The Experts’ Meeting – Are You Ready for E-Invoicing?

On the occasion of a new episode of The Experts’ Meeting, we had the pleasure of welcoming Mickael Renaud, Product Owner at Boond. Mickael notably leads all developments related to e-invoicing, working closely with our product and development teams.

The objective of this live session: to clarify the reform, demystify its implementation, and explain how Boond supports you to ensure a smooth and secure transition.

Because while the e-invoicing reform may seem complex, in practice it will above all help improve intercompany exchanges, reduce errors, and secure everything related to VAT.

1. Why this reform, and what is the timeline?

France is aligning with international e-invoicing standards, with a dual objective:

• Modernize invoice exchanges through standardized formats
• Automatically transmit certain data to the State, in particular to secure VAT, fight fraud, and simplify reporting obligations

In practical terms, all B2B invoices (between French companies subject to VAT) will have to go through an Approved Platform (PA), which will act as an intermediary between the sender and the recipient.

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Key dates to remember

September 1, 2026

• All companies must be able to receive electronic invoices
• Large companies and mid-sized companies (ETIs) must issue their invoices via an Approved Platform (PA) and perform e-reporting

September 1, 2027

• Issuance obligation extended to SMEs, very small businesses (TPEs), and micro-enterprises
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2. Survey: what are your main obstacles?

We asked participants what concerned them most about the reform:

• Impact on existing tools – 51%
• Technical complexity (formats, flows, PAs) – 29%
• Lack of clear information about the reform – 19%
• Lack of internal time/resources to prepare for the transition – 1%

It is precisely to address these uncertainties that we designed this live session.

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3. Invoice issuance: how will it work in 2026?

The lifecycle of an electronic invoice

Every B2B invoice will have to:

1. Be issued in a standardized format (CII, UBL, or Factur-X)
2. Pass through an Approved Platform (PA)
3. Be automatically delivered to the recipient’s PA

Approved Platforms handle the full management of invoice statuses: submitted, issued, received, made available, rejected, etc.

They also ensure traceability, timestamping, and the reliability of flows.

The reform improves the visibility and reliability of invoice tracking, without adding business-side complexity.

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What about payment reminders?

Here too, the reform simplifies things: reminders can be based on reliable, standardized statuses, which avoids ambiguity. However, managing a rejection remains the responsibility of the client relationship—you remain in control.

E-invoicing vs. e-reporting

When e-invoicing does not apply (e.g. B2C, international, non-VAT-liable transactions), certain information must still be transmitted to the State: this is e-reporting, which is automatically handled via the Approved Platform.

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What about public entities?

Good news: it will no longer be necessary to manually upload your invoices to Chorus Pro.

Your flow will be:
Boond → Partner Approved Platform → Chorus Pro → Public client

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4. Formats: what happens to the PDF?

Three formats are mentioned:

• CII (XML)
• UBL (XML)
• Factur-X: a PDF with embedded XML, readable by both humans and systems

Factur-X will clearly be the preferred format, as it allows you to keep a visual PDF while remaining compliant.

Attachments (e.g. supporting documents) will continue to be transmitted along with the invoice.

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5. Will Boond be an Approved Platform?

Boond will be an SCP (Solution Compatible, ex-OD), meaning a solution compatible with e-invoicing flows, relying on already approved partner platforms.

Today, two strategic partners:

B2B Router, the international dimension

• Already operational in Belgium (Peppol)
• Compatible with Spain (VeriFactu)
• Easily extendable to France

Pennylane, accounting complementarity

• Widely used by our customers
• One-click invoice sending directly from Boond
• Integrated accounting management and collaboration with accountants
• Real-time invoice status tracking in Boond
• A freemium plan is being considered

No universal connector is planned at this stage, but technical standards may make it easier to add other Approved Platforms in the future.

Our priority: keep invoice issuance simple, smooth, and familiar, while ensuring full compliance.

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6. Invoice reception: where should they arrive?

This is a point that is often misunderstood.

To issue invoices: no administrative steps required

You will be able to use any Approved Platform via Boond, with no prior mandate required.

To receive invoices: a mandate is mandatory

You must declare a single Approved Platform for receiving all your supplier invoices.

This choice should be made:

• Based on your accounting tool
• In coordination with your accountant

Most accounting tools are already Approved Platforms (Sage, Cegid, Pennylane, etc.).

It is therefore naturally in these tools that all your supplier invoices should be received.

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And where does Boond fit into all of this?

Not all supplier invoices concern Boond.

But some are essential for IT services and consulting companies: invoices from freelancers or delivery partners.

These invoices must:

• Exist in Boond
• Be linked to projects
• Be reconciled with reported time
• Feed actual margins

With Pennylane in particular, the processing of these “operational” invoices will be seamless.

With other tools: it remains possible, mainly via export/import.

7. Archiving, controls, and guarantees

Boond relies on the legal archiving capabilities of its partner Approved Platforms:

• Minimum retention of 6 years
• Guaranteed authenticity, integrity, and readability

In the event of a tax audit, Approved Platforms will allow the export of all invoices for a given period.

We also recommend keeping a local copy in Boond to ensure fast operational access.

8. International management: gradual harmonization

Each country is moving at its own pace:

• Belgium: 2026 (Peppol)
• Spain: VeriFactu
• Germany: 2027–2028
• Poland: KSeF

If you invoice a foreign client, you are not required to send an e-invoice to that client, but you must still perform e-reporting to transmit VAT data to the French authorities.

9. Boond roadmap: we’re ready… and here’s what’s coming next

Boond is fully ready for e-invoicing:

• Factur-X and CII formats have been operational for over a year
• Our two partner Approved Platforms, B2B Router and Pennylane, are already integrated
• The Peppol connector is ready for use

The next step now lies with the Approved Platforms, which are finalizing their real-world interoperability tests in Q1 2026. This is when we will gain full visibility over all exchange scenarios.

In the meantime, you can already ensure that your essential data is up to date in Boond:

• SIREN / SIRET
• VAT number(s)

A pilot phase may be launched depending on the technical progress of the Approved Platforms. We will keep you informed as soon as this is confirmed.

Conclusion: a structuring reform, but a simple transition with Boond

E-invoicing represents a real transformation for IT services and consulting companies:

• Greater reliability
• Fewer re-entries
• Increased traceability
• Better collaboration with accountants
• Even more consistent project management

Boond is committed to absorbing all the technical complexity, so you can continue invoicing simply—while fully complying with regulations.