Electronic Invoicing 2027: 6 myths that can complicate your transition to e-invoices

Electronic Invoicing 2027 is approaching, bringing along a lot of questions. Does mandatory e-invoicing also apply to small entrepreneurs? Will a PDF invoice sent by email still be enough? Is it enough if an accountant takes care of everything? And what if a company starts preparing right before January 1, 2027?

Around mandatory electronic invoicing, many myths and misconceptions are arising. Some companies think the change does not concern them at all. Others assume their accountant will handle everything, or that buying a single new tool is enough.

However, reality is a bit more complex. E-invoicing 2027 is not just a new document format. For many companies, it means a change in processes, systems, responsibilities, and the way invoices are created, sent, and processed.

Myth No. 1: "I am a small entrepreneur. Electronic invoicing 2027 does not concern me."

This is one of the most common misconceptions. Many entrepreneurs think that if they are not VAT payers or issue only a few invoices per month, mandatory e-invoicing will bypass them.

In reality, the change may affect a much wider range of entrepreneurs. It is not just about large companies and VAT payers. It can also be relevant for entrepreneurs who, for example, lease real estate, conduct business with their own assets, or file tax returns and have been assigned a tax identification number (DIČ).

For smaller companies, this may not be a complicated project. The important thing is to have a suitable solution for receiving electronic invoices—a so-called digital postman—and a tool in which invoices can be loaded, viewed, and stored.

Myth No. 2: "A PDF invoice by email is an electronic invoice after all. Why wouldn't it be enough?"

This question is asked very often. After all, PDF is an electronic document, so why should the method of invoicing change?

The difference is that electronic invoicing 2027 is not built solely on a visual document intended for human reading. A key role will be played by a structured electronic format, such as XML, which systems can automatically process.

This brings a major change especially for accounting and economic departments. Data such as supplier, customer, items, units of measurement, or payment method can be in a unified format.

The result can be less manual retyping, fewer errors, and less dependence on OCR solutions. E-invoicing 2027 therefore does not have to mean just another obligation. When set up correctly, it can be the beginning of significant automation.

At the same time, however, it is not true that PDF will disappear completely. For certain types of transactions, such as B2C communication or invoicing outside the Slovak Republic, a format suitable for human reading may still be required.

Myth No. 3: "I don't need to deal with e-invoices. After all, I have an accountant."

An accountant can be an important partner in preparing for electronic invoicing. However, it is not possible to fully transfer responsibility for the company to the accountant.

In the event of an audit, the responsible entity is the entrepreneur or legal entity. The accountant may be in charge of processing documents, but the company must have processes set up so that invoices are correctly issued, received, processed, and archived.

Electronic invoices will need to be securely stored so that they remain available in the future. At the same time, it is important to know who in the company issues invoices, who approves them, and who ensures they are sent.

Electronic invoicing is therefore not just a topic for accounting. It concerns everyone in the process – from the person recording the delivery of a service or goods, through approvers, to the economic department.

Myth No. 4: "I still have plenty of time until January 2027."

For a small company, preparation can be relatively simple. However, if you have complex supplier-customer relationships, a large volume of invoices, multiple systems, or complex approval processes, the situation is completely different.

It is necessary to check more than just the invoicing system itself. Preparation for mandatory e-invoicing can also affect the ERP system, accounting, codelists, internal approvals, document reception processes, and communication with business partners.

At the same time, invoicing requires keeping statutory deadlines in mind. If an invoice in a company is first approved, checked, and waiting for the statutory representative's signature, each step can affect whether the invoice is issued on time.

Therefore, pilot operation and testing with key suppliers or customers can be very useful. The company can test how electronic document exchange will work even before the go-live transition.

Address the transition to the e-invoice in time and avoid December panic. The capacities of consultants ensuring the transition are limited.

Myth No. 5: "After sending the invoice, I will simply correct it."

Electronic invoicing also brings a change in how errors on issued documents are handled.

Once an invoice is sent into the network, its values cannot be handled in the same way as a document that remained only in the internal system. In the case of significant errors, it may be necessary to cancel the original document and issue a new one.

This means that the correctness of data before sending will be even more important. The company must clearly define who checks the invoice and who can approve it.

Myth No. 6: "E-invoicing will just be another cost."

If we look at electronic invoicing merely as an obligation, of course it can act as an additional cost.

However, when set up correctly, it can bring the exact opposite effect. Structured data allows invoices to be better linked with orders, requisitions, and other business processes. 

The economic department therefore does not have to spend time manually retyping data from invoices. Most of the work can be automated, and people can focus on control, analysis, and financial management.

Is buying a single tool enough? Not always.

One common misconception is that preparing for electronic invoicing 2027 simply means buying one new tool.

In reality, the entire process must be taken into account. A company may need a solution for the electronic transmission of invoices, but it must also review its existing invoicing or enterprise system.

What questions should you definitely ask?

• Can your system create an electronic invoice in the required format?
• Can it load and process a received e-invoice?
• Can the system be connected to the digital postman?
• Is your customer and supplier data correct?
• Do you have internal approval processes set up?
• Do you know who in the company will be responsible for the entire process?

What should a company do as a first step?

The best start is not to buy a new system immediately. The first step is to map the current state.

Electronic invoicing 2027 doesn't have to be chaos

For a small entrepreneur, the transition to electronic invoicing can be relatively simple. For medium and larger companies, however, it can be a complex change that affects multiple departments.

The important thing is not to start addressing just the invoice itself. You need to look at the entire process – from the creation of the order or delivery of the service, through approval and issuance of the document, to its electronic sending, reception, processing, and archiving.

If you start in time, you can not only comply with the process, but also simplify and automate it at the same time. Countries that have already transitioned to electronic invoicing report up to a 50 percent savings in time spent on invoicing.