Short answers to the questions we hear most often

Yes. FPS Finance says so explicitly: the obligation also applies if you use the exemption scheme (annual turnover up to EUR 25,000). You do not charge VAT, but you are VAT-registered. So you must be able to receive e-invoices from your suppliers, and send an e-invoice yourself if your customer is a Belgian VAT-registered business.

Main or secondary occupation makes no difference. What counts is whether you are VAT-registered and whether your customer is too. If you invoice businesses, you send e-invoices. If you only work for private individuals, you only need to be able to receive e-invoices.

You do not send e-invoices to private individuals; nothing changes there. But your brewer, wholesaler and other suppliers do send you e-invoices. You must be able to receive them, so you need a connection to Peppol. If a customer with a VAT number asks for an invoice, that invoice must also go via Peppol.

The same as before: 'Bijzondere vrijstellingsregeling kleine ondernemingen' (special exemption scheme for small businesses). In the e-invoice, it appears as the exemption reason with VAT category E, at 0% VAT. Our generator does this for you if you choose that scheme.

Not between Belgian VAT-registered businesses. A PDF is not a structured invoice. You may send a PDF along as a readable attachment, but the e-invoice itself is the XML file that travels via Peppol. For private individuals and foreign customers, a PDF is still allowed.

You need accounting or invoicing software that is connected to Peppol through an accredited access point. Many programs have this built in; your accountant knows which one suits you. Expect a subscription of a few euros to a few tens of euros a month. Until the end of 2027, these costs are 120% deductible.

Not any more. The free Hermes platform was shut down at the end of 2025. Mercurius is only for invoices to the government. For invoices between businesses, you use commercial software or an access point.

Belgian businesses are on Peppol with their enterprise number (scheme 0208). So all you need is your customer's enterprise number from the CBE (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises); you may not require them to provide a separate Peppol address. With our Peppol check, you can see whether they are registered.

No. The obligation only applies between businesses established in Belgium. Peppol does work in many countries, though, so you may use it if your customer is connected. From 1 July 2030, a European scheme will apply to invoices between Member States.

Yes. A credit note is also a structured document and travels in the same way. It must refer to the invoice it corrects.

Businesses that only carry out transactions exempt under Article 44 of the VAT Code, and foreign businesses without a permanent establishment in Belgium: they do not need to send or receive. Businesses in bankruptcy and businesses under the flat-rate VAT scheme do not need to send. Farmers under the special scheme must at least be able to receive.

EUR 1,500 on a first finding that you do not have the technical means to send and receive e-invoices, EUR 3,000 on a second and EUR 5,000 on each subsequent one. There are at least three months between two findings that lead to a fine. The tolerance period ended on 31 March 2026.

E-reporting means that the invoice data also go to the tax authorities almost immediately. The government is planning this from 1 January 2028; the bill is not yet final. You do not need to do anything for it now: if you invoice via Peppol today, you are well placed for the next step.

No. We check a selection of the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 rules, plus Belgian check digits (enterprise number, IBAN, structured communication). The full official check is carried out by your access point. So an invoice that passes with us may still get a remark there; an invoice that fails with us will almost certainly fail there too.

Nothing. The validator and the generator work entirely in your browser: your invoice does not leave your device. Only the Peppol check sends an enterprise number to our server, and we do not store that either.

No, and that is deliberate. Sending should go through an accredited access point, from software that also stores and numbers your invoices. Factuurklaar helps you check, understand and test. If you want your own website or back office to put invoices on Peppol itself, nealvdv builds that connection.