A simple routine for an occasional business invoice

You do not need a large billing routine for a handful of business invoices. A short checklist is enough to keep the details right and avoid forgetting payment or creating a duplicate. Keep the same few checks for every buyer, even when you invoice them only once.

This guide is for a Belgian business using OrdoGrid to send an occasional B2B invoice through Peppol. If this is your first send, start with the first-invoice walkthrough.

Ask the buyer for the right details

Before opening the invoice, ask the person placing the order which legal organisation should be billed. Collect its legal name, VAT/business identifier, full address and invoice-query contact. Ask whether a purchase-order number or buyer reference is required.

For example, a buyer may order a workshop for staff at one location while another company in the group pays the invoice. Use the legal buyer they confirm, not the building's name or your contact's personal name.

Agree the description, quantity, price, currency and payment terms. If there is a deposit, keep evidence of what was actually paid. A promise to pay next week is not a completed payment.

Check your own setup once, then keep it current

Check the active company's profile, VAT number, address and bank/payment details. In Peppol → Statut, review sending readiness. Complete the authorisation if requested and you are authorised to sign for the business.

Receiving invoices is a separate setup choice. If another service handles your incoming invoices, check that arrangement before changing it. The current outbound Peppol flow supports Belgian supplier companies.

After this first check, review the setup again when your business details or payment information changes. There is no need to recreate your customer or reconfigure Peppol for every correctly configured invoice.

Make one clear invoice

Open Factures → Nouvelle facture. Select the stored client or add the buyer through the client selector. VAT lookup can help, but compare the result with the confirmed billing details.

Add a description the buyer will recognise, for example “On-site workshop — 24 September 2026”, rather than just “Services”. Enter the agreed quantity and price, currency, dates and required purchase reference. Check the suggested invoice number.

Use the VAT treatment confirmed by your accountant for your business and this sale. Do not choose another seller's rate as a shortcut. Check whether prices include VAT, then review subtotal, tax and total in Totaux. Preview the PDF and save the document.

Send, check, then follow payment

Reopen that saved invoice if needed and choose Envoyer. Check Peppol is selected. Email is a separate option and may already be selected when an email address exists. Confirm your choices with Sauvegarder & Envoyer once.

Find the document in Peppol → Outbox and use Actualiser or Vérifier to check its delivery. If the result is pending, wait. If it is uncertain or an error is unclear, keep the invoice number and ask support before another attempt.

Delivery is separate from payment. Put the due date in your usual reminder list and check your bank/payment evidence. Confirm the actual received amount before recording a payment. An invoice being on Peppol does not mean money has arrived.

Keep a small, useful record

For each invoice, retain the number, client, agreed sale, due date, delivery result, payment evidence and a link to its files. Download XML and the available PDF from the Peppol document's menu.

Keeping the original structured file is strongly recommended. Belgian archive guidance also permits other conservation formats if authenticity, integrity and readability remain guaranteed. Use the retention instructions agreed with your accountant.

Keep the invoice number and exact error. You can correct a draft while it is editable and has not been issued. Do not overwrite an issued invoice’s original amounts or VAT; ask your accountant how to make a correction linked to that invoice. Retry sending only after a confirmed transmission rejection, using the same unchanged original when allowed. If the outcome is uncertain, ask support before retrying. A transport failure alone does not require a credit note.

Before your next invoice, search the list for the same sale. This small habit prevents billing it twice when you forget what you saved earlier.