Sending e-invoices

In this article, we'll explain how to create and send e-invoices with Zervant. E-invoice is often the preferred method of invoicing by governmental bodies and large companies where all necessary information is forwarded between invoice sender and recipient in the e-invoicing network. You can read more about e-invoicing and the difference between e-invoicing and invoices sent by e-mail from What is e-invoicing?.

E-invoicing is a premium feature. You can read more about how to upgrade your subscription here: How to subscribe to a Zervant Premium plan.

 

How to create and send an e-invoice

1. Make sure you have valid e-invoicing details from your customer. You can learn more about the necessary information below.

2. Go to the tab >Invoice >New Invoice to create an invoice as you normally would. 

3. Once you have created your invoice, select >As e-invoice in the >Approve and send menu.


send e-invoice

4. If you haven’t filled out your company contact details, a window will open for you to fill them out. All the fields marked with a blue star (*) are mandatory. The same applies to your customer’s contact details. If you are unsure about the e-invoice address, check out our guide on Understanding e-invoicing addresses

e-invoice address

5. Finally, click >Send. Your e-invoice will be sent through our operator Basware to your customer’s e-invoice operator, and eventually to your customer's invoice processing system.

 

If an e-invoice address doesn't meet the criterial, you will be shown an error message:

Screenshot_2021-09-08_at_9.09.59.png

 

Necessary information for sending e-invoices

E-invoices are sent using sender’s and recipient’s e-invoicing addresses. This works basically the same way mobile phones work - everyone needs to have a phone number that identifies both, the caller and the callee. To send an e-invoice, you need to include:

1. Your own company contact information: you need to have either a company registration number or VAT number to send e-invoices.

2. Your customer's information:

3. The required fields/references your customer wants you to fill in for their invoice: For instance, this could include the PO (purchase order) number, payment reference or the buyer's reference. You can add these in your invoicing >Settings under >Visible references.

e-invoice requirements

 

Remember to check that you have sufficient e-invoicing/postal deliveries left, as included in your Premium plan quota. Please note that any test invoices, sent by post or as an e-invoice, will count also. You can check your remaining deliveries in the overview of your plan >My Account >My Plan and upgrade your plan if you need to send more e-invoices:
E-invoice_quota_Zervant.png

 

Checking the delivery status of a sent e-invoice

Once your e-invoice is sent, you can check its delivery status under the invoice >history:
e-invoice history

  • If the delivery was successful, the status will say "E-invoice successfully delivered to recipient"
  • If the delivery failed, the status will say either "E-invoice delivery failed due to invalid content" or "E-invoice was rejected by recipient" depending on the reason of the failure
  • If the delivery is delayed, you will receive a notification email as well as a notification in the invoice history. This is an indication for the invoice not being able to be delivered. 

See the most common reasons for failure in e-invoice delivery here.