E-invoicing terminology from A to Z

Updated 5.8.2024

Not sure where to start with understanding the most important e-invoicing terms and concepts? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

E-invoicing is one of those things that eases a company’s daily business flow by digitising invoicing processes through automation and structured standards. It is an increasingly important cog in the wheel of financial management but the constantly evolving terminology can be hard to keep up with. In this blog post you’ll learn the most important terms of electronic invoicing and electronic document exchange.

Pro tip:  Feel free to bookmark this page and come back to it anytime you need inspiration and support to navigate through the terminology jungle of e-invoicing.

List of e-invoicing terminology from A to Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

I

K

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

X

A

Accounts payable 

The amount of money a company owes to its suppliers or creditors for goods and services received.

ACL

Address and Capability Lookup. Previously known as Service Metadata Provider or SMP. A decentralised register within the Peppol network containing end-users’ connection details and their capabilities for handling different message types and versions.

API

Application programming interface. A structure or mechanism that allows two software component to communicate with each other, using definitions and protocols.

API documentation 

A set of documents providing details about how to interact with an application programming interface (API). We’re particularly proud of our own free and public API documentation, which you can check out here.

AvtaleGiro

A Norwegian direct debit service allowing automatic payments of bills and invoices.

B

B2B invoicing – Business-to-business invoicing 

The process of issuing invoices and conducting financial transactions between businesses.

B2C invoicing – Business-to-Consumer invoicing

The process of issuing invoices and conducting financial transactions directly with individual consumers.

B2G invoicing – Business-to-Government invoicing

The process of issuing invoices and conducting financial transactions between businesses and public or government entities.

BID – Business ID

A unique identification number assigned to a business entity for legal and administrative purposes.

C

CII – Cross Industry Invoice

A UN/CEFACT managed standard for the representation of business documents in XML. One of the 2 approved syntax of EN16931.

CMB – Change Management Board

The entity that approves changes to the rules and regulations of an organisation. For example, Peppol has several CMB:s.

Credit note  

A document issued by a seller to a buyer, indicating a reduction in the amount owed due to returned goods or other reasons.

Compliance

Adhering to regulations and standards in e-invoicing. These can be on for example national level, EU-level or even on a global level.

Correction invoice

A document, similar to a credit note, issued to correct errors or omissions in a previously sent invoice. It serves as an amendment, providing corrected details without invalidating the original transaction, distinct from a credit note which is typically used to adjust the total amount payable due to reasons such as returns or overcharges.

D

Debit note  

A debit note is separate from an invoice and informs a buyer of current debt obligations. A debit note is also a document created by a buyer when returning goods received on credit.

DPI – Digital postkasse innbygger

A Norwegian digital mailbox service for citizens to receive and manage official digital communications.

E

E-billing  

The electronic delivery of invoices and billing information, often replacing traditional paper-based billing methods.

E-billing Address  

An electronic address used for the delivery and reception of electronic billing documents.

E-invoice Address Registry  

A database or system containing electronic addresses used for sending and receiving e-invoices.

E-invoice Compliance  

Adherence to the regulatory and technical requirements for the electronic exchange of invoices.

E-invoice Operator  

An entity responsible for facilitating the exchange of electronic invoices between parties, e.g. Maventa.

E-invoice Operator ID  

An identification code assigned to an e-invoice operator for recognition and tracking purposes.

E-invoicing  

The electronic creation, delivery, and processing of invoices between business partners.

EAID

Electronic Address Identifier. Used in Peppol context, an address used for the electronic transmission of invoices between business entities.

EAS

Electronic Address Scheme that describes the type of EAID.

EIA – Electronic Invoice Address  

An address used for the electronic transmission of invoices between business entities.

EDI – Electronic Data Interchange  

The computer-to-computer exchange of business documents in a structured format.

EHF – Elektronisk Handelsformat  

The Norwegian standard for electronic invoicing and document exchange.

ELMA  

ELMA is a Norwegian electronic recipient register (ACL) of companies and public entities capable of receiving electronic documents.

Email invoice  

An invoice sent via email in a PDF or other format for payment processing. An email invoice is not an electronic invoice as it lacks structured data.

EN16931  

A European standard specifying the semantic data model for the electronic exchange of invoice information. Used to streamline invoicing between the EU nations.

E-Procurement

The process of purchasing goods and services electronically.

ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning

Integrated software applications for managing business processes, including invoicing and financial functions.

F

Finvoice  

An XML-based standard for electronic invoicing used in Finland.

FMS – Financial management system 

Software designed for managing an organisation’s financial transactions, including invoicing.

Four corner model

Delivery system in the Peppol network where document travels from sender through sending operator to receiving operator and finally to the recipient.

Five corner model

Delivery system similar to the Peppol four corner model but the operators register the transmitted document to a government entity, the fifth corner.

G

GST – Goods and Services Tax

Common way to tax goods and services used in other countries similar to VAT.

I

Invoice image / Invoice visualisation

A digital representation or a scan of a paper invoice, often used for archiving and record-keeping.

K

Kivra  

A digital mailbox service for consumers for secure and convenient receipt of digital documents. Originally from Sweden, but nowadays also operating in Finland.

N

NEA register  

A Swedish register of electronic addresses used for the exchange of e-invoices.

Nemhandel  

A Danish e-commerce platform facilitating electronic trading and invoicing.

O

Org nr  

Organisation number, a unique identification number assigned to businesses in Norway.

OIOUBL

A Danish standard for electronic invoicing.

OmaPosti

A Finnish digital mailbox service for citizens to receive communications instead of paper mail.

Operator

An entity responsible for facilitating the exchange of electronic documents between parties. E.g. Maventa is an operator.

O2C – Order-to-Cash

The process from receiving an order to collecting payment.

P

PDF invoice  

An invoice saved in Portable Document Format, mostly used for sending and receiving invoices via email or to scanning.

Peppol  

Pan-European electronic procurement network facilitating standardised e-invoicing and business document exchange.

Peppol Access Point  

A service provider connecting businesses to the Peppol network for the exchange of electronic documents. Maventa, for example, serves as a Peppol Access Point.

PeppolBIS  

Business Interoperability Specifications defining the requirements for Peppol compliant documents.

Peppol Directory  

A directory providing information on Peppol participants and their electronic exchange capabilities.

Peppol Network 

A secure network infrastructure supporting the exchange of electronic documents using the Peppol specifications. Aims to a simplified and borderless trade for both private business and public organisations.

PINT – Peppol INTernational

Specifications allowing different countries’ domestic features to coexist in an invoice, making the format internationally usable.

Print invoice  

A traditional paper-based invoice intended for physical delivery.

Print service  

A service providing physical printing and delivery of invoices.

Purchase invoice  

An invoice issued by a seller to a buyer for goods or services purchased.

P2P – Procure to Pay

The end-to-end process involving procurement and payment.

R

Real-time reporting

The immediate reporting of financial data to authorities, often facilitated by e-invoicing systems.

Receivables  

Amounts owed to a business by its customers or clients for goods or services provided.

Receivables Management

The systematic process and strategies employed by companies to ensure timely collection of outstanding amounts owed, including monitoring payments, sending reminders, and initiating debt collection procedures.

REST API  

Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface, a set of rules for building web services.

Routing  

The process of directing electronic documents to the appropriate recipient or system.

S

Sales invoice  

An invoice issued by a seller to a buyer for goods or services sold.

Schema validation  

Checking the structure and adherence to a predefined schema of electronic documents.

Scan service  

A service providing scanning and digitization of paper documents, including invoices.

SML – Service Metadata Locator

A service currently run by the European Commission that acts as an address lookup service for Peppol and Nemhandel networks. You find the correct ACL for given EAID using a SML.

SI-UBL  

A Dutch standard for the use of UBL (Universal Business Language) in electronic invoicing.

SOAP API  

Simple Object Access Protocol Application Programming Interface, a protocol for exchanging structured information.

Svefaktura  

A Swedish standard for electronic invoicing.

T

TEAPPSXML

An XML-based standard for electronic invoicing, used in Finland, originally developed by Tieto.

U

UBL  

Universal Business Language, a OASIS managed standard for the representation of business documents in XML. One of the 2 approved syntax of EN16931.

UN/CEFACT

The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business.

V

VAT – Value-added tax  

A consumption tax added to the value of goods and services at each stage of production and distribution.

Vipps  

A Norwegian mobile payment application.

VismaUBL  

A standard for electronic invoicing developed by Visma, a software company.

X

XML – Extensible Markup Language

The convention for representing data in a structured form. A markup language that defines rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.

XRechnung

German standard format for e-invoice delivery. Will be identical to PeppolBIS in the next version.

Take your understanding of e-invoicing to the next level  

Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of e-invoicing terms, it’s time to dive deeper into the world of e-invoicing. If you’re looking to learn the basics of e-invoicing, we recommend checking out our blog post, ‘What is e-invoicing? Here’s everything you need to know from basics to benefits’.