* Since the publication of this article, Docoon has received its temporary registration as a Partner Dematerialization Platform from the French Public Finance Directorate under number 19.
👉 Another change: on October 15, 2024, the government announced a significant reduction in the scope of the PPF (Public Invoicing Portal). This public platform, initially designed to issue, receive, and manage electronic invoices for businesses, will now focus solely on two functions: the business directory and the tax data hub for e-reporting. As a result, all companies will now have to turn to a Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP) to exchange their invoices and report VAT.
In the middle of summer, the DGFiP (Directorate General of Public Finances) announced that the implementation of electronic invoicing would be postponed to a later date. This decision was motivated by Bercy's desire to give companies additional time to prepare for and successfully complete this major project. Following on from the press release of July 28, 2023, announcing the decision to postpone the entry into force of electronic invoicing and transaction data transmission requirements, the DGFiP has published a new timetable ¹ that pushes back the entry into force of the electronic invoicing reform to September 1, 2026.
At Docoon, we firmly believe that this postponement opens up a window of opportunity for all businesses, regardless of how far along they are in the transition to electronic invoicing, and here's why...
1. Electronic invoicing: continue and accelerate efforts already underway
For companies that have already undertaken significant work to meet the initial reform implementation schedule, the announced postponement is an opportunity to continue and accelerate the human and financial investment already made. Although electronic invoicing will not become mandatory for all companies until 2026, it should enable:
- Save time processing customer and supplier invoices. Teams are more productive.
- To reduce processing and archiving costs
- Secure exchanges between the company and its customers, and reduce errors
- Significantly reduce payment times by simplifying the billing process
- Provides real-time visibility into payments due and upcoming. This allows you to anticipate cash flow needs and make more informed financial decisions.
- To reduce the high environmental cost of paper printing
This additional time should be used to clarify the final use cases, test IT infrastructures, and ensure greater consistency with European legislation. In addition, we draw the attention of our contacts to the fact that they should choose a service provider that will be able to effectively manage all electronic flows according to a specific schedule. Four million companies are required to review their entire invoicing process, so some service providers, who will be responding to numerous requests, may not be able to meet your needs perfectly within a reasonable time frame: don't wait until the last minute!
Our opinion is shared by Cyrille Sautereau, president of the FNFE (National Forum for Electronic Invoicing): "We must ensure that organizations that signed up to the initial schedule are able to complete their projects, especially since they have invested in them, as have the companies that designed the partner digitization platforms."
2. An opportunity to catch up
For companies that have not yet seriously embarked on the electronic invoicing project, the postponement of the reform's implementation dates is an opportunity to catch up that should not be missed! There is still time to take action. We recommend the following:
- Update the SIRET and intra-community VAT numbers on your supplier and customer records now.
- Conduct a diagnosis of the existing situation by mapping all transactions with third parties and intra-group transactions, where applicable.
- Assess your level of digital maturity: do you already have a solution for digitizing invoices? If so, where does your service provider stand in relation to the reform? If not, who can you turn to within your ecosystem?
- Assess your internal human potential to lead the reform project. Who can take the lead, with which team, and how much time can be allocated? What training is needed?
- Ensure that suppliers and customers are also prepared to adopt this new billing method.
- Choose your connection method with the PPF (Public Invoicing Portal): directly? Via a certified PDP (Partner Dematerialization Platform)? An OD (Dematerialization Operator)?
Conversely, what are the risks of an unanticipated transition?
- You may be subject to late penalties. Examples: failure to comply with the e-invoicing obligation: €15 per invoice, up to a limit of €15,000 per year. Failure to comply with the e-reporting obligation: €250 per transmission, up to a limit of €15,000 per year.
- You lose competitiveness compared to competitors who comply with the reform.
- You are damaging your brand image. How will your customers, suppliers, and partners react?
- You will face compliance and data security issues related to electronic invoicing.
As a future PDP * and committed to helping our customers and partners successfully transition to electronic invoicing, we see this postponement of the electronic invoicing implementation schedule as a sign of the DGPiP's determination to succeed in a major reform that will boost business competitiveness. For organizations, this is a unique opportunity to accelerate or seriously engage in this project. Choose to anticipate rather than suffer!
(1) As part of the 2024 finance bill, amendment No. I-5395, tabled by the government on October 17, 2023, postpones the rollout, which will be implemented in two stages starting in 2026:
PHASE 1: from September 1, 2026, for all companies receiving goods and for large and medium-sized companies issuing goods
PHASE 2: from September 1, 2027, for small and medium-sized companies and micro-enterprises.
