Peppol invoicing in Belgium: send, receive, free options

Peppol invoicing needs invoicing software connected to the Peppol network; it both sends and receives your invoices. What it costs is up to your provider: according to the FOD Financiën / SPF Finances (the federal tax administration) the cost can be zero euros, and free routes exist, some with a limit.

How do you send and receive Peppol invoices?

You send and receive Peppol invoices with invoicing software connected to the Peppol network; an invoice in Word, Excel, PDF or on paper does not do that. According to the FOD, you need software designed to work through the Peppol network. This article belongs to invoices and Peppol; what Peppol is is explained in Peppol in Belgium.

To send, you choose software that applies the “Peppol-first” strategy (the software tries Peppol before any other route). If the supplier applies it, the customer receives the invoice automatically through Peppol, according to the FOD. Your suppliers send their invoices to your Peppol ID, so the same software must also receive.

If a customer cannot receive, the sender may choose another means of transmission, according to the FOD’s frequently asked questions on the B2B obligation, and that invoice is legally valid. What a Peppol invoice contains and whether a PDF still works is in Peppol invoice; who the obligation applies to is in who must use Peppol.

You cannot register on Peppol directly, writes the FOD in its frequently asked questions on Peppol: that goes through a certified Peppol service provider, usually through the software you use. How you register on Peppol and how you choose an access point (the Peppol service provider) are covered in their own articles; the address you are on the network with, the Peppol ID, is in what is Peppol.

Is Peppol free, and what does it cost?

Whether Peppol is free is up to your provider: according to the FOD Financiën, the cost of meeting the obligation can be zero euros (free) when it is covered by other parts, such as your bookkeeping or your bank account. The FOD writes that the government offers no free application of its own for B2B invoices: it deliberately chose a decentralised, market-driven approach. What changes in 2026 is in e-invoicing in Belgium.

The FOD itself gives no prices. Its list of solutions already counted more than 250 applications when the page appeared on 23 May 2025. No prices are given, because that information changes often, and a listing is not a certification by the FOD. The FOD recommends no product or software supplier.

Whether the network itself costs anything, no government page this article read says. The FOD is silent on it in its frequently asked questions on Peppol. On its rates page, Doccle writes that Peppol itself is free and that the costs lie with the Peppol service provider. That is one provider’s claim, not a finding of the government.

A market analysis shows, according to the FOD, that there are enough affordable solutions for small businesses. So ask your provider what sending, receiving and your Peppol ID cost before you choose. The next section sets the routes side by side.

Which free routes are there?

According to their own pages, five routes are free, each under a condition or with a limit; a sixth, KBC’s Boostpack, states no price. The table sets them side by side, in alphabetical order and with no winner.

Each row is the provider’s claim about its own offer, read on 12 October 2026. Subscriptions change, so read the page itself on the day you choose. Other providers are not in the table because their pages were not read here: the table is not an overview of the whole market, and the FOD’s list counts more than 250.

That a route can be free fits what the FOD writes: the cost can be zero euros when it is covered by a larger package. What a provider earns from elsewhere, the pages read do not say.

When does paid software fit?

Paid software fits when the limit of a free route gets in your way: a larger volume than the free tier, sending as well as receiving, a web version or a link with your bookkeeping. The limits are in the table above.

What a paid subscription adds is on the provider’s own page. At Doccle, sending comes with DocclePro. At Accountable, invoicing via the web comes with it, and the price page also names subscriptions for bookkeeping and taxes. Those prices are not in this article, because they shift; to compare paid software, see invoicing programs compared.

Ask a provider the following before you choose:

• Does the software send and receive Peppol invoices?
• Can you invoice a customer who is not on Peppol with it, by another valid route?
• Who answers if an invoice has still not arrived after more than one working day? According to the FOD’s frequently asked questions on Peppol, an e-invoice in most cases arrives within a few minutes to a few hours, and after that you contact the software supplier.
• Who registers you on Peppol, and on which company number? See registering on Peppol and choosing the access point.

Ask for the price of sending and of receiving separately, and read the plan on the provider’s own page on the day you choose.

Are the costs deductible?

Yes, for tax periods 2024 up to and including 2027, provided the extra price is shown separately on the invoice: according to the government’s e-invoicing website, small SMEs and self-employed people who use subscription formulas can apply an increased cost deduction of 120% for invoicing packages and advice costs. Depreciation costs never qualify. The FOD’s page is dated 10 October 2024.

For the routes in the table, the increased cost deduction means: a free plan has no costs to deduct, and an extra price within a larger subscription must be shown separately on the invoice to qualify for the increased deduction. Accountable and Doccle write on their own pages that their paid subscriptions are 120% deductible; that is their claim, and the FOD’s condition still applies.

According to the FOD’s text, the measure runs up to and including tax period 2027, and the page does not say how a natural person outside the word “zelfstandigen” (self-employed people) qualifies. Check the FOD’s page before you count on it.

BravoLisa, our own product, creates PDF invoices for private clients and clients abroad and sends or receives nothing through Peppol. For a client who is a Belgian VAT payer, you need one of these Peppol solutions.

Frequently asked questions

Is Peppol free?

That depends on your provider. The FOD Financiën writes that the cost of meeting the obligation can be zero euros (free) when it is covered by other parts of a package, but the government offers no free application of its own for B2B invoices. Of the pages read, only Doccle writes that Peppol itself is free.

How much does Peppol cost a self-employed person?

The FOD publishes no prices: its list of more than 250 applications gives none and recommends no product. Its market analysis does find enough affordable solutions for small businesses. On its own page, Doccle states €4 a month excl. VAT for sending, billed yearly.

Is there free software to send and receive Peppol invoices?

According to their own pages, yes, most with a condition or limit. Doccle receives for free, Accountable has a free plan, B2Brouter allows 24 national invoices a year on its Dutch page, KBC Invoicing Services 200 incoming and 200 outgoing, and Let's Peppol is free, with no volume limit stated. The FOD's list counts more than 250 applications.

Can I receive Peppol invoices without paying?

Yes, according to several providers on their own pages, such as Doccle and Accountable. At Doccle receiving is free, with forwarding to your bookkeeping. Accountable's free plan offers unlimited incoming Peppol invoices, through the mobile app. At Doccle you pay separately for sending. Read the terms on the day you choose.

Are the costs of e-invoicing software deductible?

According to the FOD, small SMEs and self-employed people who use a subscription may apply an increased cost deduction of 120% on invoicing packages and advice costs for tax periods 2024 up to and including 2027. The extra price must be shown separately on the invoice. Depreciation never qualifies.

You only have to ask a price question once. Once you know what your provider charges for sending and receiving, Peppol is one worry less.
💜💙 Your BravoLisa Team

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. Every situation is different — consult a qualified professional (tax adviser, accountant, or lawyer) for advice specific to your circumstances. BravoLisa does not accept liability for decisions made based on this information.

Last updated: October 2026. Amounts and thresholds can change: always check them with the RSVZ / INASTI, the FOD Financiën / SPF Finances or your social insurance fund.

Sources (12)

Verified on 12 October 2026

1. efactuur.belgium.be — Ik maak mijn facturen in Word, Excel, pdf of op papier: hoe bereid ik me voor op e-facturatie?
2. efactuur.belgium.be — Algemene vragen over de B2B-verplichting, vraag 8
3. efactuur.belgium.be — Algemene vragen over Peppol, vragen 5 en 9
4. efactuur.belgium.be — De lijst met oplossingen is lang: waar begin ik?
5. Doccle — Hoeveel kost Peppol via Doccle: onze tarieven
6. Accountable — Prijzen
7. B2Brouter — Gratis elektronische facturatie
8. B2Brouter — Peppol gratuit
9. KBC — KBC Invoicing Services
10. KBC — KBC-Business PRO Boostpack
11. Let's Peppol — Let's Peppol
12. efactuur.belgium.be — Fiscale stimulansen voor het invoeren van e-facturatie