In July 2023, the government announced the postponement of the law on mandatory electronic invoicing, which was initially scheduled for July 1, 2024. A measure that impacts around 4 million businesses.
We explain the reasons for this postponement and the resulting opportunities!
According to a recent study conducted by Generix Group in partnership with Markess by Exægis, 27% of companies admitted to not being ready . The study also revealed that this delay mainly concerns the adoption of dematerialization solutions, with significant variations depending on the sector of activity.
For example, 94% of distribution companies have already implemented an invoice digitalization solution , while only 72% of service companies have done so .
Another factor contributing to this delay is the cost associated with the transition to electronic invoicing. According to the survey, 37% of respondents estimate it will cost less than 500,000 euros, while 36% estimate it will cost more than 1 million euros, and 6% estimate it will cost more than 10 million euros. .
In the current economic context, marked by inflation and the financial challenges that many French companies are facing due to the increase in energy and raw material costs, as well as the repayment of loans taken out during the pandemic, It seems that the government has taken these difficulties into account and has decided to grant companies additional time to comply with the law on electronic invoicing.
E-invoicing compliance is often the first step in digital transformation for many businesses. It is therefore essential to consider this process as part of a broader digitalization , as it is often the starting point for dematerialization and process automation, which can be extended to other areas such as purchasing, quality, human resources, after-sales service, etc.
In 2022, a survey conducted by Markess found that 2 in 3 decision-makers consider process simplification and automation a priority to achieve by 2024 . This may include aspects such as automatic verification of invoice data, automatic alignment of invoices with purchase orders and delivery notes, automated accounting posting and automated management of electronic invoicing flows, among others . These efforts are likely to yield benefits such as reduced errors related to manual processes, improved data reliability, time savings and better fraud protection through systematic controls.
Despite this postponement, it is strongly recommended that companies do not further delay their invoice dematerialization project . On the contrary, this additional time should be used to launch the project, mobilize the teams concerned, develop specifications or an expression of needs, map work flows and seek solutions adapted to their needs. It is also important to take into account the variable costs of the different options available , such as Dematerialization Service Providers (PSP), Dematerialization Operators (OD), or the use of the Supplier Payment Platform (PPF).
