Electronic invoicing

Following the postponement of the introduction of mandatory electronic invoicing at the European level as part of the ViDA reforms, Belgium is implementing general mandatory electronic invoicing for B2B transactions from 1 January 2026. The move to mandatory electronic invoicing is important to reduce the VAT gap, the difference between what the government should receive in VAT revenue and what the government actually receives, and to further a reduction in the administrative burden for businesses.

What are the benefits of electronic invoicing?

• E-invoicing is cheaper and faster.
• Faster invoicing results in faster payments and an improved cashflow for your company.
• Incoming and outgoing invoices are recorded in the accounts immediately upon receipt or issuance of the invoices. This makes real-time accounting possible and the tool of choice to run your business.

What impact will this change have?

• Belgium has chosen to adopt the Peppol-Bis standard as its norm. An electronic PDF-format is no longer qualified as an electronic invoice ;
• Electronic invoicing becomes mandatory for almost all taxpayers based in Belgium;
• The new rules apply to local B2B transactions in Belgium. The new rules do not apply to B2C transactions. Rules on electronic invoicing already exist for B2G.

Necessary actions for companies?

Although the finance minister speaks of an ample transition period during which businesses can get ready for mandatory B2B electronic invoicing, it is advisable to take the necessary steps to implement the new rules in business procedures and systems as soon as possible. Specifically, enterprises should ensure that their ERP package or invoicing tool can send, receive and process electronic invoices in the Peppol-standard. Finally, the electronic archive must ensure the readability, integrity and authenticity of the electronic data throughout the mandatory 10-year retention period.

Crowe is ready to help you apply these new rules in your company. Reach out in case of any questions.