, the system will normally automatically indicate whether you, as a customer, are already active on the Peppol network and can receive the e-invoice.
If your supplier does ask you to provide your Peppol ID, you can find it using the information above.
Can I receive Peppol invoices at multiple locations?
NO
To receive e-invoices, you must register your business on the Peppol network. Once your business is recognized on the network, suppliers can send you e-invoices, and you can also send e-invoices to customers.
When your business is registered on the Peppol network, a so-called “Peppol ID” or “Peppol Identifier” will be assigned to your company. Think of it like an email address or phone number: your “Peppol ID” is the unique address that suppliers use to send their e-invoices to you.
To receive e-invoices via the Peppol network, you must have an active “Peppol inbox.” Think of it as your digital mailbox for e-invoices.
Your Peppol ID is unique, and so is your Peppol inbox.
E-invoices can be sent via Peppol from multiple systems at the same time
However, e-invoices can only be received via Peppol at one location
In practical terms, this means you can only activate this Peppol inbox in one program. In onFact, it’s very easy to activate that inbox: Ontvangen via PEPPOL
Where do I need to activate my Peppol services? In my software program or through my accountant?
To receive e-invoices, you must register your business on the Peppol network. Once you’re registered on the network, suppliers can send you e-invoices, and you can also send e-invoices to customers. To receive e-invoices via the Peppol network, you must have an active “Peppol inbox”: your digital mailbox for e-invoices. However, you can only receive e-invoices via Peppol in one place: in other words, you can only activate this Peppol inbox in one program.
Since you can only activate your Peppol inbox in one place, it’s best to consider where that would be most beneficial for you.
Activate the Peppol inbox in your software package:
E-invoices are received directly in your software package. If you also create your sales invoices in the same program, you only need to use one program for your financial and administrative tracking.
You can view the invoices using a preview feature or download them. This way, you can immediately see what you’ve been billed for and make the necessary payments.
From your software package, you can forward these e-invoices to an accounting package so your accountant can process them further.
You can use features to easily track and even make payments.
You get real-time insights into your suppliers and costs.
You receive feedback on sent invoices: are they accepted or disputed?
Activating the Peppol inbox in your accountant’s accounting software:
E-invoices are received directly in your accountant’s software. Your accountant can see and view the invoices.
Only if there is an option to forward such invoices to you as the business owner will you be able to see them as well.
Verification of the received invoice and payment tracking are then handled through your accountant’s accounting software
From the business owner’s perspective, it is therefore often most beneficial to receive these e-invoices directly in your own software.
If you activate your Peppol inbox in onFact, you’ll receive your e-invoices directly in your “Invoices to Process” list. If your bank account is linked, you can easily track payments for your purchase invoices. You can also forward these invoices to your accountant’s accounting software for processing via more than 30 active accounting integrations.
Can I send and receive e-invoices via Peppol from different programs?
YES AND NO
As a business, you must actively register your company on the Peppol network. Once you’re recognized on the network, suppliers can send you e-invoices, and you can also send e-invoices to customers.
Sending E-Invoices
To send e-invoices to customers, you can use multiple platforms at the same time. This means your company can send e-invoices via Peppol using either Software A or Software B. You will likely need to verify your company once on each platform to use the Peppol services.
One of the advantages of e-invoicing is that sending and receiving takes place via a closed network, the Peppol network. To be recognized on this network, you must verify your business once. Is your company a legitimate business? Are you an authorized representative of that company? Company verification ensures that only “legitimate” companies can register on the network and send or receive e-invoices.
Receiving E-Invoices
To receive e-invoices via the Peppol network, you must have an active “Peppol inbox”—your digital mailbox for e-invoices. However, you can only receive e-invoices via Peppol in one place: in practical terms, this means you can only have this Peppol inbox activated in one program.
Since you can only activate your Peppol inbox in one place, it’s best to consider where that would be most beneficial for you.
See also our article: "Where do I activate my Peppol services? In my software or through my accountant?"
How does self-billing work via Peppol?
You can also use the Peppol network for self-billing. Selfbilling-invoices can be both sent and received via Peppol.
What is self-billing?
In self-billing, the customer (the buyer) creates an invoice in the supplier’s name, rather than the other way around. In other words, the customer is essentially invoicing themselves.
With a regular sales invoice, the supplier sends an invoice to the customer, after which the customer checks whether all the details on the invoice are correct. When you issue a self-billing invoice, this information has already been verified in advance, which reduces the risk of errors (and credit memos). Since you already know exactly what the invoice will contain, self-billing is often more efficient for some companies because it involves less administrative hassle.
How can I send self-billing invoices via Peppol?
If your company is registered on the Peppol network, you need to check whether your current software package allows you to 1) create self-billing invoices and 2) send them via Peppol.
This is already possible in onFact. To create self-billing invoices, you can use the “Purchase invoices” module. Document ready? onFact automatically detects whether your customer can receive it. If so, click “Send via Peppol” to send it to your customer via Peppol in a single step.
How can I receive self-billing invoices via Peppol?
If your company is registered on the Peppol network, you’ll need to check whether your current software package allows you to 1) receive and 2) process self-billing invoices.
This is already possible in onFact. You can receive and view self-billing invoices with any onFact subscription. With our affordable paid subscriptions, you also have the option to save these documents in onFact in a separate journal, so you can share them with your accountant.
Since onFact also offers payment tracking, these documents can be linked to their corresponding payments after processing. This process is largely automated.
Click here to read more about self-billing in onFact: Selfbilling-invoices
What about foreign suppliers? Or customers?
Sending and receiving e-invoices in Belgium will be mandatory starting January 1, 2026, for transactions between business-to-business (B2B) customers and government agencies (B2G) in Belgium. These e-invoices will be sent via the Peppol network, which means that all Belgian companies must be registered on this network as of that date.
Foreign suppliers or customers “may” also be registered on an e-invoicing network (Peppol or another), but this will largely depend on the relevant national policies. Peppol is not currently mandatory for cross-border transactions, but it is strongly recommended. Starting in 2030, a general requirement will take effect in the European Union, making Peppol mandatory for all B2B transactions.
How can I receive invoices from foreign suppliers?
This supplier may still send you purchase invoices in a format other than an e-invoice. This could include an invoice sent by regular mail, a PDF file, etc. These documents can also be sent to you via email. That’s not a problem: you can upload and process them in your software package just as you did with other invoices in the past
Can I send invoices abroad via Peppol?
Since the e-invoicing requirement applies only to domestic transactions, you can still send an invoice to a foreign customer in other formats or via other delivery methods (by regular mail, PDF attachment, etc.).
However, it is quite possible that you might create an invoice for a French business customer and still be able to send it via Peppol. After all, e-invoicing policies are being rolled out in several European countries. If your software detects that the customer is registered with Peppol, you can send the invoice as an e-invoice—even to a customer abroad.
As soon as you create an invoice in onFact, the system will check whether the customer is active on Peppol based on the VAT number you entered. If so, you’ll be able to send the invoice directly from onFact to this international customer via Peppol.
What if my customer doesn’t have Peppol?
Sending and receiving e-invoices in Belgium will be mandatory starting January 1, 2026, for transactions between business customers (B2B) and government agencies (B2G) in Belgium. These invoices will be sent via the Peppol network, which means that all Belgian companies should be registered on this network by that date.
If it turns out that your customer has not yet registered on the Peppol network, you will not be able to send them an e-invoice via Peppol. What can you do?
The invoice can be sent using another method, such as email. The invoice itself will then not be an e-invoice, but rather, for example, a PDF attachment.
In the accompanying email, you can encourage your customer to register with the Peppol network.
You’ve tried to send your customer an invoice via Peppol, but the customer cannot be reached through this network. Any fines or consequences are the responsibility of your customer.
Inviting Your Customer to Peppol
Do you use onFact? If so, you can easily send an invitation link to your customer. Through the "Recommend onFact” page, you can easily invite customers to try onFact—and the Peppol services—for free. If your customer is convinced and decides to continue using onFact, you’ll receive a discount on your subscription. That’s a nice bonus
What if I still receive an invoice via email?
Sending and receiving e-invoices in Belgium will be mandatory starting January 1, 2026, for transactions between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) entities in Belgium. These invoices will be sent via the Peppol network, which means that all Belgian companies should be registered on this network by that date.
If it turns out that your supplier has not yet registered on the Peppol network, they likely cannot yet send you an e-invoice via Peppol. It is therefore possible that this supplier will still send you a PDF file via email instead of an e-invoice. What can you do?
As of January 1, 2026, such an invoice will not be legally valid, so you could refuse it. From a commercial standpoint, that might not be the most appropriate course of action, but it is certainly an option.
Contact your supplier and ask them to take the necessary steps to send e-invoices to their customers.
If you are already registered on the Peppol network and have an active inbox, you are able to receive e-invoices. Any fines or consequences will be the responsibility of your supplier.
How can I invite my supplier to join Peppol?
Do you use onFact? If so, you can easily send an invitation link to your supplier. Through the “Recommend onFact” page, you can easily invite suppliers to try onFact—and the Peppol services—for free. If your supplier is convinced and decides to continue working with onFact, you’ll receive a discount on your subscription. That’s a nice bonus!
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