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Guide to e-invoicing

We have gathered the most important tips and frequently asked questions about e-invoicing.

Jana avatar
Written by Jana
Updated over 2 years ago

E-invoicing is getting more popular and it is more common that companies wish to get their invoice as an e-invoice. 

Isolta has made e-invoicing as easy as possible, but there are still some points you should know about sending e-invoices. 

This article explains how to send an e-invoice, what is e-invoice address, how much does sending an e-invoice cost and what are the most common mistakes while sending an e-invoice. 

In this article we go through all you need to know about e-invoicing.

E-invoice journey from you to your customer

We promise that with the help of Isolta, everyone knows how to send e-invoices. You don’t need any separate agreement with the e-invoice operator, because Isolta has made it sure that every Isolta user has the possibility to send e-invoices. 

When sending the invoice as an e-invoice, we will check it automatically, so that everything meets the necessary requirements. After that, our partner Basware or Unifiedpost, will send it to your customer. In general, an e-invoice will be received directly into the recipient’s accounts payable software.

E-invoice sending to a Finnish company

Sending an e-invoice is similar to sending a traditional invoice. The only extra information you need is the recipient’s e-invoice address and operator code, which you can add directly to the customers contact card or while invoicing. 

If you don't know your Finnish customer's e-invoice address, you can find it here: https://verkkolaskuosoite.fi/client/index.html

  1. Create a new invoice

  2. Add invoice recipient (or create a new one) and add e-invoice information (e-invoice address and operator code)

  3. Add invoice information

  4. Click “Preview and send invoice”

  5. Choose “Send as e-invoice” as the delivery method

  6. Add e-invoice information (if you have not added it to the contact card previously)

  7. Click "Send"

E-invoice sending to an Estonian company

In order to send an e-invoice to an Estonian company, you first need to send us a request. You can do that from Settings - Invoice settings - E-invoice settings (if your company is registered to Estonia). Alternatively, you can send the request if your client's country is Estonia and you are trying to send them an e-invoice.

Activating e-invoicing in Estonia might take up to 2 bank days. We will let you know, to your email, when it's activated.

After activation, you can send the e-invoice by taking following steps:

  1. Create a new invoice

  2. Add invoice recipient (or create a new one) and their Estonian business ID to the correct field.

  3. Add invoice information

  4. Click “Preview and send invoice”

  5. Choose “Send as e-invoice” as the delivery method

  6. Add the business ID, if you haven't done it before.

  7. Click "Send"

Note! If you want to send an e-invoice to some other country, than Finland or Estonia, please contact us and we will give you further instructions.

How much does e-invoicing cost?

You can check the current e-invoice pricing in Finland here

E-invoicing to an Estonian company is free.

How do I pay for sending e-invoices? 

We will send an invoice to your email  after you have reached a certain amount (usually from 2€ - 10€). Alternatively, we will include it to the annual invoice.

What is an e-invoice address and where can I find it?

E-invoicing address is invoice sender’s or recipient’s address, which enables companies to receive e-invoices. E-invoice address can be in a form of OVT-number, IBAN or Verkkopalvelutunnus

The recommended way to find out an e-invoice address and operator code is to ask it directly from the recipient. You can also check the e-invoice address from TIEKE data base http://www.tieke.fi/display/verkkolasku/Verkkolaskuosoitteisto

The most common forms of e-invoice addresses are:

  • 003712345678

  • FI2112345600000785

  • TE003712345678

Note! Check the spelling of a e-invoice address and operator code before you send the invoice! Misspelled e-invoice address or operator code are the most common reasons why e-invoice won’t find it’s way to the recipient. 

What information needs to be on the e-invoice? 

E-invoice needs to have recipient’s address (street address, postal code, city), your bank information (IBAN and BIC), because they are mandatory requirements set by the tax authorities. In addition, e-invoice must contain e-invoice address and operator code. Find more information about invoice requirements here

How to add e-invoicing information to your customers details

Open customers contact card from Show Contacts or add a new contact if you haven't saved that contact before from New Contact:

Then click on the +E-invoice address button and fill in the necessary fields (E-invoice address and Operator Code). If you don't have this information, then you can check it from verkklaskuosoite.fi (in Finland) or by asking your client.

Make sure you've also added your customers other information - Address, Postal code. etc. And remember to click Save. Now you can move on and send the e-invoice.

If you're saved your customers e-invoice address to their contact card, the service will set the invoicing method as e-invoice automatically so you only need to click the Send button.

Ps. You can also insert e-invoice address and operator code while choosing the invoicing method. The software will ask you if you want to save them to the customers contact card.

Is there any restrictions in the number of characters or information on the e-invoice? 

E-invoices are sent as a standard e-invoice form. The standard dictates the amount of information that can be send in an e-invoice. For example, the maximum amount of characters in a field. The standard ensures that all of the information in the invoice can be correctly transferred to the customer.

A few examples of the limitations:

  • The senders WWW address can not be over 35 characters long

  • The maximum amount of characters in an invoice row is 10

  • E-invoice date must be the current date

So e-invoices have certain limitations as to how many characters certain fields can have. Isolta will not allow you to send an e-invoice unless all the requirements of the standard are met.

Can you send attachments along with e-invoices?

If you're sending an e-invoice to a Finnish company, you can attach the following file formats to e-invoices: pdf, jpg, png, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, odt, ods. You can attach up to 10 files to a single invoice. The maximum size of the attached files is 5 Mb.

The previous limitations are set by Isolta but other invoicing systems and e-invoice operators might have their own limitations. It is recommended to check from the receiver, what types of files they can receive as an attachment. The most commonly supported file type is .pdf so you should use it whenever possible.

Other attachment requirements  

  • You can not add attachments to an e-invoice if the recipient’s e-invoice operator is a bank

  • The e-invoice operator Logica does not accept attachments if the type is: .ods .jpg .xls .xlsx .docx

  • The e-invoice operator Enfo Zender does not currently support the processing of attachments sent through Isolta

Note! When sending an e-invoice to an Estonian company, attachments can't be added. This is a restriction by Estonian government.

How to know if a customer got the e-invoice?

We will inform you via email if there are problems with the delivery as soon as possible. If you don't hear from us, you can expect the invoice to be delivered. In the future we will add the possibility to follow the sending-process yourself.


Can I cancel an e-invoice?

It is not possible to cancel the sending of an e-invoice, because the invoice is forwarded to the recipient immediately after sending.

If you sent an incorrect invoice to a customer, the best way to correct the situation is to refund the invoice and send the credit note to the customer. You can then submit a completely new invoice.

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