eInvoicing for UK government suppliers: what to do now
UK public bodies must already accept electronic invoices that meet the European standard EN 16931, and pay valid, undisputed invoices within 30 days. NHS Supply Chain goes further: its suppliers exchange orders, despatch advice and invoices over Peppol. The government has also announced that from April 2029, every VAT invoice to the public sector will need to be a structured eInvoice. Transalis is a certified Peppol Access Point, so one connection covers all three.
What are the eInvoicing requirements for UK government suppliers?
Public bodies must accept eInvoices and pay undisputed invoices within 30 days. Suppliers may send eInvoices today, and the government plans to require them from April 2029.
Public bodies must accept eInvoices
Section 67 of the Procurement Act 2023 writes a term into every public contract: the contracting authority must accept and process for payment any electronic invoice in the required form that is not disputed. The required form is the European standard EN 16931.
Suppliers have the right to send them
The law gives suppliers the right to submit an electronic invoice. It does not oblige them to. The planned 2029 mandate would change that. Individual buyers can still require it in their contracts, as NHS Supply Chain does.
Paid within 30 days
Under section 68, a public body must pay a valid, undisputed invoice within 30 days of receiving it. If it thinks an invoice is invalid or disputes it, it must say so without undue delay.
The Act kept the rule
The 2019 eInvoicing regulations were revoked when the Procurement Act 2023 came in, but the guidance is plain: the Act does not change the fundamental requirement relating to electronic invoicing.
Does the NHS require Peppol?
NHS Supply Chain does. Its suppliers exchange purchase orders, despatch advice and invoices over Peppol, each connected through a Peppol Access Point.
- Purchase orders
- Despatch advice
- Invoices
- 1Your systemYour ERP or order system holds the order, the despatch and the invoice
- 2Your Access PointTurns them into Peppol documents and sends them
- 3NHS Supply Chain's Access PointReceives them on the NHS side
- 4NHS Supply ChainOrders, despatch advice and invoices arrive ready to process
Every NHS Supply Chain supplier uses Peppol
All suppliers to NHS Supply Chain use Peppol to exchange business documents with it: purchase orders, despatch advice and invoices.
Emailed EDI orders have stopped
From 1 October 2025, NHS Supply Chain no longer accepts EDI orders by email. Peppol through a trading partner is one of the routes that replaces it.
England has its own Peppol Authority
The Peppol Authority for England is run day to day by Supply Chain Coordination Ltd, the company behind NHS Supply Chain. It sets the local rules Access Points follow.
Other NHS bodies set their own terms
Trusts and other NHS organisations choose how they want to be invoiced. Check each customer's requirement, then use one Peppol connection to meet them all.
What changes for public sector suppliers, and when?
The duty on public bodies is already in force. A duty on suppliers is announced for April 2029 but is not yet law, and the roadmap for it is published on 28 October 2026.
- LawIn force
The last public bodies must be able to receive eInvoices in the EN 16931 standard. Central government had to from 2019; local and other sub-central bodies by this date.
- LawIn force
The Procurement Act 2023 comes into force. Section 67 carries the duty to accept eInvoices into every public contract, and section 68 sets payment within 30 days.
- NHSIn force
NHS Supply Chain stops accepting EDI orders sent by email.
- Next
Budget 2026. The government publishes its implementation roadmap for the eInvoicing mandate, which covers invoices to the public sector.
- Mandate
The announced start date. Every VAT invoice for business and public sector sales will need to be a structured eInvoice, so sending one becomes a requirement for suppliers, not a right.
Checked against legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK and NHS Supply Chain: 6 October 2026.
What should government suppliers do now?
Six steps, and none of them needs to wait for 2029. If you supply NHS Supply Chain, the first four may already be part of your contract.
List your public sector customers
Note how each one wants invoices today: a portal, email, or Peppol. NHS Supply Chain and many NHS bodies already expect Peppol.
Check your invoices meet EN 16931
A structured invoice meets the standard. A PDF does not. Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 is built on EN 16931, so a Peppol invoice meets it.
Get a Peppol ID through an Access Point
Your Access Point registers you on Peppol, so public bodies and NHS Supply Chain can find you and send you orders.
Connect your system once
Link your ERP or order system to your Access Point, or start on a web portal if your volumes are small. Either way, one connection reaches every buyer on Peppol.
Move orders as well as invoices
NHS Supply Chain exchanges orders and despatch advice over Peppol too. Receiving orders this way removes the rekeying before you ever invoice.
Hold buyers to 30 days
A valid, undisputed invoice must be paid within 30 days. Structured invoices arrive complete and can be tracked, which leaves fewer reasons to dispute them.
What eInvoicing software do government suppliers need?
A Peppol Access Point that turns your invoices into structured data and delivers them. Transalis provides both as one managed connection, through a web portal or your ERP.
- organisations
- 15,000+
- countries
- 50+
- invoice value processed annually
- 7bn+
A network that is already there
The Transalis Trading Network connects 15,000+ organisations across 50+ countries and processes 7bn+ in invoice value a year, so many of your customers may already be on it.
Certified Peppol Access Point
Transalis is a certified Peppol Access Point using AS4, and was awarded a place on the Crown Commercial Service Peppol Access Point framework for the UK public sector.
Working with the NHS since 2017
Transalis has connected NHS suppliers to Peppol since its framework award in January 2017, for orders, invoices and other business documents.
A portal or a full integration
Start fast on a web portal, or connect your ERP so orders and invoices flow without rekeying. Transalis handles the format and the Peppol delivery, and shows every invoice's status in eInvoiceTrack.
Government supplier eInvoicing: common questions
What are the eInvoicing requirements for UK government suppliers?
Today, public bodies must accept electronic invoices in the EN 16931 standard and pay valid, undisputed invoices within 30 days, under sections 67 and 68 of the Procurement Act 2023. Suppliers have the right to send eInvoices but are not yet obliged to. The government has announced that from April 2029, every VAT invoice to the public sector will need to be a structured eInvoice. That date is not yet law.
Do UK public bodies have to accept eInvoices?
Yes. Section 67 of the Procurement Act 2023 makes every contracting authority accept and process for payment any undisputed electronic invoice in the required form. The required form is the European standard EN 16931 with one of its approved formats.
Do suppliers have to send eInvoices to the public sector?
Not by law today. Suppliers always have the right to send an electronic invoice, and individual buyers such as NHS Supply Chain can require it in their contracts. The government has announced a UK eInvoicing mandate from April 2029 that would make structured eInvoices compulsory for all VAT invoices, including those to the public sector. The law for it is not yet in place.
Does the NHS require Peppol?
NHS Supply Chain does. All of its suppliers use Peppol to exchange purchase orders, despatch advice and invoices with it. Other NHS organisations set their own invoicing terms, so check each customer's requirement.
Is a Peppol invoice compliant with EN 16931?
Yes. Peppol invoices use the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 format, which is based on the European standard EN 16931. Sending through a Peppol Access Point meets the standard public bodies must accept.
How quickly must a public body pay an invoice?
Within 30 days of receiving it, under section 68 of the Procurement Act 2023, unless it considers the invoice invalid or disputes it, in which case it must tell you without undue delay. Concession contracts, private utilities and contracts awarded by schools are excluded.
Does the 2029 eInvoicing mandate cover public sector invoices?
Yes, under the plans announced at Budget 2025. The government said all VAT invoices will need to be issued as eInvoices from April 2029, for both business to business (B2B) and business to government (B2G) sales. It has named Peppol as the core network. The law and the detailed rules are still to come, starting with the roadmap at Budget 2026 on 28 October 2026.
Sources
- legislation.gov.ukProcurement Act 2023, section 67, electronic invoicing (opens in a new tab)The law that makes every public body accept and process undisputed electronic invoices in the EN 16931 standard.
- legislation.gov.ukProcurement Act 2023, section 68, implied payment terms (opens in a new tab)The law that sets payment of valid, undisputed invoices within 30 days, and the contracts it does not cover.
- GOV.UKProcurement Act 2023 guidance, electronic invoicing and payment (updated 20 July 2026) (opens in a new tab)The government's guidance on both sections. It confirms the Act kept the eInvoicing rule and that suppliers have the right to send eInvoices.
- GOV.UKPromoting electronic invoicing across UK businesses and the public sector, consultation response (26 November 2025) (opens in a new tab)The government's plan for eInvoicing from April 2029, covering invoices to the public sector, and its note that NHS Supply Chain already uses Peppol.
- OpenPeppolcountry profile, England (NHS) (opens in a new tab)How Peppol works for NHS Supply Chain: the documents suppliers exchange and who runs the Peppol Authority for England.
- NHS Supply Chaindecommissioning of the inbound email EDI purchase order service (opens in a new tab)NHS Supply Chain's notice that it stopped accepting EDI orders by email from 1 October 2025, and the routes that replace them.
- GOV.UKTax update 2026, simplification, modernisation and fairness (23 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)The government's update of 23 June 2026, which names Peppol as the core interoperability network for eInvoicing in the UK.
Read next
- The UK eInvoicing mandateThe dates, who is in scope and how Peppol will carry every VAT invoice from April 2029.Read more
- Access to Peppol for the NHSHow NHS suppliers connect to Peppol, from a simple online platform to a full integration.Read more
- What does Peppol stand for, and how does it work?The network behind UK public sector and NHS eInvoicing, explained.Read more