It’s the busiest time of the year. Many self-employed professionals are juggling tight deadlines, buying year-end gifts, and preparing for the Christmas season.
From 1 January 2026, there’s an additional requirement: e-invoicing via Peppol. This is causing stress for many, especially with fines for not switching on time.
In early December, the Belgian tax administration announced a three-month tolerance period. Those who can show they acted on time will get some breathing room… but that doesn’t mean you can wait. You need to take action now.
On this page, we explain step by step what you need to know and do to avoid fines, so you can stay completely worry-free.
You may have heard already: there will be a tolerance period from January to March 2026. This means you won’t be fined if you’re not fully ready with Peppol on 1 January 2026. But don’t be mistaken, strict conditions apply.
You will only benefit from the tolerance if:
You will not get tolerance if:
The government remains strict: Peppol e-invoicing is mandatory from 1 January. But if you act responsibly, you will have some breathing room until the end of March.
From 2026, you may face an administrative fine if you:
The fines increase quickly, so even a single PDF invoice sent the wrong way can end up being costly.
| Situation | Fine amount |
| 1st offence | €1,500 |
| 2nd offence | €3,000 |
| 3rd and subsequent offences | €5,000 |
This is likely to become a common scenario in 2026.
You do everything correctly. You send an e-invoice. And your e-invoicing software says: “Client not registered on Peppol.”
Who’s at fault? In principle, it’s your client, not you.
Tip: In these cases, send your client an email asking them to activate their Peppol inbox. This ensures your collaboration can continue smoothly after 01/01/2026, helps avoid disputes, and shows that you’re meeting your obligations.
E-invoices are digital, structured invoices sent directly from your computer to your client’s system. They are different from a PDF, email, or scan (which are simply digital versions of paper invoices).
Peppol is the network that makes this automatic exchange possible. Think of it as a “postal service for e-invoices”, but faster, paper-free, and error-free.
To send and receive e-invoices, you need e-invoicing software, such as Accountable.
Chances are you are. From 1 January 2026, e-invoicing will be mandatory for:
These self-employed professionals will need to send e-invoices to other Belgian businesses starting from the new year.
Who is not required to use Peppol e-invoicing?
Even if it’s not mandatory, you can still send and receive e-invoices.
From 2026, all invoicing between Belgian VAT-registered self-employed professionals (B2B) must go through Peppol. If you mainly work with private clients (B2C), you don’t have to send e-invoices. But don’t be mistaken: you still need to register on the Peppol network to receive e-invoices from your suppliers.
Checklist for self-employed professionals:
Useful links:
Peppol e-invoicing with Accountable? It’s really easy. Try Accountable free of charge!
Author - Alexis Eggermont
Alexis is co-founder at Accountable. He is passionate about leveraging data, AI, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Who is Alexis ?Thank you for your feedback!
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