Peppol invoice not received: what now?

E-invoices over Peppol usually arrive quickly, but not always. Here are the most common problems, each with what the Belgian FPS Finance says about it.

1. "My customer says they didn't get the invoice"

First, rule out a delay. Peppol is a decentralised network with no guarantee of real-time delivery. An e-invoice usually arrives within minutes to a few hours. If it still hasn't arrived after more than one working day, ask your software vendor to find where it's stuck ^[1].

Then, check the address. Look up your customer's enterprise number with our Peppol ID lookup.

• If the customer is registered with a different provider than they think (an old trial, a bank offer), your invoice went there. The customer has to fix their registration; see check your Peppol registration.
• If the customer isn't on Peppol, you can't deliver over Peppol.

Customer technically unable to receive? Then you may use another delivery method (the fallback rule): paper, or a PDF if the customer agrees. That invoice is legally valid and you meet your invoicing obligation. You may add a note asking the customer to get compliant; the customer risks the fine, not you. Once the customer is ready, you should not resend old invoices over Peppol ^[2][4].

2. "I'm waiting for an invoice from my supplier"

• Check your own registration first (right provider, document types).
• Supplier not ready? In principle you may refuse the invoice, though that's not always practical. Ask them to get compliant: they risk the fine ^[2].
• VAT deduction: for a transaction within the mandate you generally need a structured e-invoice. The FPS Finance still allows the deduction when the substantive conditions are met ("substance over form") ^[3]. So keep the invoice you did receive.

3. "I received an invoice that isn't meant for me"

Reject it. It gives no right to deduct VAT and doesn't belong in your books. Over Peppol you send an Invoice Response with status code RE (Rejected). If your software can't do that yet, ask your vendor for the feature ^[3].

4. "I sent an invoice to the wrong customer"

The VAT is still due: the invoice goes in your sales journal and VAT return. Correct it with a credit note, then send a new invoice to the right customer ^[3]. A credit note on an e-invoice also goes over Peppol, in the same format as the original ^[3].

5. "Can I just send the invoice again?"

Yes, but Peppol doesn't know whether an invoice is a duplicate. What matters is that it isn't booked twice. Tell your customer it's the same invoice (same number and date) ^[3].

6. Attachments, PDFs and customer portals

• Attachments (purchase order, work order) must travel through the same channel, inside the UBL invoice or as a link. Sending them separately by email is not allowed ^[2].
• A customer can't require you to attach a PDF as well, or reject the invoice because it's missing ^[2].
• A customer can't force you to upload invoices to their portal without your explicit agreement ^[2].

Want to see what's inside a received file?

Open the XML file with our UBL invoice viewer. The file never leaves your browser.

Checked on 6 October 2026. Not tax or legal advice.