2023-07-12 00:00:00
A column by Fatima Marquet, chartered accountant, co-director of the Sadec Akelys office in Cergy Pontoise.
The confusion persists between the dematerialized invoice already widely used in companies and electronic invoicing which will be standardized in 2026. Large companies will be the first to take the plunge in 2024. But what are the real differences between one and the other? Here are some tips and advice to help you find your way around.
Compliant dematerialized invoices thanks to the PAF
As soon as the Reliable Audit Trail was set up in 2013, we had to do a lot of information work with our customers. They already had to be trained in the PAF according to their type of company and therefore in secure and standardized invoices.
Invoices must now be established using dedicated software to check the life cycle of a transaction, and ensure that no fraud has been committed according to the regulations in force, while securing tax deductions (VAT, charges …).
Because supplier invoices have a commercial, tax, accounting and legal value, they participate in the calculation of corporation tax, and must be carefully kept. The objective is to secure all stages of the invoicing process in order to avoid fraud linked in particular to the deductibility of VAT.
Electronic invoicing, time saving and security
Electronic invoicing is quite different. This is the creation and automated processing of invoices between suppliers and buyers, according to a defined process. It was created to meet several distinct objectives.
Firstly, for the State, it is a question of reducing the administrative burden on companies, that is to say facilitating the processing of their invoices for faster deadlines, for more efficient and more secure management. Since January 1, 2020, companies have been required to send their invoices to the public sector in electronic format. Then, the finance law for 2020 introduced the obligation of electronic invoicing in exchanges between companies subject to VAT, established in France.
It can materialize in several types of files but the mixed format is appropriate for companies that have private and professional customers. The advantage of the same format for everyone is that the individual only sees a PDF where the company can use the XML content (X invoice type). With the standardization of electronic invoicing, companies can freely choose to use two types of platforms:
either to the free Public Invoicing Portal (PPF) operated by the State, which is responsible for transmitting the data to recipients, including the tax authorities; or to paying private Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDP), approved by the administration, which offer services to their members and transmit the data to the recipients and to the PPF which will then communicate it to the tax administration.
The system takes into account the degree of digital maturity of companies. It will be rolled out gradually between 2024 and 2026.
Secondly, via these platforms, invoices are thus more easily validated to switch to automatic payment, just like the declarative processes in terms of VAT. Initially for the VAT collected, then the deductible VAT. Eventually, the tax authorities will be able to collect VAT automatically thanks to pre-filling. It’s a huge time saver.
Moreover, with an increasing use of these platforms, it will allow the tax authorities to improve the detection of fraud, obviously, to the benefit of operators who are in good faith.
Then, it is also a fairly strong financial argument. The Minister of the Economy estimates the cost of processing an invoice between 14 and 20 euros, including the time of entry, validation, payment, archiving and management of the dispute and to be multiplied by the number of annual invoices treat. With an electronic invoice, this cost drops to just 4 euros.
Finally, the electronic invoice allows companies to efficiently simplify their accounting. Not to mention its CSR impact, thanks to the elimination of the paper invoice and its archiving.
The role of the accountant, full-time advisor
The role of the chartered accountant is to support his clients in this digital transformation.
A single watchword: Anticipate! Our customers already have invoicing tools, sometimes not, it is a question of taking stock and preparing well for the transition to electronic invoicing. Because if everyone does it at the last minute, it is certain that it risks causing malfunctions.
It is necessary to ensure the completeness of the flows, to test the perfect compatibility of the management tools with the chosen platforms, to ensure the correct transmission of all the information, all the invoices, so that there is no loss along the way. This requires upstream tests, regular training of employees in the use of the interface concerned. It will be impossible to send electronic invoices without using management software. Hence the importance of anticipating!
As a chartered accountant and business partner, we play an educational role around these new legislations and these new processes. Because for us too, it’s a real time saver and a big change. Today the entry of invoices represents 30% of the fee budget of an accountant firm. Tomorrow, with the standardized electronic invoice, we will save time. We will thus be able to focus 100% of our time on consulting assignments to help our clients grow and support them in their development projects.
Finally, from the point of view of the auditor, the electronic invoice commits and also obliges employees to be honest. If the invoice is electronic, standardized and secure, it will be easier for us to check and identify irregularities.
1689126726
#Electronic #invoicing #dematerialized #invoice #beware #confusion.. #Prepare #big
