How to send your first Peppol invoice (a checklist without jargon)

A Peppol invoice is an e-invoice under the European standard EN 16931 that arrives via the Peppol network straight in your customer's bookkeeping.

Before you start: why now?

There is still no general obligation today for invoices between Dutch businesses. European law does apply from 1 July 2030 for business invoices to customers in other EU countries, and the cabinet wants to make e-invoices mandatory inside the Netherlands from the same date. That last part still has to go through parliament. The full story is in E-invoicing mandatory in 2030.

Do you supply the central government? Then you are already obliged: for new purchase contracts since 1 January 2017 you may only invoice electronically.

The smartest reason to start now: you can practise calmly with one customer, instead of with all of them at once in 2030.

The checklist: your first Peppol invoice in 10 steps

1. Check your software. In your accounting package, go to the invoice settings and look for Peppol, e-invoice or UBL. It is not there? Ask your supplier whether they offer a Peppol connection.
2. Arrange your connection. Activate Peppol in your package or choose a separate service provider. A service provider is the company that arranges your connection to the network, the way an internet provider does for internet. Service providers in the Netherlands have a contract with the Netherlands Peppol Authority.
3. Register your own Peppol ID. This is your address on the network, for businesses usually based on your KVK number. Your software or provider puts this in the central address book for you.
4. Look up your customer. Check in the public Peppol Directory (directory.peppol.eu) or in your software whether your customer can be reached. Search on business name or KVK number.
5. Check the customer details. Correct business name, KVK number, VAT number and invoice address. Public authorities often have their own number (OIN) and sometimes a purchase-order number or reference that must be on the invoice.
6. Set your VAT codes properly. Every product or service must have the right rate: 21 percent, 9 percent, 0 percent or reverse charge. The e-invoice recalculates the VAT; a wrong code produces an error or a wrong invoice.
7. Make the invoice as you always do. Invoice number, invoice date, description, quantities, amounts. Nothing new, only filled in neatly, because empty mandatory fields are rejected.
8. Choose send via Peppol. Not via email. Many packages choose Peppol automatically if the customer can be reached.
9. Check the status. Your software shows whether the invoice was delivered or rejected. A rejection comes with a message about what is wrong, usually a missing field or a calculation error.
10. Call or email your customer. Ask whether the invoice arrived properly. The first time that is reassuring; after that you do not need to.

Did it work? Then set that customer to Peppol by default in your software and you do not have to think about it again.

What if my customer is not on Peppol yet?

That still happens often. You then have three options:

• Send a PDF as usual. That is still allowed today for domestic invoices.
• Tell your customer that you can send e-invoices. Many businesses already have Peppol in their package and do not know it.
• For EU customers: plan the switch well before 1 July 2030, because then it has to be done.

What if I invoice a public authority?

All Dutch public authorities, from central government to municipality and water board, must have been able to receive e-invoices in the European format since 18 April 2019. For the central government that runs via Digipoort, Logius's messaging platform, which Peppol connects to. If you do not have suitable software yourself, you can also invoice the central government via the Supplier Portal. Pay extra attention to the purchase number or the reference your client gives you; without those details an invoice is often sent back.

The three most common mistakes on the first e-invoice

Wrong address

You send to an old KVK number or to the holding instead of the operating company. Check beforehand in the Peppol Directory which part of your customer is connected.

VAT that does not add up

For example reverse-charged VAT without a mention, or a rounding difference between the lines and the total. Validation catches it, but then you have to send it again.

Missing reference

Larger customers and public authorities want an order number or a cost centre. Ask for it beforehand and put it in a fixed field on the customer card.

Receiving matters just as much

Once you are connected, you can also receive e-invoices from suppliers. They land directly in your administration, without scanning or retyping. According to benchmarks in the parliamentary letter of 11 September 2026, receiving is where the largest saving sits, about €8 per invoice. More on the difference is in Peppol vs a PDF invoice.

Need a hand?

General questions about using Peppol are answered by peppol.nl, the information site the Netherlands Peppol Authority points to. Want someone to look with you at your own software, VAT codes and customers? That is what DT Admin is for. We set up your invoicing so your first Peppol invoice also becomes the default, in every sector.

Want to know where you stand first? Take the free Are you 2030-ready? check. Seven questions, your score straight away.

This is a general explanation, not advice for your situation. DT Admin’s fees are indications excluding VAT.

Last checked: 28 October 2026. This is general information, not tax advice.