The software developer Teamleader analyzed the payment behavior of nearly 750,000 outgoing invoices in November and December - before the mandatory introduction of e-invoicing. Around a quarter of them were sent via Peppol. The conclusion: e-invoices are paid slower than invoices via e-mail, with no clear difference between larger or smaller companies. In December, non-Peppol invoices were paid after 10 days according to the median, while e-invoices via Peppol reached a median of 14 days. In November, that difference was even more pronounced. On average, e-mails were paid after 11 days, while Peppol invoices were only settled after 20 days - although 90 percent of those invoices were ultimately paid.
“For SMEs, that is not innocent. According to Teamleader's latest KMonitor (which analyses the financial health of SMEs, ed.), 43.6 percent have less than three months of cash buffer', explains Jeroen De Wit, CEO of Teamleader. The problem is not with the technology - Peppol works fast - but in practice: where does your invoice arrive, do you see it on time, and is there immediate action? Here are five ways to avoid late payments.

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1) Make a regular habit of checking your digital mailbox
An email invoice comes directly to your inbox and catches the eye more quickly. “E-invoicing is not failing because of Peppol, but because of habits. Invoices must end up where entrepreneurs work every day. Otherwise, they will stay there, no matter how digital they are. Therefore, schedule fixed checkpoints to check your digital mailbox.

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2) Turn on notifications
Let your software warn you when an invoice arrives. This way, you avoid that an invoice has been delivered technically correctly but remains unnoticed.
“We notice that some entrepreneurs are not yet used to working with e-invoicing. Make sure your application sends an email when an invoice arrives. This is easy to set up in most applications. And don't forget to watch,” says Bart Van Coile, the chairman of the Institute of Tax Advisors and Accountants.

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