Invoicing via Peppol: comparing software for sending and receiving

What is Peppol and how does the exchange work?

Peppol stands for Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line. It is an international set of agreements and transport network with which organisations exchange structured digital documents. Instead of a loose PDF by email, you send a structured electronic message drawn up according to the Peppol BIS specification. This specification builds on the XML format Universal Business Language (UBL) and lays down exactly how invoice lines, VAT rates, identifiers and totals must be structured.

An incoming Peppol invoice is, incidentally, not automatically correct, approved or paid. The receiving administration software can read in the fields directly without anyone having to retype data manually. However, the substantive check remains necessary. You still have to verify whether the goods or services delivered match the purchase agreements, whether the correct VAT rate has been calculated and whether the authorised budget holder approves payment.

It is also important to stay alert regarding legal requirements. The fact that governments encourage electronic invoicing does not mean Peppol is the only permitted route or that a general obligation applies to every type of business invoice. Which requirements apply differs per client and sector. So check in advance with your trading partners or via the information from the Dutch Peppol Authority which specific routing and delivery formats apply to your deliveries.

Sending and receiving: the four-corner model explained

The Peppol network works according to the four-corner model (4-corner model). This model ensures that sender and receiver do not have to be connected to the same software supplier:

• Corner 1: The sender. Your company draws up a sales invoice in an accounting or invoicing package.
• Corner 2: The sender's access point. The software supplier or service provider validates your invoice against the Peppol BIS standard and forwards it over the network.
• Corner 3: The receiver's access point. The certified provider receives the document on behalf of the customer.
• Corner 4: The receiver. The customer retrieves the message in the purchase administration for checking, approval and payment.

Thanks to this structure you do not have to build a custom integration with each individual customer. As long as both parties are registered with a recognised access point with a valid identification number, such as a Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number or an Organisation Identification Number (OIN), the systems can exchange data.

Connection routes via administration software

If you want to start with Peppol, you generally choose between two practical software set-ups, depending on how your business is organised:

• Route 1: Directly from an integrated invoicing program. If you work as a freelancer or run a compact SME, you often create quotations and invoices in one central package. A modern invoicing software handles the registration with an access point in the background. You send outgoing invoices directly from the sales menu and see incoming invoices in your journal.
• Route 2: A specialised invoice processing solution. Companies with large purchasing flows or an external ERP system often choose to route incoming invoices via separate invoice processing software. This software acts as a central filter for matching with purchase orders, approval by project managers and automated journal entries to the general ledger.

Documented capabilities of Moneybird and Zenvoices

Not every software package supports the same parts of the Peppol network. Some packages focus on both incoming and outgoing flows, while others concentrate on processing purchase invoices. We look at the documented capabilities of two Dutch suppliers.

Moneybird: sending and receiving in one administration

Within Moneybird's administration platform, Peppol functionality is documented for both sending and receiving invoices. According to the Moneybird documentation on Peppol, you go through a verification process in the settings to register your organisation on the network. Once the registration is active, the system can send sales invoices via Peppol when a contact is registered. Incoming invoices are placed directly in the purchase overview.

Check which subscription suits your administration and whether the Peppol functions you need are included. Our comparison of Moneybird and e-Boekhouden.nl covers the package structure. Here it is mainly about the route of your invoices.

Zenvoices: focus on incoming invoice processing

Then investigate which checking and approval steps you want to carry out within Zenvoices and which information goes to the accounts. The documentation on receiving does not automatically support every form of order matching or every integration.

The available primary documentation for Zenvoices shows support only for receiving and reading in documents. There is no evidence in the sources examined that Zenvoices works independently as software for creating and sending outgoing sales invoices via Peppol. Organisations that want to send outgoing invoices must therefore assign that task to their sales or invoicing software.

Selection criteria for software demonstrations

Because software packages differ from one another in their Peppol integration, it is wise to ask targeted questions during a product demonstration. Use the table below as a guide for the functionalities you can verify:

Cost structure and a fictional cost example

Rates for Peppol exchange are calculated in different ways on the market. Many providers of compact accounting packages include the access point integration in their regular subscription price. Specialised processing modules and enterprise connectors, on the other hand, often charge a fixed base amount per administration combined with a tiered price per processed document.

Below is a fictional worked example comparing two neutral subscription models for a company with a monthly volume of 100 transactions (70 outgoing sales invoices and 30 incoming purchase invoices):

This fictional worked example shows that a fixed bundle model can be financially attractive with a steady flow of documents. A modular transaction model often offers more flexibility when invoice flows fluctuate strongly or when advanced approval is required.

Step-by-step plan for connection and verification

To connect your organisation to the Peppol network, you go through the following steps:

1. Establish your official identification. In the Netherlands, companies generally register with their Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number (Peppol scheme 0106). Government organisations often use an Organisation Identification Number (OIN, scheme 0190).
2. Choose the connection route in your software. Check in your settings whether your current accounting package has a certified access point or whether you need to connect an external connector.
3. Complete the identity verification. To prevent abuse and ghost invoices, the access point carries out a check on your business registration and the authority of the applicant.
4. Check the receiving registration. Have your service provider confirm on which identification number you receive and which document type is supported. Only searching a public directory is not a complete check.
5. Agree a trial with your supplier. Use a test environment or a real invoice agreed in advance. Do not send a fictional invoice to an unsuspecting customer. Check the order reference, lines and delivery status together.

Which direction suits your business?

Are you looking for a clear way of working in which you send sales invoices and receive purchase invoices directly from one environment? Then an integrated accounting package such as Moneybird is a logical choice to investigate. You then do not need separate contracts with access points.

Do you already have a financial system or ERP environment and mainly want to route, check and approve incoming supplier invoices automatically before they are booked? Then look at a specialised processing solution such as Zenvoices. In that case make sure your sales side is connected via a different route if you also want to send out Peppol invoices yourself.

Do you want to process incoming invoices further? See the profile of Zenvoices and compare the connection with your administration. For the outgoing flow you will find Moneybird in the software overview. Check the subscription and the required activation for each route.