Electronic invoicing has emerged as one of the foremost legal requirements imposed by governments worldwide in recent years. It is anticipated to become the prevailing method for global business-to-business (B2B) invoice exchange in the imminent future.
Given the multitude of governments instituting this legal mandate, it is crucial for customers with a global presence to understand the potential strategies for enabling electronic invoicing in SAP Business ByDesign.
This article aims to consolidate all pertinent information in one location, serving as a general guide on the approach to be taken for electronic invoicing in SAP Business ByDesign for any given country.
INDIA
Electronic Invoicing in India commenced on October 1, 2020, with a phased implementation approach based on the aggregated turnover of businesses.
Correlated references:
India Electronic Invoicing – Help Documentation
India E-Invoice approaches in SAP Business ByDesign - Blog
Mass Update of Legal Approval Data – Help Documentation, Topic Video
Intracompany Stock Transfer Orders – Help Documentation, Topic Video
Credit Memos and Debit Notes against Stock Transfer Order – Help Documentation, Topic Video
Commercial Credit and Debit Notes for India – Help Documentation, Topic Video
QR Code on B2C Invoices - Help Documentation, Topic Video
CHINA
Effective December 1, 2024, the China Tax Bureau announced the nationwide adoption and availability of Fully Digitalized Electronic Invoices (FDEI) for all taxpayers.
Correlated references:
Fully Digitalized Electronic Invoice – Help Documentation, Topic Video
Detailed information pertaining to the enablement of the older regulation for the Golden Tax system in China within SAP Business ByDesign can be accessed here.
MEXICO
Invoice documents issued by Mexican companies must adhere to the legal requirements specified by the Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT), the Mexican tax authority.
Correlated references:
Help Documentation
JAPAN
In Japan, companies are obligated to carry out the 'Shimeseikyu' process, whereby a company requests its customers to settle multiple accounts receivable items (Customer Invoices) simultaneously. SAP Business ByDesign facilitates this process through Invoice Summary Documents.
Correlated references - Help Documentation, Blog
Electronic Invoicing in Japan commenced on October 1, 2023. This capability is supported through the integration of SAP Business ByDesign with the SAP Document and Reporting Compliance, cloud edition. The recommended payload specification for Japan is PINT.
Correlated references:
Help Documentation
Topic Video
SOUTH KOREA
In South Korea, electronic tax invoices can be generated for all transactions involving output tax. These invoices are required to be submitted to the National Tax Service (NTS), with the approval number maintained in the system. SAP Business ByDesign supports this through its Electronic Tax Invoice feature.
Correlated references:
Help Documentation
ISRAEL
The Israeli Tax Authority has mandated electronic Invoicing, effective from May 5, 2024. This has been enabled in SAP Business ByDesign with the addition of the Allocation Number field in relevant business scenarios and can be further automated with the assistance of implementation partners.
Correlated references:
Help Documentation
Topic Video
Sequential Document Numbering for Self-Invoice
Sequential Document Numbering for ERS Credit Memo
AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND
The Australian and New Zealand Peppol Authorities have introduced the new PINT (Peppol International Invoice) format, mandated for use starting in May 2025. This is facilitated through the integration of SAP Business ByDesign with SAP Document and Reporting Compliance, cloud edition.
Correlated references:
Help Documentation
GERMANY
The German government has introduced mandatory electronic invoicing for domestic B2B transactions, effective from January 1, 2025. SAP Business ByDesign already supports the exchange of electronic customer and supplier invoices.
Correlated references:
Receiving E-Invoices with SAP Business ByDesign - Blog
German xRechnung Templates for SAP Business ByDesign - Blog
SUPPORTED COUNTRIES ON PEPPOL NETWORK
It is a legal requirement in numerous countries that business transaction documents are electronically exchanged among business partners, legal authorities, or other public entities (business-to-government, B2G) or between your company and your business partners (business-to-business, B2B). Several countries have adopted the Peppol eDelivery network as the standard for electronic transfer of documents. SAP Business ByDesign enables this information exchange through integration with SAP Document and Reporting Compliance, cloud edition.
SAP Document and Reporting Compliance is SAP’s solution to enable compliance processes from managing electronic documents to statutory reporting while complying with local mandates worldwide. Currently, the solution serves 57 countries for statutory reporting and electronic invoicing, addressing over 430 regulations and helping enterprises to leverage localized business processes for operational efficiency and seamless compliance. It is an award winning product in the category of Compliance solutions.
With this integration in SAP Business ByDesign, please find below
Supported Business Scenarios
Supported Document Types for given countries/regions
Correlated references:
Blog: Integrating SAP Business ByDesign to Peppol Network
ENABLEMENT FOR NON-LOCALIZED COUNTRIES
In addition to the 21 localized countries supported by SAP Business ByDesign, electronic invoicing support for non-localized countries is enabled via a combination of standard enablement and the Localization Toolkit. Detailed information on standard enablement can be found on the ‘Country/Region-Specific Features’ page of the SAP Help Portal. Examples for Greece and Ukraine are available therein.
Moreover, using the localization toolkit guidelines for SAP Business ByDesign, businesses can develop add-ons and maintain business configurations to meet country/region-specific requirements.
Correlated references:
Localization Toolkit for SAP Business ByDesign
This comprehensive course covers essential topics such as taxes, tax calculation, tax reporting, electronic submission of tax returns, generation of custom electronic files, and language translation tools. The 'Week 3' section focuses on learning content specific to custom electronic file generation, including electronic invoices.
SAP Community for SAP Business ByDesign Localization
Blog for Electronic Invoicing using Web Services
Blog for Electronic Invoicing using XSLT Repository
Updates regarding upcoming regulations will be published in the regulatory change manager. Please follow these updates to stay informed about the status and developments related to regulatory changes.
