Faced with a VAT gap of nearly €13 billion, France is introducing mandatory e-invoicing for business-to-business (B2B) transactions from 2024, as well as e-reporting of additional data types. Applying to all companies established or, for e-reporting, VAT-registered in France, this new mandate is complex. It will also require significant planning.
According to the ICC, businesses will need at least 12-18 months to prepare for such continuous transaction control (CTC) mandates so it’s clearly important to start planning now to prepare for the change.
This infographic provides answers to your pressing points surrounding the mandate including:
The aim of the new mandate is to increase efficiency, cut costs and fight fraud via access to more transaction data. All B2B invoices will need to be transmitted through a central platform. This will be either directly or via registered service providers connected to the platform.
The new mandate will provide the French tax authority with access to all VAT relevant data related to B2C and B2B transactions, so it’s crucial to adjust your business systems and processes to avoid penalties and fines.
France is the latest country to adopt CTCs, as tax authorities across the world look to gain greater insight and close the VAT gap. The proposed requirements come into effect during the years 2024-2026.
July 2024: All companies, irrespective of size, must accept to receive e-invoices under the new rules. The largest 300 companies will be subject to the B2B e-invoice issuance mandate and wider e-reporting mandate. The e-invoicing mandate does not apply to B2C and cross-border invoices. However, there is an obligation to report those transactions so the tax administration has full visibility.
January 2025: Obligations will apply to a further 8,000 medium-sized companies.
January 2026: All remaining medium and small companies will be in scope of the mandate.
As France looks set to become the next country in Europe to introduce CTCs with its B2B e-invoicing and e-reporting mandate in 2024, it’s crucial that businesses prepare for and understand their new VAT obligations.
Sovos serves as a true one-stop-shop for managing all e-invoicing compliance obligations in France and across the globe. Sovos uniquely combines local excellence with a seamless, global customer experience.
Our scalable, end-to-end solution ensures e-invoicing and e-reporting compliance in not only France but also 60+ other countries.
Sovos is purpose built for modern tax – an evolving, complex landscape in which global tax authorities are requiring increased visibility and control into business processes, in many cases at the transaction level.
Tax authorities around the globe have embraced digitization to speed up revenue collection and reduce fraud while closing tax gaps. This is the catalyst for companies to move complete, connected and continuous tax compliance software into their digital financial core.