eInvoicing is gaining momentum across Australia and New Zealand, but with that comes plenty of misconceptions. From concerns about complexity to confusion about what eInvoicing actually is, these myths can slow down adoption and prevent businesses from realising the benefits. The reality is, eInvoicing is designed to make invoicing simpler, faster, and more secure – but misinformation often stands in the way. In this blog, we’ll unpack some of the most common myths we hear and set the record straight.

Myth 1: eInvoicing is just sending PDFs via email

One of the biggest misconceptions is that eInvoicing simply means emailing a PDF invoice. But it’s not. eInvoicing refers to the direct exchange of structured invoice data between accounting systems via the secure Peppol network, without the need for manual data entry. Unlike PDFs, true eInvoices are machine-readable, automatically processed and help reduce errors. This ensures greater accuracy, faster processing and a smoother experience for businesses.

Myth 2: eInvoicing is only for large enterprises

Many small businesses assume that eInvoicing is only for corporations with complex financial systems. eInvoicing is designed to benefit businesses of all sizes, especially SMEs that struggle with late payments and administrative costs. Governments in Australia and New Zealand are actively encouraging small business adoption, with incentives and resources available to make the transition easier. Including faster payment times helping improve cash flow. We provide our web portal, Colladium, for small businesses to send and receive eInvoices for free!

Myth 3: eInvoicing is expensive and hard to implement

Some businesses fear that switching to eInvoicing requires a costly software overhaul. The truth is, most accounting platforms like Xero, MYOB and QuickBooksalready support eInvoicing, often at little or no extra cost. While there may be an initial learning curve, the long-term savings from reduced admin, fewer errors and faster payments outweigh the effort of implementation.

Myth 4: My customer isn’t using the same software as me, so I can’t send eInvoices to them

eInvoicing works with any software, so anyone can use it. It operates through the Peppol network, which uses Access Points, like MessageXchange, to send and receive eInvoices. Think of it like a mobile network – just as Telstra, Optus and Vodafone connect calls regardless of the phone you use, Access Points enable eInvoicing, no matter what software you have.

Myth 5: eInvoicing is not secure

With increasing cyber threats, security concerns around eInvoicing are understandable. However, eInvoicing is actually more secure than traditional invoicing methods.

• Peppol eInvoicing operates on an encrypted network, reducing the risk of invoice fraud and email phishing scams.
• Unlike emailed PDFs, which can be intercepted and altered, eInvoices go directly from one accounting system to another, eliminating tampering risks.

While clearing up these common myths helps paint a more accurate picture of eInvoicing, it’s also important to acknowledge that implementing eInvoicing isn’t without its challenges. Even with the right information, businesses may still face hurdles when it comes to adoption and rollout. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key challenges organisations encounter on their eInvoicing journey.

Challenge 1: Lack of awareness and understanding

A major hurdle to adoption is that many businesses simply don’t know what eInvoicing is or why it matters. Without clear guidance, it can seem like an unnecessary change. Governments and industry bodies are ramping up education efforts. Businesses can also consult their accounting software providers to see how easy it is to enable eInvoicing. Even if one business adopts eInvoicing, it only delivers full benefits when trading partners also come on board. Businesses can encourage suppliers and customers to make the switch by highlighting efficiency gains and compliance benefits. Governments are also offering incentives to drive adoption.

Challenge 2: Resistance to change

Many businesses are reluctant to move away from familiar processes, especially if their current invoicing system “works just fine”. The transition to eInvoicing doesn’t have to happen overnight. Businesses can start by enabling eInvoicing within their existing software and adopting it gradually. The benefits –faster payments, fewer errors, and reduced admin – will quickly prove its worth.Want to get more information on eInvoicing for your organisation? Get in touch with our experts below.

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This year has been a big one for eInvoicing in both Australia and New Zealand. Governments have rolled out new initiatives to boost adoption, and we’ve also seen some technical updates to eInvoicing messaging to put us in good stead going forward. There are now nearly 200,000 businesses and 461 government agencies able to receive eInvoices and more than 1.5 million eInvoices have been sent in Australia and New Zealand, while the number of eInvoices sent each month has more than triple in New Zealand. Let’s take a look at the highlights of the year and what we can expect in 2025 and beyond.

Australian Budget 2024: eInvoicing funding for the next four years

The Australian Government’s 2024 budget included significant investments in digital technology and fraud prevention, with eInvoicing playing a key role. Here are some of the main announcements:

• Funding for eInvoicing: The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has been allocated $23.3 million to maintain the national eInvoicing network for the next four years. This funding will also help promote eInvoicing adoption to improve cash flow, reduce payment redirection scams, and boost productivity for small businesses.
• Payment Times Reporting Scheme: The Australian government have committed $25.3 million over four years to improve cash flow and boost productivity by supporting the Payment Times Reporting Scheme. This adds to the existing policy introduced by the government of 5 days payment terms for all invoices where Peppol compliant eInvoicing capability exists.

Peppol PINT A-NZ Billing: A move towards international interoperability

To improve interoperability between regions, the Peppol PINT specifications have been introduced by the Australian and New Zealand Peppol authorities. These specifications differ from the A-NZ Peppol BIS 3.0 standards we’ve used since 2018. Key changes include:

• Updates to the UBL file exchanged between Access Points.
• Changes to the registration and lookup of receiving capabilities in the Service Metadata Publisher (SMP).

If you handle accounts payable eInvoices, you’ll need to be ready to receive the new PINT A-NZ format. While senders can start using the PINT A-NZ specification now, it will become mandatory from 15 May 2025. Check out our blog to learn more about the PINT specifications changes.

New Zealand Government procurement changes

Starting January 2026, around 135 New Zealand government agencies, including major ones like ACC, Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency), Health NZ, and NZ Police, will need to:

• be able to receive eInvoices.
• pay 95% of domestic trade eInvoices within five business days.

Additionally, agencies that send more than 2,000 invoices annually will need to send them as eInvoices. These changes aim to lift productivity and improve public sector efficiency by adopting smarter ways of working. Faster payments will also help small businesses with limited cash flow.

Xero enable eInvoicing for more New Zealand businesses

Xero took a significant step in increasing eInvoicing adoption by enabling the service for all New Zealand users, except those who have opted out, mirroring its earlier rollout in Australia. Xero customers can access eInvoicing at no additional cost, making it easier for businesses to adopt this streamlined invoicing process. This move aligns with the New Zealand government’s efforts to increase eInvoicing adoption nationwide. By enabling eInvoicing for a broader user base, we'll see uptake increase and see more New Zealand businesses embrace more efficient invoicing practices.

What’s expected in 2025

Looking ahead to 2025, we can expect some key developments in the eInvoicing space:

• Consultation on Supplier eInvoicing: The New Zealand Government will consult with businesses on requiring certain government suppliers to send eInvoices, as part of the Government Procurement Rules. Outcomes are expected to be reported in February 2025.
• New Message Types: There’s a possibility of introducing order messages, including purchase orders, to the eInvoicing network. While Peppol has specifications for these messages, they haven’t been implemented yet.

Additionally, agencies that send more than 2,000 invoices annually will need to send them as eInvoices. These changes aim to lift productivity and improve public sector efficiency by adopting smarter ways of working. Faster payments will also help small businesses with limited cash flow.Ready to have a look at eInvoicing for your organisation? Ask our experts by getting in touch below.

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The New Zealand Government has recently changed their procurement rules for suppliers. These changes look to benefit suppliers, particularly small and medium business, with their cash flow. Here’s a breakdown of the changes.

What changes are coming?

The New Zealand government is updating its procurement rules to expand the use of eInvoicing across a wider range of public agencies, and has set a target for agencies to pay eInvoices in 5 days, in a view to boost efficiency and support businesses. These changes were announced by Economic Development Minister Hon Melissa Lee and Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Hon Andrew Bayly on the 5th of November 2024. Starting January 2026, about 135 government agencies, including major ones like ACC, Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency), Health NZ and NZ Police, will need to be able to receive eInvoices and pay 95% of domestic trade envoices within 5 business days. Agencies who send over 2,000 invoices per annum will also be required to send them as eInvoices. Michael Alp, the eInvoicing Executive Sponsor and Chief Operating Officer at MBIE, emphasised the benefits already being seen by businesses, such as faster payments, better cash flow, reduced administrative work, and improved security. The push towards eInvoicing is expected to streamline transactions, minimise errors, and reduce the risk of payment fraud, creating a more efficient and reliable payment system for New Zealand’s public sector suppliers. The Government will also begin consulting with businesses on requiring certain government suppliers to send eInvoices as part of the Government Procurement Rules, with he outcomes to be reported back to Cabinet in February 2025.

Why are they being introduced?

The Government is ambitious about lifting New Zealand’s economic productivity and improving public sector efficiency, which means adopting smarter ways of working. Prompt payment is especially important for small businesses which have limited cash reserves – an unpaid or late invoice can be the difference between being able to pay staff on time or not. Having invoices paid on time can mean a world of difference to small and medium sized businesses

How to get started with eInvoicing

The best time for government agencies and businesses alike to get started with eInvoicing is now. For government agencies, earlier implementation means avoiding the rush. For businesses, it means getting faster payments earlier. The process to get started is easy:

1. Look at your business processes This is to understand your current business processes and where eInvoicing could fit. It’s important to set objectives for your eInvoicing and have buy in internally.
2. Review software capabilities
   • Does your software support eInvoicing?
     • If so, to what extent? Some software providers will offer a fully-integrated solution, while others might produce a file and customers will have to find their own Access Points.
     • Does eInvoicing require an update or an additional cost?
   • Does your software produce the Peppol file? If it doesn’t, your Access Point may be able to translate the file to the Peppol format.
   • Is your software cloud based or on-premise?
   • What connection protocol your software can work with?
3. Find an access point Look at access points and the solutions they provide, a few things to think about should be:
   • Technical capability Make sure they can get you connected with your partners and the Peppol network quickly and easily. You should also be looking for a provider that can offer other services to future proof your investment.
   • Experience It is important to know about your provider’s experience and how they keep up to date with eInvoicing developments.
   • Pricing and support Understand exactly how you will be charged and what support you will receive to avoid any conflict in the future.

Check out our A guide to adopting eInvoicing whitepaper to learn more here.Want to get started with eInvoicing? Ask our experts by getting in touch below.

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You might’ve heard about the Peppol PINT A-NZ Billing specification recently, as all Peppol users in Australia and New Zealand will soon have to adhere to the new standard. But what is it? Well, it’s pretty technical, but we’ve tried to spell it out in plain English below.

What is PINT A-NZ Billing?

It’s a new specification that is being mandated by the local Australian and New Zealand Peppol authorities. It’s a slight change from the existing A-NZ Peppol BIS 3.0 specification we’ve used since 2018. It mainly impacts:

1. The UBL file that is exchanged between Access Points (and in some cases, onto the software)
2. The registration and lookup of receiving capabilities in the SMP (service metadata publisher).

What are the changes?

There are four main changes in the new PINT A-NZ Billing specification:

1. New identifier values

Basically, in the UBL file that Access Points exchange between each other, there will be a field in there that specifies the specification that message is using – either the A-NZ Peppol BIS 3.0 specification or the new PINT A-NZ Billing specification.

2. Wildcard scheme

At the moment, each organisation registered has specific information registered in the SMP (service metadata publisher), which is basically the master registry for Peppol. Usually it’s your Access Point who will manage the registration for you. It holds information such as:

1. your identifier (like your ABN, NZBN or GLN)
2. the identification type (whether it is an ABN, NZBN or GLN)
3. the message(s) you can receive (such as invoices, credit notes, business response messages).

And now, it will hold the Peppol PINT specification(s) you can receive. For example, if you can receive all PINT specifications, like from Australia and New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and everywhere else, your entry would have “pint:billing-1*” – the wildcard (*) denoting you can receive all. However, if you can only receive the A-NZ PINT specification, your registration would have “pint:billing-1@aunz-1”.

3. Business rules

Basically, the rules in the specification have been tidied up – some identifiers of the rules have changed, some rules have been rationalised and redundant rules have been removed. Also, rules that used to have a ‘warning’ have been removed, given they added little value.

4. Publication of the specification

The new specification is published on the OpenPeppol website like the previous specification was, but this one is documented in a better, more usable format, with the ability to drill down via semantic or syntax definitions and users can easily navigate between related objects.

Why are these changes being made?

Many regions have their own Peppol specifications designed for the local market and practical use cases within that region. For example, the EU, Singapore and Japan have their own specifications. The idea behind the new PINT specification is to achieve interoperability between regions. The new PINT standard is an umbrella specification that can be specialised to create new specialisations.

What’s the practical impact for those sending and receiving eInvoices?

From what we’ve seen, the change is usually being made by the party who produces the Peppol UBL eInvoice, or consumes it. We’ve seen these two examples:

1. The accounts payable/receivables software exports/imports the Peppol UBL file

In this case, the software may need to make changes on their side, given they export/ingest the Peppol UBL file, which is the file affected by this change.

2. The Access Point maps the Peppol UBL file to/from the Peppol UBL to the accounts payable/receivable’s software’s native format

In this case, it’s usually the Access Point who can make the change and build this change into the map that goes to and from the sender and receiver’s software. Of course, whichever scenario you’re in, we always recommend thorough testing before going live.

What are the dates to be aware of?

If you’re receiving accounts payable eInvoices, you must be able to receive the new PINT A-NZ specification by Friday the 15th of November 2024. Senders can start sending eInvoices in the PINT A-NZ specification from that date, but must send them in that format from the 15th of May 2025.

Does this mean you can send and receive cross-border Peppol eInvoices now?

If your Access Point and software supports receiving eInvoices in different regions’ specifications, the answer is yes. As for sending Peppol eInvoices overseas, it depends on what your customer’s Access Point and software can support.Want to learn more about Peppol PINT A-NZ Billing requirements? Fill in the form below to get in touch with our experts.

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It can be easy to overlook the technical requirements of eInvoicing and focus more on benefits. To get all the insights on the technical aspects of eInvoicing, we had a conversation with our eInvoicing knowledge bank, Luke Zahra.

Q: When putting together a project team, who should be involved, particularly on the technical side?

Luke:

• ERP Consultant/Systems Expert
• Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable team
• Implementation Team/Integration Specialists
• Business Analyst
• Project Manager

Q: Are there certain software specifications needed to implement eInvoicing?

Luke: No specific software specifications are required. As long as there is a way to extract or ingest eInvoice documents from your system, we can accommodate the implementation. We can work with your current software to ensure it integrates seamlessly with the eInvoicing process, including translating to the required formats if needed.

Q: What if your software doesn't currently export the UBL file format or use the fields set out in PINT A-NZ specifications, can you still implement eInvoicing with your existing software?

Luke: Just for those who are new to eInvoicing, PINT A-NZ specify the fields that are used in each document, like the eInvoice. The specifications are designed to be standard for most invoices generated by accounting and ERP systems. If your current software does not fully meet these specifications, we can work with your existing invoice format and provide guidance on adjustments needed to comply with the PINT A-NZ standards. This ensures that your invoices can be successfully translated into the UBL PEPPOL format for eInvoicing.

Q: Are there other message types I can utilise within the Peppol network besides eInvoices?

Luke: The main message types outside of the eInvoice are:

• Credit Note
• Invoice Response: informs the Seller when their invoice has been approved or payment has been initiated
• Message Level Response: Lets the sender know whether the eInvoice has been received correctly by the receiver. These messages also detail what went wrong through specific syntax errors.

Peppol has other procurement messages in their specifications, but they're not yet widely used in Australia or New Zealand.

Q: What are the top three questions you get asked the most during the implementation process?

Luke: Clients often seek guidance on how the Peppol four-corner model works, including the roles of access points, and how data is transmitted between different parties. Clients often seek advice on the specific standards and best practices for eInvoicing in Australia and New Zealand. This includes knowing which fields are important when sending eInvoices to customers and understanding which fields to expect on incoming eInvoices from suppliers. Clients needing advice on which documents (e.g., invoices, credit notes, invoice responses) to implement in their eInvoice process and the best way to integrate these documents within their existing systems.

Q: What advice would you suggest to organisations implementing eInvoicing?

Luke: Start by evaluating your current invoicing processes and identify areas for improvement. While eInvoicing offers a streamlined and efficient approach, it’s important to understand how it will integrate with your existing procedures and address any manual complexities that may arise. Engage with your accounts payable and accounts receivable teams to ensure a smooth transition. Be aware of mandatory requirements for receiving invoices. If your business has specific rules that go beyond the standard PINT A-NZ specifications, these may need to be implemented using an Invoice Response document. This document allows you to block accounts payable eInvoices that do not meet your specific requirements.Want to learn more about getting your business ready for eInvoicing? Fill in the form below to get in touch with our experts.

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With our experience in eInvoicing and other B2B integration, we’ve seen firsthand what customers have found useful, particularly during planning and implementation. So who better to ask for advice than our resident eInvoicing expert, Andriy Tyshchuk, who has years of experience in B2B integration, both from the end-user perspective and the service provider side.

Q: What benefits do customers get from eInvoicing?

Andriy: Customers are seeing the typical benefits that you often hear about when it comes to eInvoicing. Suppliers are seeing faster payment and improved cash flow, fewer disputes and rejected invoices and better relationships with customers. Buyers are seeing more automation, reduced invoice processing costs and less paper usage.

Q: Do any stages in the eInvoicing implementation process stand out and why?

Andriy: At the moment, one stage stands out more than others: onboarding customers and suppliers. eInvoicing is growing but it can be challenging to plan the onboarding process. Making sure you are segmenting your partners and communicating to each is key. Providing incentives, particularly faster payment times, for suppliers who send eInvoices can definitely help.

Q: How are businesses choosing an eInvoicing service provider?

Andriy: There are a few things customers seem to look for in an eInvoicing service provider. A key one is experience, particularly having a thorough understanding of the software they use, file formats and connection types they use, and having had success with them. We’ve worked with many software packages, but heavily with SAP, Oracle and Technology One.

Having localised and tailored support that can cater to their needs, as well as being competitive on price have been other factors. And we also see customers choosing based on word of mouth and reputation in the industry.

Q: What do we need from businesses to get them started?

Andriy: The process is very quick and easy for implementing eInvoicing. We just need to know what software you use, the file formats your software uses, and the connection type – how your software can connect to us. And we also need to know if they require us to implement any business rules to check specific information on invoices and automate approval and payment processes.

Q: What advice do you have for organisations currently looking to implement eInvoicing?

Andriy: Plan ahead with all the information required to get started. For buyers receiving invoices, make sure you know your connection protocols, file format and business rules. Certain ERP requirements may be needed, so we need to look at how that data can be obtained from the supplier’s software or whether we find other ways to populate the information needed. I’d also use our ‘matchmaking’ service to see which of your trading partners are already sending eInvoices and could be ‘low hanging fruit’ to onboard.Want to learn more about getting your business ready for eInvoicing? Fill in the form below to get in touch with our experts.

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eInvoicing is kicking into gear with small business. Many of the key benefits of eInvoicing positively impact small business, particularly faster payment times. The government is adding funding to increase adoption of eInvoicing to small business. Here are some of the initiatives planned by the government to increase adoption and what options you have to get started with eInvoicing.

Fighting digital scams

Small businesses are among the potential beneficiaries of a $67.5 million funding package to help fight digital scams. The funding would be used to implement measures and technology to reduce digital scams. One of the key technologies to fight scams is eInvoicing. The eInvoicing network reduces scams by registering all users in the network making it difficult for scam users to get through.

Increasing funding to reduce payment times

The average payment term for Australia's small businesses is currently 35.8 days. Government sees long payment terms as a pressing issue for SMEs. As part of their budget announcement, there will be $25.3 million invested to improve payment times to small businesses. Some of this funding is to support the Payment Times Reporting Regulator to implement reforms recommended by a statutory review that will help small businesses improve payment times.

Funding for ATO to use towards the eInvoicing network

$23.3 million to increase eInvoicing adoption. Government is securing more large business champions who will actively promote and onboard business partners to eInvoicing in their supply chains. As larger businesses jump onboard they will be looking to onboard their suppliers both big and small. In addition to this, some of the funding will be used to create the following initiatives in increasing eInvoicing adoption including:

• Treasury will continue to explore policy that could increase economy-wide adoption of the technology.
• Working with industry to resolve implementation issues and irritants.
• Working with DSPs to explore further opportunities to proactively register customers onto the eInvoicing network.

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In 2023, total losses from reported scams reached $2.74 billion, according to the ACCC’s Scamwatch. In response to this, we saw the recent Australian federal government budget announcement include significant funding for digital technology and fraud reduction. eInvoicing is one of the way the government sees businesses, government and the wider economy can benefit from digital technology and achieve a reduction in fraud. Here’s how the budget announcement impacts eInvoicing.

Improved cash flow

The government is looking to fund initiatives that improve payment times to small businesses. They have committed $25.3 million over 4 years to improve cash flow and boost productivity by supporting the Payment Times Reporting Scheme. This adds to the existing policy introduced by the government of 5 days payment terms for all invoices where Peppol compliant eInvoicing capability exists.

Increased eInvoicing adoption

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will receive $23.3 million to continue operating the nation’s eInvoicing network. This funding will also be used to increase eInvoicing adoption in the economy to improve cash flow, disrupt payment redirection scams and boost productivity for small businesses. As part of this funding the government will be:

1. Continuing the operation of the Australia Peppol Authority and the eInvoicing network, including specifications, accreditation, and network governance.
2. Working with DSPs, business, and government to ensure the eInvoicing environment is ready to expand at scale:
   • Increasing federal agency readiness to send and receive eInvoices.
   • Working with industry to resolve implementation issues.
   • Increasing DSP readiness.
3. Targeted activities to increase adoption:
   • Working with DSPs to explore further opportunities to proactively register customers onto the eInvoicing network.
   • Securing more large business champions who will actively promote and onboard business partners.
4. Develop policy:
   • to help embed eInvoicing as a default channel for sending and receiving invoices in government.
   • to increase economy-wide adoption of the technology.
   • To developing eInvoicing branding.

Fighting digital scams

Small and medium businesses are among the potential beneficiaries of a $67.5 million funding package to help fight digital scams. The government will give $37.3 million to develop mandatory industry codes and enforce them to guard against scams through a Scams Code Framework.Want to learn how eInvoicing help your business against scams and improve efficiency? Get in touch with our team by completing the form below.

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For businesses in Australia and New Zealand who take advantage of electronic invoicing (eInvoicing), they can nor automate the approval and payment processes to save a significant amount of time, money and resources.

Automating approvals of eInvoices for payment

Traditional invoicing processes often involve manual approval workflows, which can be time-consuming and prone to delays. With eInvoicing data, businesses can automate the approval process by setting predefined rules and workflows. For example, invoices can be automatically crossed check with predetermined criteria for approval such as invoice amount, purchase order number, quantities on the order, quantities received and prices on invoice match those on the order. This streamlines the approval process, reduces bottlenecks, and ensures invoices are processed in a timely manner.

Streamlining payments with payment gateways

MessageXchange allows you to set criteria to automate the payment of an eInvoice through our Payment Gateways. Once the approval criteria is deemed to be met, your Gateway can then create the payment and send it onto your bank. MessageXchange is even smart enough to look at things like your company’s cash position, to determine the best payment method. This saves teams time from having to check how payment should be completed. Conversely, if the approval criteria is not met, an escalation workflow can be invoked for further review. This saves teams time and reduces the risk of paying fraudulent invoices, or even overpaying legitimate invoices.

Benefits of integration

Automating approvals of eInvoices for payment offers numerous benefits for businesses:

1. Improved efficiency: Automation reduces the time and effort required to manage invoices, approve them and process payments, freeing up valuable resources for other tasks.
2. Faster payments: Automated payment processing ensures invoices are paid promptly, improving customer relationships.
3. Reduced errors: Automation of eInvoicing and payment approvals minimises the risk of human error, ensuring accurate invoicing processing.

Want to learn more about automating the approval and payment of eInvoices? Get in touch with our team by completing the form below.

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Electronic invoicing, or eInvoicing, has emerged as a powerful tool for streamlining business operations and improving efficiency. In countries like Australia and New Zealand, Government has already embraced eInvoicing for receiving invoices. However, there's a compelling reason to also start sending eInvoices too.

With Australia and New Zealand already mandating government agencies have the ability to receive eInvoices, government suppliers will continue to be encouraged to send them eInvoices. The sweetener for suppliers is getting payment sooner.

New Zealand is now looking to ramp up government agencies sending eInvoices. This comes off the back of comments made by the New Zealand Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, Hon Andrew Bayly.

No doubt there are a lot of benefits to receiving eInvoices. So why send eInvoices?

Digitise your invoicing process

One key benefit is making it easier for customers and other agencies to do business with you. As more of your customers sign up to eInvoicing, you’ll likely receive more requests to start sending eInvoices. Government agencies can make customer experience more seamless by sending eInvoices directly into the recipient’s software.

Faster payment processing

Sending eInvoices to customers’ makes the process more seamless. There’s no need to send emails or PDFs – eInvoices are sent straight from your software to the recipient’s software. This accelerates the invoicing cycle by delivering invoices instantly to recipients, ready for them to be approved and paid, faster than manually-received invoices.

An eInvoicing standard makes it easier to exchange eInvoices with everyone

Australia and New Zealand have teamed up to develop one standard for exchanging eInvoices with businesses across both countries. This means once a business is setup, it can send eInvoices to any other business who receives eInvoices. Unlike some other forms of exchanging data, you can set and forget. Want to learn more about sending eInvoices to your customers? Get in touch with our team with the form below.

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If you’re just getting started, eInvoicing jargon can be hard to understand. So we’ve put together some of the key words to help make it easier for you.

ABN

This stands for Australian business number. It’s a unique number that identifies a business in Australia. It helps identify your business to others when ordering and invoicing. And in the eInvoicing world, it’s a number you can send and/or receive eInvoices from/to.

Access Point

eInvoicing is done through a four-corner model. You can think of it like a phone network, where your network service provider, and the service provider of the person you’re trying to call, are the Access Points. Access Point are the service providers that connect to each other.

API

This stands for application programming interface. It’s a messaging protocol. An API is a way for others to push information to you, or retrieve information from you. And by you, I mean your software.

AS4

This stands for applicability statement 4. It’s a messaging protocol. AS4 can exchange messages in near-real time and supports the ability to send back delivery notifications, so the sender knows their message has been received. It’s considered highly secure and has high availability, meaning it’s always active to be used.

B2G

Stands for business-to-government. it refers to business that’s conducted between a business and government Business level response (BLR) A business level response can be sent from a company to their supplier once they receive an invoice. It can give the supplier an update on the invoice, like whether it’s been accepted, rejected, paid, queried, or something else.

CSV

This stands for comma separated values. It’s a file format. Think of it like very simple Excel spreadsheet. In fact, you can open these files in Excel.

Electronic data interchange (EDI)

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) refers to the structured transmission of data between organisations electronically. It’s used to transfer documents electronically from one system to another i.e. from one trading partner to another trading partner.

eInvoicing

It’s the exchange of eInvoices in a structured, electronic format. It’s not be confused with sending a PDF invoice. PDFs aren’t machine-readable. eInvoices are sent directly from one software package to another.

ERP system

This stands for enterprise resource planning system. In simple terms, it’s what most businesses use to manage their accounts payable and receivables. Generally, ERP systems are a little more complex than your typical accounting package. Think of SAP, Oracle, Pronto and more.

File format

This refers to the way information in a document is stored and organised. PDF, JPG and PNG are all file formats. When it comes to eInvoicing, file formats are relevant because your software will export and import a certain type of file format. You might also see the acronym UBL used a bit. That’s the file format, or standard, used for eInvoices when they’re sent between Access Points. It’s not an issue if your software doesn’t export and import a UBL file – a well-rounded eInvoicing provider will be able to map your file format to and from the UBL format for you.

Four corner model

eInvoicing happens through a four-corner model, where corners one and four are the supplier and customer, and corners two and three are Access Points. Access Points connect to each other to exchange eInvoices.

Gateway

Our customers will generally have their own ‘gateway’ on the MessageXchange service. All of your business’ requirements are setup in your gateway, like mappings, reports and more. Your software connects to your gateway, and your gateway connects to the outside world. All eInvoices you send or receive will go through your gateway.

GLN

This stands for global location number. They’re a unique number given to a location, usually a business address, to identify it. They’re heavily used in electronic data interchange (or EDI) trade. GLNs are issued by your local GS1 organisation.

Interoperability

The ability of diverse systems and companies to work together.

Mapping

Mapping refers to translating, or converting, one file format to another. For example, if your software outputs a file format that isn’t the Peppol standard, UBL, your eInvoicing service provider may be able to ‘map’ the file so it conforms.

Message level response (MLR)

Whereas a business level response (BLR) is issued once a business receives the invoice and is, or is about to process it, a message level response is often issued before it can even get to the recipient. The Peppol standard has certain requirements, and if these aren’t met, an invoice may be rejected. A message level response lets the sender of an eInvoice know if the message has been rejected because of an error within the message. One example is that the syntax is incorrect.

MessageXchange

MessageXchange is an eInvoicing service provider. Find out more at messagexchange.com

Messaging protocol

In simple terms, a messaging protocol is a way to get files, or messages, from A to B; from software to software. Think of it like transport. If you wanted to get from Sydney to Melbourne, you can fly, drive, take a bus or a train. Each have their pros and cons. Just like each messaging protocol have their benefits. Some examples of messaging protocols are sFTP, API and AS4. The messaging protocol a company chooses to use will largely depend on what their software is capable of using, how much the company would like to invest in it, what level of security they need and the features they need, for example whether they need to exchange messages in near-real time or not.

NZBN

This stands for New Zealand business number. It’s a unique number that identifies a business in New Zealand. And in the eInvoicing world, it’s a number you can send and/or receive eInvoices from/to. An NZBN is in fact the same as a GLN.

Order-to-pay

The combined end-to-end trade process from the buyer’s perspective (order, delivery, invoice and payment).

Peppol

Peppol stands for Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line. It’s a standard of e-procurement, which we use in Australia and New Zealand to exchange eInvoices. When we say ‘standard’, it stipulates how Access Points should connect with each other, the file format invoices should be sent in and more. Having one standard makes it easier for businesses to trade with multiple organisations, because they can connect once and exchange eInvoices with anyone else in the Peppol network.

Purchase order

Document sent by a buyer to a supplier to inform them that they wish to purchase goods, services or works.

Service provider

A service provider that connects to a supplier and buyer directly. The supplier connects to the service provider which enables them to connect to multiple buyers and/or suppliers. Think of it like a phone service provider like Telstra or Optus, but this service provider is for eInvoicing.

sFTP

This stands for SSH (or secure) file transfer protocol. It’s a messaging protocol. You can think of it like a mail box; files are dropped into an sFTP folder (think of a folder on your desktop), often in batches, and they’re picked up by whoever is receiving the files. All of this is usually done automatically by having a process run periodically in the background. As you can probably tell, sFTP transfer is doesn’t support real-time messaging. But, it is one of the cheapest and easiest messaging protocols to use.

SML

This stands for service metadata lookup. Sounds complicated, I know. But think of it like a phone book of sorts. Access Points use the SML when they receive an eInvoice, to look up where it should go. The SML lists ABNs, NZBNs, GLNs that have registered for eInvoicing, as well as the Access Point provider that company uses. Have a look at the diagram on page 3 to see how it fits in.

SMP

This stands for service metadata publisher. Once an Access Point gets the information needed from the SML, it then asks the relevant SMP what documents that company can receive. If the company has registered to receive that type of document, the Access Point will send it on. Have a look at the diagram on page 3 to see how it fits in.

Syntax

Syntax refers to the rules that define the structure of the code of a message. Without going into too much detail, some of you might have seen basic code like text here. This tells the software where the element begins, the value of an element, and where that element ends. For example, on an invoice it might look like Cupcakes. Access Points will expect a message structured in a certain way, that is, using the correct syntax. In the eInvoicing world, if the syntax is incorrect, the Access Point receiving the message should send back a message level response (MLR).

UBL

This stands for universal business language. You probably won’t need to worry too much about this if you’re not in an IT role. It’s a file format. Just like you might use a JPG, PNG or GIF image file format.

XML

This stands for extensible markup language. It’s a file format. It looks like code to us, but holds all the information in a structured, machine-readable format. If you want to learn more about eInvoicing, sign up to our newsletter to get the latest information and useful resources.

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