The most recent eInvoicing questions from advisors, answered

eInvoicing, a brand new method to change invoices immediately between accounting software program, is the following cease on the small enterprise digitisation journey. It holds the promise of a method to ship and obtain invoices and payments that’s sooner, extra environment friendly and safer.

The adoption of eInvoicing has been steadily rising since its launch in Australia in 2020. As extra folks try it out inside Xero, we’ve heard from our companion group on every thing you need to know. Persevering with on from our final weblog put up, we’ve captured your most up-to-date eInvoicing queries by way of the Fb Associate Neighborhood. Listed below are your newest questions answered:

Can I connect paperwork to eInvoices?

Sure, recordsdata could be hooked up to outgoing eInvoices inside Xero. Accepted codecs embrace: PDF, CSV, JPG or PNG file. This perform can be utilized for sharing supply paperwork (like timesheets, copy proofs or promotional materials) if wanted.

Can eInvoices be despatched in batches?

This functionality isn’t presently obtainable inside Xero. You may, nonetheless, copy a earlier bill, making it simpler to duplicate the content material. If there’s a sure characteristic akin to this that you simply’d prefer to see in eInvoicing, please request it with our staff.

Is there an alert despatched concurrently an eInvoice to flag to the receiver that there’s a new draft invoice requiring their consideration?

We don’t presently have this perform in Xero. In markets the place eInvoicing is extra superior, like Singapore, having eInvoices robotically arrive as a draft invoice has confirmed to be very efficient. This may occasionally simply take some getting used to at first.

A few of it’s possible you’ll be acquainted with the email-to-bills perform, which works in the identical means. We’re actively monitoring utilization throughout the system to test that Draft Payments are being transformed to Permitted and Paid, and this data is a part of our characteristic request prioritisation course of. We’re holding a detailed eye on this to ensure it’s going as easily as potential.

How does Peppol create a safe community?

All eInvoices undergo the Peppol community, which is a safer method to ship invoices than conventional electronic mail or mail. Since senders entry the Peppol community by way of a Licensed Entry Level (like their accounting software program), there are specific safety protocols that have to be met. Xero is a Licensed Peppol Entry Level, so that you don’t want to rearrange this for your self – it’s included inside your subscription.

Cybercriminals will all the time try to take advantage of programs, nonetheless the Peppol community – and eInvoicing – affords a safer method to handle the change.

Most scams work by sending thousands and thousands of messages and, sadly, a couple of folks will fall for it and reply. That’s very tough to do on Peppol as you possibly can’t ship an nameless message. 

With electronic mail, not solely can the sender and electronic mail software program be nameless, the contents of emails will also be intercepted and tampered with by way of enterprise electronic mail compromise. On Peppol, the entry level is tracked; this implies if anybody does try fraudulent exercise, they’re extremely more likely to be caught.

Are there any limitations when sending invoices to a recipient registered for eInvoicing? For instance, voiding invoices?

Adjustments made by the sender to the bill after it has been despatched as an eInvoice is not going to be handed to the recipient (like voiding an bill). This is similar as another bill inside Xero. 

Peppol has an idea referred to as ‘bill response’ which is used to speak any motion made by the eInvoice recipient – like rejection resulting from a lacking PO quantity, affirmation the bill is accredited, or queuing it for cost. We don’t presently assist updates primarily based on bill responses, though we do report whether or not the bill has been efficiently obtained by the client’s entry level (or not). You may view this from the Historical past & Notes part in New Invoicing.

Can I embrace areas within the ABN quantity within the Xero Organisation Settings and the Contact ABN subject for readability?

Sure, you possibly can. Areas don’t have an effect on ABN numbers. 

Does the contact identify have to precisely match the format of the identify on the ABN Register for eInvoicing to work?

When signing up, your contact identify and telephone quantity are used for any points with the registration – these aren’t matched with a person.

Your enterprise identify/authorized entity inside Xero does, nonetheless, have to match what’s registered on the Australian Enterprise Register. Double test this if you happen to’re working into any hiccups.

eInvoices should be created in New Invoicing in Xero. Do I additionally should be utilizing New Invoicing to obtain an eInvoice into draft payments?

No – incoming eInvoices will land as draft payments regardless of which model of Invoicing you’re utilizing in Xero.

To search out out extra about eInvoicing and what it means for advisors and your small enterprise purchasers, go to the Xero web site. And if any extra questions pop up, please make sure you tell us by way of the Fb Associate Neighborhood, our social channels or buyer assist – we’re all the time right here to assist.