Prepare a clear invoice handover for your accountant
Gather original invoices, current settlement statements, credit notes and unresolved questions; verify the files before handing them to your accountant.
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At a glance
Agree the period and required files with your accountant, separate original invoices from current payment statements, then verify the documents and highlight unresolved items.
Before you begin
- Access to the saved invoices for the period
- An agreed way to share records with your accountant
What you will achieve
- A usable set of verified invoice and payment records
- A short list of questions that need accounting decisions
On this page
A good handover lets your accountant answer three questions: what did you bill, what happened to the bill, and what money moved? You do not need a complicated reporting system for a handful of invoices. You do need identifiable files and a short explanation of anything unusual.
This process applies generally. The Belgian Peppol and archiving points are marked below; ask your accountant which records and retention rules apply to your business.
Agree the period and the method
Ask which period your accountant wants, which documents they need and how they want to receive them. Establish whether the cut-off is based on invoice dates, payment dates or both. A payment in November for an October invoice belongs in the story even when the requested invoice period is October.
Use the sharing channel you have agreed with the accountant. Do not send account passwords or unrelated customer and bank information. If they need payment evidence, provide the relevant information they request through that channel rather than attaching an entire banking history by default.
Make a simple list of the invoices in scope: number, client, date, currency, original total and remaining balance. Include credit notes and any unresolved draft separately so they cannot be mistaken for final invoices.
Keep original invoices and current statements distinct
Open Factures, locate each saved invoice, then open its details or Edit. In Settlement, use Original document for the original invoice PDF and Current statement for the current payment position.
The original invoice and a later settlement statement answer different questions. Payments and refunds can change the statement without changing the original issued invoice. Give them recognisable filenames, for example:
INV-2026-041-original.pdfINV-2026-041-statement-2026-11-03.pdfINV-2026-041-notes.txt, if an explanation is needed.
Do not replace the original with the statement or relabel a current statement as the invoice that was originally issued. Download related credit notes from their own saved records and identify which invoice they correct.
These are individual document downloads. Gather and arrange them in the folder or channel agreed with your accountant; this routine does not rely on a one-click ZIP export.
Add the Peppol originals when relevant
For Belgian suppliers using OrdoGrid's Peppol send flow, find the document in Peppol → Outbox. Use the document's download menu to obtain the available XML and PDF. Keep the XML with its invoice number and distinguish it from later payment statements.
XML is the structured invoice original. If no PDF was attached to the exchange, the Outbox PDF may be a generated summary. Use Settlement → Original document for the saved invoice's original PDF and label these files separately.
Belgium's official archive guidance strongly recommends keeping the original electronic XML. It permits format changes when authenticity, integrity and readability remain guaranteed, but conversion increases the evidence burden. Keeping the original is a useful practical choice; agree any conversion and retention policy with your accountant. See invoice archiving in Belgium for the fuller procedure.
If a download fails, keep the invoice number and error and request help. A screenshot is useful for diagnosis but does not replace a missing original file.
Explain payments and exceptions
Read Movement history for payments, refunds and reversals. Do not count prepayments twice: the Payments summary already includes them. Note any receipt you cannot confidently match to an invoice, rather than guessing a match to clear the balance.
For example, INV-2026-041 totals €1,200. The customer paid €400 on 20 October and €800 on 2 November. The original remains €1,200, while the statement dated 3 November shows the later settlement. Include both payment references and dates so your accountant can place them correctly.
A brief exceptions list can say: “INV-2026-042: customer disputes one service day; no correction agreed”; “INV-2026-043: send result uncertain; support contacted”; or “€250 receipt: invoice reference requested.” Explain the facts and next action without inventing accounting entries.
Verify the files before sending
Open each PDF and check the client, invoice number, dates, currency and totals. Check that XML downloads exist, are not empty and correspond to the expected invoice; your accountant can confirm import compatibility. If they report an import problem, keep the original unchanged and send the exact error to support.
Compare the file set with your list. Every expected invoice should have an identifiable record, and every credit or statement should be linked to the right number. Keep drafts in a separate, clearly labelled group.
After sharing, ask the accountant to confirm that they can open the files and identify any missing information. Keep your own copy and note outstanding questions. The handover is complete when the documents are usable and the exceptions have an owner, not merely when an email has been sent.