Peppol eInvoicing in the United Kingdom
The UK is an outlier in the European region in that it currently has no coordinated approach to eInvoicing. That being said, it shares many of the same goals as its neighbours, namely greater competitiveness in public procurement for smaller suppliers, reduced invoice fraud, and VAT tracking.
Adoption of the European invoice standard (EN16931) by central and sub-central authorities, the evolving ‘Making Tax Digital’ initiative, and the need to align with the preferences of domestic and international business partners has ensured that the UK continues to strengthen its commitment to eInvoicing.
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Peppol allows you to stay compliant and benefit from cost-saving, interoperability and security, no matter which partner you’re transacting with. As one of the world’s biggest and most trusted Peppol infrastructure providers, Tickstar will have you leveraging the network in just a few steps!
Benefits of Peppol eInvoicing with Tickstar
We have worked with Peppol since 2012, growing to be one of the world’s largest Peppol infrastructure providers.
With Peppol eInvoicing, just one connection allows you to efficiently and securely exchange eDocuments with verified local and international B2G and B2B partners. Tickstar handles setup and maintenance, while you enjoy the benefits.
Cost savings
eInvoicing is estimated to save public sector authorities and private businesses billions per year — according to Gartner, invoices can cost anywhere from £4 to £25 to process. Automation of the type found when using the Peppol network keeps costs to around £5 or less per invoice, not to mention the extra savings made from not having to rectify documents that contain manual entry errors.
Faster invoice payout
Peppol’s direct secure connection without middlemen allows for faster receival and even the automation of payments. This means that suppliers who have traditionally been required to wait a month or more for payments when transacting with paper or PDF invoices can receive payments much quicker.
Network security
According to UK Finance’s ‘Half year fraud update 2023’, £24.8 million was lost to invoice scams from January to June 2023. 71% of the total amount, accounting for £17.4 million, occurred from a non-personal or business account. With many businesses still making regular payments to suppliers that send invoices through unsecure channels (such as PDF invoices through email), invoice fraud will likely continue. Through Peppol, however, eInvoices are securely exchanged by verified partners through approved service providers across the network’s four-corner model. This significantly reduces the risk of fraudulent activity.
User-friendly interface and advanced tools
Refined over 11 years by Tickstar’s Peppol pioneers, we offer expert tools that eclipse those offered by our competitors. This includes our Peppol Validator, Participant Lookup API and Service Metadata Publisher (SMP), designed to ensure you get the most out of your eInvoicing experience within your own applications!
Direct connection to ERP systems
If you’re a larger government agency or enterprise, Tickstar’s API connection allows Peppol to be built into your ERP systems. For software vendors, Peppol can be provided as part of your customised software packages to businesses around the world — opening another revenue stream with ease.
Peppol standard is the world standard
Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is used as the primary standard by the majority of EU members, as well as the countries in the Asia-Pacific region who have adopted Peppol. Just one base format is needed to transact with any other Peppol participant around the world. What’s more, Tickstar handles ongoing updates and changing regulations, meaning you will always be compliant. As the network grows, so do the benefits for those already using the network.
Peppol eInvoicing in the United Kingdom
eInvoicing’s first big coup in the UK came with Westminster’s Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act of 2015. This allows ministers to regulate eInvoicing in public procurement, but only extends as far as England. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have their own approaches and systems for eDocument transactions with public sector bodies.
Despite the range of systems and lack of coordinated mandates, each country is indeed moving in the same direction. There has been a push to ensure the UK doesn’t get left behind by its European counterparts due to the security, interoperability and efficiency that eInvoicing provides, which is why the European standard for eInvoicing (EN16931) has been readily adopted. This standard can be delivered through a number of different electronic message formats, including traditional EDI standards, XMLbased standards, UBL and comma-delimited ASCII or PDF. While three-corner models are among those permitted for transacting these document types, the four-corner model — that the Peppol framework uses — is seen as the gold standard.
As of 2023, there is still no mandate for B2G suppliers to use eInvoicing, with the exception of suppliers to the NHS (National Health Service), which, under the Department for Health and Social Care, is nominally the Peppol Authority for England. There is also no one single UK wide platform for transacting with government entities, although Scotland and Wales do have their own national solutions. In line with ‘The Public Procurement (Electronic Invoices etc.) Regulations 2019’, central and local government bodies are required to be able to receive eInvoices and are therefore obliged to choose a system.
Currently, the digitisation of tax and accurate reporting of VAT through accepted software is a key focus. Mirroring the VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative in the European Union — which is expected to come into full force in 2028 — HMRC is supporting businesses and individuals to comply with its ‘Making Tax Digital’ initiative of 2019.
In what can seem like a convoluted system, adopting Peppol makes things simple. Through just one connection, you can interact with any public sector body or private business, both locally and across borders, adhering to the document and platform standards required by your transacting partner and governmental regulations. It is for this reason that Peppol is the network of choice for the NHS and will likely keep expanding throughout the UK, as it has done throughout Europe and into Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and soon, Malaysia. You can join the early adopters today, partnering with Tickstar to get the most out this connect once, reach all network.
About Tickstar
Tickstar has been a certified Peppol service provider since 2012. Based in Sweden, the company works with governmental bodies, large enterprises, and ERP providers around the world. As the number of Peppol participants within the network continues to grow, so does Tickstar’s footprint, with a reputation as a dependable partner, providing the infrastructure for in-house use or third-party organisations that wish to deliver Peppol services to market.
In 2021, Tickstar was acquired by Xero—a global cloud accounting software platform. Xero saw the strong connection between our purpose and theirs, which is to help businesses thrive through the use of better tools, information and connections. Tickstar has enabled eInvoicing functionality for all Xero customers with an ongoing subscription.
We understand the challenges that public sector organisations and private companies face in keeping up with domestic and international regulations. By signing up with Tickstar, you can efficiently exchange eInvoices and other electronic documentation with any partner, while staying compliant at all times.
About Peppol
Peppol is a set of standards and technical specifications ensuring the secure and rapid transfer of electronic documents globally. Peppol’s components ensure interoperability of eInvoices and other eProcurement documents, facilitating easier global trade and full compliance with the regulatory requirements and taxation laws of transacting parties’ respective countries. It also significantly cuts down on instances of invoice fraud, a persistent problem when transacting through email or other unsecured messenger service.
The communication nodes in the network, called Access Points, allow direct connections between verified participants to send and receive standardised documentation in what is called the Four-corner model. In short, Peppol provides the one connection to reach any domestic or international partner.
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