Peppol delivery status: sent, delivered, failed
Plain meanings of Peppol sent, delivered, and failed for Belgian SMEs, and how that differs from a customer reply about the invoice.
Updated
Peppol delivery status answers one question: did the structured message reach the buyer’s Access Point? Sent, delivered, and failed are transport labels. They are not booking, buyer approval, or payment.
Two different questions
Your software shows a delivery status on an outbound Peppol invoice. That answers only: did the structured message leave your side and reach the buyer’s Peppol gateway?
Separately, the buyer may later send a customer reply (often called IMR). That answers: will they process or dispute the invoice as submitted? Reply details: Peppol invoice responses.
| Signal | Means | Does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| Sent / delivered / failed | Network handoff | Customer approved payment |
| Customer reply | Their AP / purchasing stance | Money left the bank |
Mixing the two creates false “paid” assumptions or unnecessary reissues. Content problems before send: validation errors.
Sent, delivered, failed (plain words)
Labels vary by product. Map yours to these meanings.
| Status | What happened | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Draft / not sent | Still in your tool | Validate; not yet on Peppol |
| Queued | Handed to your Access Point | Wait; do not click send twice |
| Sent | Left your side (or in flight) | Wait for delivery confirmation; keep the invoice number |
| Delivered | Buyer’s Access Point accepted the message | Start normal payment follow-up; watch for a customer reply if they use one |
| Failed | Could not reach the buyer’s gateway | Read the error; fix identity or capability; see below |
| Unknown / timeout | No clear answer yet | Check with your provider before resending |
- Delivered
The buyer’s Peppol gateway accepted the message. It is not booking, approval, or payment.
When status is failed
- Note invoice number, buyer ID, time, and exact error text.
- Re-check the buyer with participant lookup (Belgium: scheme 0208, ten digits).
- Confirm they can receive invoices on Peppol.
- If they are not on the network, follow client not on Peppol.
- Decide resend vs credit note using fix a rejected invoice.
Do not change party IDs on a document already marked delivered.
After “delivered”
| What you see | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| No customer reply | Common for many SMEs | Follow your payment terms |
| Reply: accepted / in process / questions | They are handling it | Answer questions; do not mark as paid early |
| Reply: rejected | They will not take it as submitted | Credit note + corrected invoice, not a silent rewrite |
Buyers receiving mail: Peppol inbound inbox.
Easy mistakes
- Treating delivered as “customer approved the invoice”
- Resending the same invoice after delivered to chase payment
- Ignoring failed because the PDF looks fine
- Issuing a credit note for every transport failure without checking whether the number was used
Worked example
09:10: Atelier Nord clicks send on F2026-0118. Status queued, then sent. 09:12: delivered. AR follows the due date.
Thursday: Studio Berg sends an IMR rejected (wrong price). Delivery already succeeded; this is a business reject. Atelier Nord issues a credit note and a new invoice. Resending F2026-0118 would duplicate a delivered number.
FAQ
What does Peppol delivered mean?
The buyer’s Access Point accepted the structured message. It is not approval and not payment.
What does sent mean?
The message left your side or is in flight. Wait for delivered or failed before you resend.
What should I do when status is failed?
Capture the error, re-check the buyer ID and receive capability, then decide resend versus credit note. Do not ignore it because the PDF looks fine.
Is delivered the same as accepted?
No. Accepted is a later customer reply (IMR), if they send one.
Can I resend after delivered to chase payment?
No. That creates a second copy of the same invoice number. Chase cash on the open item, or credit and reissue if the content is wrong.
Does failed mean I must issue a credit note?
Not always. If the number was never accepted as the invoice of record, you may reissue the draft. If the buyer received it, correct with a credit note.