A quarter of businesses may cease trading because of the e-invoicing requirement

A quarter of businesses may cease trading because of the e-invoicing requirement

That said, Billit’s research shows that businesses using e-invoicing tools do find them very ‘convenient’

Earlier in April, the government reported that only 250,000 of the 1.2 million Belgian companies have joined the Peppol network. That means that more than 75% still need to take action before 1 January 2026. Because that’s when the Belgian government will make structured e-invoicing mandatory for all B2B transactions. A survey by Billit, Belgium’s leading e-invoicing specialist, reveals that many businesses are still not fully on board. Nearly a quarter of businesses surveyed (23.3%) may even cease operations. 'Clearly, there is still a lot of ignorance and, consequently, some fear of the unknown. It's understandable, but entirely unnecessary,' says Billit founder Tom Van Gaever. 'E-invoicing platforms such as Billit offer businesses numerous advantages and are very easy to use.' This is also clear from the survey: The platform’s users rank ‘convenience’ as its most important advantage.

Peppol stands for Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line and is a closed network for securely sending digital business documents such as invoices. Although the Peppol network was co-developed by the European Commission, it is an international network that is also used outside Europe and is well on its way to becoming the new standard for sending invoices. Furthermore, from 1 January 2026, the Belgian government will make structured e-invoicing via the Peppol network mandatory for all B2B transactions.

However, according to a survey conducted for Billit, Belgium’s leading e-invoicing specialist, 31% of Belgian entrepreneurs are still unaware of this. Moreover, more than half (56.6%) of those who are aware are still not sending invoices in accordance with the new legislation. Anyone seeking to comply with the legislation from early next year must use an e-invoicing tool that is also connected to the Peppol network (via an Access Point). Generally speaking, just over half (52.3%) of Belgian businesses now use e-invoicing tools, but this figure clearly shows that many are not yet connected to Peppol, given that there are only 250,000 Peppol registrations.

Ceasing operations

The vast majority of businesses (76.7%) thinks the mandatory requirement is a good thing, but a smaller group (23.3%) isn’t so sure. The survey also revealed that some may even take the drastic step of ceasing their independent activities altogether. Of all those surveyed, 23.7% answered ‘yes’ when asked whether they would consider ceasing their independent activities because of mandatory e-invoicing.

'I was shocked that so many businesses are considering this, but it's something we had already noticed,' says Billit founder Tom Van Gaever. 'We talk to countless businesses every day, so we know there’s some resistance. They have to deal with something new, something unknown. They often think it will make their lives more challenging, that it will be complicated and so on. However, the opposite is true. In fact, we see hundreds of people getting started every day, and it always turns out to be very easy. And once they’re using it, they really appreciate how easy it is.'

Time savings

The figures also show this. Billit launched a separate survey among more than 3,000 of its own customers. When asked what reasons they would give to convince other businesses of the platform’s added value, 73.4% said ‘ease of use’. It is also clear that e-invoicing platforms save businesses a significant amount of time. Of the experienced Billit users surveyed, 45.9% reported saving up to an hour per week, 22.5% said they save between 1 and 3 hours, 6.3% save more than 3 hours per week, and 2.3% even claimed to save a day or more per week.

'Billit is committed to eliminating frustrating, wasted administrative hours,' says Van Gaever. 'The platform lets you create invoices in just a few clicks, wherever and whenever you want. Sending invoices quickly means faster payments and, most importantly, time savings. This is time that dynamic businesses can undoubtedly put to better use than on administrative tasks.'

The businesses surveyed that currently use the Billit platform also mention other benefits. Of them, 47.5% say it has had a positive effect on the company’s cash flow. A total of 62.4% said they can now send invoices faster, 69.1% stated they are better able to track late payments and 68.2% reported that their invoices look more professional.