Peppol Invoice Response is a structured message the buyer sends the seller about the status of one specific invoice or credit note. This is different from a plain delivery confirmation, which only confirms a message arrived on the network without touching what happens to the invoice afterward. No one is automatically required to use it. As of 17 August 2026, Peppol BIS Billing version 3.0.21 became mandatory across the network, and that version introduced an optional profile called “Billing with Response,” which comes with its own identifier and requires separate registration. If your business stays on the standard invoicing profile, nothing changes for you: invoice response only becomes something you need to handle if you or your customer deliberately switches to that specific profile.
How is invoice response different from a delivery confirmation?
A delivery confirmation moves inside the Peppol network and only proves the message landed. It says nothing about whether anyone acted on it. Invoice response sits a level above that: it’s a business-level message where the buyer tells the seller whether the invoice has been accepted, conditionally approved, disputed, or already paid. The message only flows one way, buyer to seller, and the seller has no way to request it automatically.
Is using invoice response a legal requirement?
The specification is explicit: neither the buyer nor the seller is obliged to use invoice response. Directive 2014/55/EU requires public-sector buyers to accept e-invoices built to the standard, but it creates no duty to send status messages back. In Estonia, the Accounting Act gives any company registered as an e-invoice recipient the right to demand e-invoices from 1 July 2025 onward, but that right has nothing to do with any invoice-response obligation. The ViDA directive brings cross-border digital reporting from 1 July 2030, but it doesn’t force small businesses onto the invoice-response profile either.
What actually changed on 17 August 2026?
OpenPeppol published version 3.0.21 on 20 May 2026, and it became mandatory from 17 August 2026. That release added Profile 02, “Billing with Response”, under which the buyer must send at least one response for every invoice received. Anyone who stays on the standard Billing profile is unaffected by that requirement.
Which statuses apply, and what happens if an invoice gets rejected?
The fixed statuses are AB (accepted), IP (in process), UQ (under query), CA (conditionally approved), RE (rejected), AP (approved) and PD (paid). A buyer supporting the profile has to be able to send at least AB, RE and AP. For UQ, CA and RE, the buyer adds a code or free text explaining what the seller needs to fix. RE and PD are final statuses. Once an invoice hits AP, only PD can follow.
Does the three-business-day rule count as a payment deadline?
The process rule says the buyer must send the first response within three business days. That’s an internal Peppol timing rule, not an Estonian statutory payment deadline. Sending a response doesn’t change the invoice itself or release the buyer from whatever payment obligation already applies under the contract.
What to check before switching the profile on
Ask your Peppol access point whether it supports “Billing with Response” and which identifier it will register for your company. Agree with your trading partner on which optional statuses, UQ, CA and PD, each side actually needs, and confirm whether your accounting software can automatically match an incoming status message back to the original invoice.
FAQ
Mille poolest erineb arve vastus kättetoimetamiskinnitusest?
Kättetoimetamiskinnitus kinnitab ainult sõnumi jõudmist võrgus, mitte selle sisu menetlemist. Arve vastus on ärilise tasandi sõnum, kus ostja teatab, kas arve on kinnitatud, tingimuslikult heaks kiidetud, vaidlustatud või tasutud. Vastus liigub ostjalt müüjale ja müüja ei saa seda automaatselt küsida.
Kas arve vastuse kasutamine on seadusega kohustuslik?
Ei. Peppoli spetsifikatsioon ütleb selgelt, et ei ostja ega müüja pea arve vastust kasutama. Direktiiv 2014/55/EL kohustab avaliku sektori hankijaid vastu võtma e-arveid, aga ei loo kohustust saata arve staatuseid. Eesti Raamatupidamise seadus ega ViDA direktiiv ei tee arve vastust kohustuslikuks.
Mis 17. augustil 2026 tegelikult muutus?
OpenPeppol avaldas versiooni 3.0.21, mis sai kohustuslikuks 17. augustist 2026. See lisas profiili „Billing with Response”, mille korral ostja peab saatma vähemalt ühe vastuse iga saadud arve kohta. Kes jääb tavalise Billing-profiili juurde, sellele see kohustus ei laiene.
Kas kolm tööpäeva on maksetähtaeg?
Ei. Protsessireegel näeb ette, et ostja saadab esimese vastuse kolme tööpäeva jooksul, kuid see on Peppoli sisereegel, mitte Eesti seadusest tulenev maksetähtaeg. Vastus ei muuda arvet ega vabasta ostjat kehtivast maksekohustusest.