Jul 15, 2021 08:45 PM
Electronic invoicing is no longer a trend – it’s the norm. With the spread of e-invoicing surging across the globe, with it comes a myriad of laws, mandates, and new electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) compliance requirements. What’s important is not only meeting compliance standards but also following up on their developments in the local context. To stay compliant with e-invoicing regulations in the Netherlands, buyers and suppliers need to support Si-UBL 2.0, the updated version of a Peppol e-invoicing core format. Read on to learn what this means for your existing processes and how you can stay compliant in the Netherlands.
Across the globe, countries are turning more and more towards e-invoicing. Why? Because the benefits speak for themselves. E-invoicing drastically reduces the cost of processing an invoice, decreases the likelihood of invoice disputes, eliminates manual entry errors, increases global tax compliance overall, reduces the reliance on paper processing, and therefore, creates a greener more sustainable workplace.
E-invoicing is here to stay. While in the past, developments on the topic have largely been pushed by the private sector, there is an ongoing and notable shift towards governments driving the adoption of e-invoicing during the past years.
This can particularly be observed within the European Union: after the EU-wide harmonisation of e-invoicing standards through EN16931, an increasing amount of EU member-states rely on the Peppol network’s specifications for the exchange of electronic business documents. The Netherlands have been leading the adoption of Peppol e-invoicing for many years, and local regulations continuously expand to keep pace with modern developments in e-invoicing. Read on to learn more about Peppol, and what it means in the Dutch context.
What is Peppol and why is it important?
The Peppol Network is a common global framework for the cross-border exchange of electronic business documents. This means that Peppol is not a platform on which business documents such as invoices are exchanged – it is a network that connects many existing platforms, such as government platforms. Through this connection, the Peppol Network facilitates the exchange of business documents between various platforms. But even this description does not do Peppol justice, since it’s much more than a mere network: Peppol is an entire set of rules and technical specifications to harmonise electronic business document formats and transmission standards.
In short, Peppol is not only an e-invoicing format or an e-invoicing platform: it is the full package when it comes to seamless and efficient B2G and B2B connectivity. Ensuring this connectivity is a challenge for both, buyers and suppliers alike, no matter the size of the organisation. Already now, there are many local invoicing and procurement requirements and specifications all around the world, and Peppol plays an important role in this regard. Many transnational organisations sooner or later encounter Peppol access as a requirement:
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Many countries trust the Peppol business validation rules for local invoicing mandates & rulings.
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Peppol is also used in B2B connectivity and its importance here will grow over the years.
New Peppol SI-UBL 2.0 specifications in the Netherlands
While Peppol is already used across the globe, local sets of mandatory electronic business document formats and transmission standards tend to differ between countries. In the Netherlands, the latest country-specific rules can be found within the updated SI-UBL 2.0 specifications.
In practice, this means that the specifications that were in affect before SI-UBL 2.0 are now outdated – which brings direct practical implications for Peppol e-invoice compliance in the Netherlands.
Keep up with changing e-invoice compliance trends with Basware
Basware delivers a total e-invoicing solution, assisting you with all your compliance challenges from identifying obligations and assessing requirements to designing and managing solutions and keeping track of all the changes in the regulatory environment.
In other words, we support you in all aspects of e-invoicing compliance – especially when it comes to the seemingly constant updates and developments of e-invoicing core standards such as SI-UBL 2.0. To stay compliant with e-invoicing regulations in the Netherlands, buyers and suppliers need to support SI-UBL 2.0, the updated version of the Peppol e-invoicing core format. Basware now offers full support for SI-UBL 2.0, ensuring Peppol connectivity in the Netherlands.
Invoices are exchanged via the PEPPOL network in established XML formats. The XML variant 'UBL' is now the most common format in the Netherlands. UBL means “Universal Business Language” in full. The Basware invoice portal supports all valid Peppol UBL formats including:
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SI-UBL 1.2
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SI-UBL 2.0
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PEPPOL BIS v3 SI-UBL 2.0.
For all organisations and in particular, those who do business on a global scale, it’s hard to ensure compliance with all the different e-invoicing standards across your various geographies. In order to stay compliant, it’s important to team up with a service provider that keeps up with all the changes and has experience with global coverage.
For years, Basware has been gathering regulatory and best practice knowledge from local markets, building new format conversions, connecting locally authorised compliance partners and tax authorities, and enabling the use of digital signatures and certificates. With this all under our belt, we can support your global organisation through all aspects of compliance, covering both B2B and B2G connectivity.
As a global market leader in e-invoicing, Basware is the strongest partner to consider for your global e-invoicing compliance requirements. No matter your needs, Basware helps you cover all e-invoice delivery channels.
We provide a single source for global compliance by providing support in over 60 countries through our 200+ interoperability partners. We deliver multi-channel coverage combined with localised knowledge and connectivity to third parties.
So, how is it that we can provide all this for organisations worldwide? For starters, we’ve partnered up with the leading e-invoicing and tax compliance advisers and service providers, as well as with various local partners, to ensure our business network supports our customers for compliant e-invoicing where it’s needed the most. On top of that, Basware’s in-house compliance management works together with our service management team as well as with external advisers and authorities to maintain and improve the compliance support provided by the Basware Network.
Our network and its country coverage are growing constantly, ensuring organisations like yours with total compliance support. This frees organisations from the burden and complexity of global compliance and lets you focus on what matters – innovating the medical world.
As we discussed earlier, complying with global invoicing and tax mandates is complex and the consequences of non-compliance can be severe. But with Basware, you can automate your e-invoicing compliance across all B2G and B2B mandates that include different formats, processes, and archiving standards. You'll never lose sleep over compliance again as Basware supports you in your VAT compliance work in more than 50 countries and a certified PEPPOL access point.
Efficiency, compliance, and control – thanks to automation
At the end of the day, e-invoicing compliance isn’t easy. But when you let the experts support you, you gain efficiency, compliance, and control.
Efficiency.
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Reduce the costs associated with handling global tax compliance.
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Free resources from a large part of the burden and complexity of e-invoicing compliance to focus on core business.
Compliance
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Minimise errors by providing up-to-date tax information.
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Reduce the risk of financial penalties and other sanctions associated with non-compliance with regulations.
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For Basware's entire statement on how they assist with global compliance, view our General Compliance Notice on Basware Services here.
Read further blogs about e-invoicing compliance
“Let the pros help with global e-invoice compliance” - When it comes to keeping up with invoicing compliance, operations are further complicated by their global nature. But there is one clear way to simplify compliance with worldwide requirements – automation.
“Be prepared for France’s 2023 e-invoice mandate” - Read to learn how to be prepared for France’s comprehensive e-invoice mandate which will come into force in 2023.
“Germany’s new B2G e-invoice mandate for suppliers: ensuring compliance from day one” - Xrechnung, Leitweg-Id & Peppol: What matters & how to be compliant.
“Basware Network Ensures Compliance with India’s new National e-invoice Mandate 2020” - The Indian government is now taking the next step to ensure the nation’s tax compliance. This blog explains in detail what the mandate entails, who will be affected by it, and how Basware helps your organisation to stay compliant in the Indian market.
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