Duration: 25:10
PART 1 — Analytical Summary 🚀
Context 💼
This session, led by an Odoo product specialist, explains how businesses can meet new mandatory e‑invoicing regulations—especially across Europe—using Odoo as their PEPPOL Access Point. The talk is motivated by real-world confusion among SMEs about where to start. It demonstrates that with Odoo, companies can send and receive compliant e‑invoices seamlessly and for free, while also showcasing several usability enhancements introduced in Odoo 19.
Core ideas & innovations 🧠
E‑invoicing is the structured digital exchange of invoices between companies. In Europe, the prevailing network is PEPPOL, where you need an Access Point (AP) to send and receive documents. PEPPOL uses structured XML formats, letting accounting systems ingest data automatically—faster, more accurate, and more secure than email. (Important: sending a PDF by email is not e‑invoicing.)
Odoo has acted as a PEPPOL Access Point for two years and remains fully free to use for both sending and receiving across Europe. The major push in Odoo 19 is simplicity: one‑click setup, automatic validations, and in‑app guidance make compliance straightforward for non‑experts.
The demonstration shows the full flow: - Creating an invoice in Odoo, with client data auto‑fetched and PEPPOL readiness verified. Odoo checks whether the customer is registered on PEPPOL and will prevent sending if they aren’t—avoiding failed deliveries. - One‑click registration of your company on the PEPPOL directory—Odoo pulls your company data and activates sending and, if available, receiving. Because companies can only have one AP for receiving, Odoo checks whether you’re already registered elsewhere. - Sending via PEPPOL and tracking delivery status inside the invoice chatter and list view. - Built‑in compliance checks: Odoo validates required fields for the XML (e.g., taxes, product/label). If mandatory data is missing, it blocks sending and explains why.
On the purchases side, vendor bills arrive automatically via PEPPOL. Accountants can review and confirm, while entrepreneurs can now pay vendor bills in draft using a generated QR code derived from the invoice XML (bank details included), accelerating payment without waiting for validation.
The release introduces self‑billing in Odoo 19, enabling companies to create invoices on behalf of suppliers when the supplier doesn’t issue one. It includes: - A dedicated journal with a distinct numbering sequence—legally required—with the supplier’s name in the reference. - The ability to send these self‑billing invoices back to suppliers via PEPPOL (a new “Send” action on vendor bills). - A “PEPPOL connection” status view, company PEPPOL ID display, and a simple “remove/unregister” control in case you need to switch Access Points.
The invoicing UX is also improved: - Per‑invoice foreign currency rate overrides (choose a calendar rate or a custom rate without changing global settings). - Product and layout enhancements such as sections/subsections, hiding section prices or compositions, and cleaner PDFs. - When importing XML, Odoo can now detect and remove zero‑value lines to keep journals clean. - For non‑XML PDFs, OCR by selection is a standout: after standard OCR fills summary data, you can select specific lines on the PDF to auto‑create detailed invoice lines (labels, unit price, quantities), keeping totals consistent while dramatically reducing manual entry.
Finally, the Q&A clarifies regulatory timelines and operational details: - Belgium targets January 2026 for B2B e‑invoicing; France’s current target is July 2026. Timelines vary by country. - You can have multiple APs for sending, but only one for receiving. If you’re already registered via your accountant’s system, you can migrate using an official migration key. - For non‑EU services where VAT is 0%, you still need a 0% tax code to meet XML requirements. - Purchase order matching works as before. - For France, Odoo is in the process of becoming a PDP (Plateforme de Dématérialisation Partenaire), with certification steps underway.
Impact & takeaways ⚙️
With Odoo 19, e‑invoicing becomes a guided, low‑effort workflow: - Compliance made simple: Odoo automates PEPPOL registration, validates mandatory XML fields, and exposes delivery statuses—reducing risk and admin time. - End‑to‑end coverage: send and receive e‑invoices in one place, collaborate with accountants, and leverage free PEPPOL access. - Faster cash cycle: QR codes for immediate payments from draft vendor bills and high‑quality OCR cut processing times. - Legal and operational readiness: self‑billing with correct sequences, per‑invoice FX control, and cleaner journals support more nuanced real‑world cases. - Scalable and international: standardized formats across borders, more secure than email, and designed to work with multi‑country setups. 💬
In short, Odoo turns mandatory e‑invoicing into an automated, user‑friendly process that SMEs can adopt in minutes—without extra licensing costs for PEPPOL connectivity.
PART 2 — Viewpoint: Odoo Perspective
Disclaimer: AI-generated creative perspective inspired by Odoo’s vision.
E‑invoicing shouldn’t be an obstacle course. Our job is to hide the complexity—standards, directories, XML rules—so that entrepreneurs can just send an invoice and get paid. With Odoo 19, registering on PEPPOL, validating mandatory fields, and tracking delivery is now one natural flow.
Integration is our compass. Accounting, documents, payments, OCR, and PEPPOL all working together brings real simplicity. The community asked for self‑billing and better line‑level OCR—we delivered them in a way that feels effortless. When software removes friction, businesses grow faster.
PART 3 — Viewpoint: Competitors (SAP / Microsoft / Others)
Disclaimer: AI-generated fictional commentary. Not an official corporate statement.
Odoo’s free PEPPOL Access Point and streamlined onboarding are strong differentiators for SMEs, especially in markets accelerating toward mandatory B2B e‑invoicing. The usability focus—validation checks, draft‑stage QR payments, and selection‑based OCR—addresses real adoption hurdles and reduces total cost of ownership.
For larger enterprises, the conversation extends to auditability at scale, long‑term archiving, multi‑jurisdictional compliance (e.g., PDP in France), segregation of duties, and integration with broader finance transformations. Odoo’s progress is notable, but complex organizations will still evaluate depth in areas like internal controls, performance at high document volumes, and harmonization with existing global AP/AR ecosystems. The UX momentum is compelling; the challenge is sustaining it alongside enterprise‑grade governance and regulatory breadth.
Disclaimer: This article contains AI-generated summaries and fictionalized commentaries for illustrative purposes. Viewpoints labeled as "Odoo Perspective" or "Competitors" are simulated and do not represent any real statements or positions. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.