Prepare Your Organization for Electronic Invoicing via Peppol
Starting January 1, 2026, e-invoicing will be mandatory for all VAT-registered businesses in Belgium. This means that PDF invoices will no longer be sufficient for B2B transactions.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss what this change entails, how you can prepare your business, and what benefits automation with software like ScanSys offers.
What does the new requirement entail?
The new regulations require all VAT-registered businesses in Belgium to use electronic invoices for incoming and outgoing B2B transactions. The goal is to simplify administrative processes and combat VAT fraud.
Electronic invoices must comply with European standards, such as the use of structured formats (e.g., XML) and transmission via the Peppol network. PDF invoices are no longer sufficient because they cannot be processed automatically by accounting systems.
Companies that supply only to private individuals are not required to send electronic invoices, but they must be able to receive structured invoices from their suppliers. This means that all companies must adapt their systems to comply with the new standards.
What does this mean for your business?
To ensure compliance, your invoicing and accounting software must be configured to communicate with the Peppol network. Peppol enables you to exchange invoices securely and in a structured format between your organization and other companies. This ensures a more efficient invoicing process and prevents errors that often occur during the manual processing of PDF invoices.
It’s good to know that there are solutions, such as ScanSys, that help companies easily transition to e-invoicing. Their software, ImageCapture, integrates seamlessly with existing ERP systems such as Exact Software and offers extensive capabilities for the automatic processing and management of invoices.
Benefits of Automation with Scan Sys
ScanSys is a software company that provides solutions for electronic invoicing. With ScanSys, organizations can automate their invoicing processes, minimize errors, and improve efficiency, making it easy for them to transition to structured e-invoices via the Peppol network.
The latest version of ScanSys is easily accessible through your web browser. After a central installation, you’ll be greeted by a very user-friendly interface, whether on your computer or your smartphone. The ScanSys workflow ensures that you can easily make all your invoices digitally available in no time. Of course, the security of this system is also important; that’s why ScanSys uses MFA authentication.
Do you already have an older version of ScanSys? If so, we'd love to share the latest updates with you:
- Importing UBL invoices: With the introduction of Peppol, it is now possible to import UBL invoices into ScanSys. This offers advantages, such as improved recognition of information from the UBL file, including items, payment references, and VAT numbers.
- Direct communication during the booking process: Ask other users or approvers questions directly during the booking process. This feature improves efficiency by enabling immediate feedback and clarification before an invoice is finally submitted. All communication takes place within ImageCapture, which ensures better traceability and minimizes paper flow.
- Save Booking Templates for recurring bookings.
- Add text or remove images on the PDF invoice in the web client. These changes are visible to approvers or later in the purchase entry, so you no longer need to print anything out to add a note.
- Pie charts in the web client: View the processing status of documents at a glance. This visual representation provides a quick overview of the various stages documents are in. By clicking on the corresponding color, you can automatically filter documents into specific groups, which speeds up document management.
- Configuring Workflows from the web client.
- Save invoices as PDFs from the web client.
What is Peppol, and how does e-invoicing work through this network?
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) is a network for the secure and standardized exchange of electronic invoices between businesses and government agencies. Invoices sent via Peppol are structured electronic documents in formats such as XML and UBL (Universal Business Language).
This system ensures seamless integration between various accounting and ERP systems, allowing invoices to be processed automatically without human intervention.
To send Peppol invoices, you must sign up through a provider (similar to how you need a provider like Proximus or Telenet for internet access). Exact Online offers the option to send these electronic invoices through their service within the software.
Connecting to this network means you’ll benefit from a faster, more secure, and error-free invoicing process. In addition, you’ll be immediately compliant with European e-invoicing regulations.
The integrated solution from Scan Sys and Peppol
The ScanSys and Peppol solution integrates seamlessly with Exact Software, allowing you to easily automate and manage incoming and outgoing e-invoices. No matter how documents are received (via email, portals, or web services), the integration ensures that the process runs securely and efficiently.
The key features of this integration are:
- Full automation: ScanSys software automatically converts documents to the Peppol format (UBL), reducing the need for manual data entry and verification.
- Seamless integration with Exact: ScanSys automatically creates journal entries in Exact Software based on incoming invoices.
- Advanced validation: The solution detects and corrects incomplete or incorrect data, significantly reducing the risk of billing errors.
- Digital document management: Invoices are securely stored in a digital archive, where they can be easily accessed and managed, so you always have a complete and clear overview of your transactions.
Are you ready for the future?
With the introduction of mandatory e-invoicing via Peppol in 2026, it is essential that companies adapt their systems and processes in a timely manner. We are happy to support you and your organization in making the transition to a solution like the one offered by ScanSys.
This not only ensures compliance but also helps you streamline your administrative processes and save money. Feel free to contact Felix or one of our other experts if you’d like to learn more.
Felix Verhulst
