Australia E-invoicing
Australia is on its e-invoicing journey. It has slowly been rolling out electronic invoicing rules and requirements since 2018, when it launched a joint project with New Zealand.
Fast forward to the current day and the country has mandated government agencies to be able to receive e-invoices. While it is not planning on doing the same for B2B, there is a plan for businesses to be able to request electronic invoices.
This page has all you need to know about Australia e-invoicing. Bookmark it to stay in the know as things change.
Since 1 July 2022, only Australian government agencies covered must be able to receive e-invoices. The full list of the e-invoicing-enabled Australian government agencies is available here.
B2B e-Invoicing in Australia is currently optional. The Australian Department of Treasury (ATO) proposed introducing the Business E-Invoicing Right (BER) in 2021 and adopting the mandatory B2B e-invoicing using the Peppol format. The rollout for larger companies was planned to start in July 2023.
Based on communication from the ATO, the current government will not proceed with this rollout. Instead, it strongly encourages businesses of all sizes to engage with the concept of Peppol e-invoicing and pilot it on their own terms ahead of any potential mandate.
If taxpayers opt to issue e-invoices for B2B transactions, they must do so via Peppol’s four-corner model in the PINT A-NZ format.
Electronic invoices must be securely archived for at least five years and formatted in a specific way.
Format of electronic invoices in Australia
On 15 November 2024 it became mandatory to format electronic invoices as PINT A-NZ, following other non-EU countries (Japan, Singapore and Malaysia) in using Peppol’s international invoice specification.
PINT A-NZ is a joint specification between Australia and New Zealand, and it differs slightly from the previous A-NZ specification.
For specific information on how to format an e-invoice in Australia, read the A-NZ PINT specifications.
Timeline of e-invoicing adoption in Australia
Australia’s journey to implementing e-invoicing has been short compared to many other countries. Here are the key dates:
- 25 October 2018: Australia and New Zealand enter an agreement to jointly explore e-invoicing
- December 2019: Australia adopts Peppol framework as its common e-invoicing standard
- 1 July 2022: Mandatory for government agencies to receive e-invoices
- 15 November 2024: PINT A-NZ format becomes mandatory
- 15 May 2025: The prior A-NZ format is no longer supported
Peppol e-invoicing in Australia
Australia and New Zealand have separate Peppol Authorities, though they began working together in 2018 to jointly establish an approach to electronic invoicing.
After entering the ‘Australia and New Zealand Government Electronic Invoicing Arrangement’, the nations adopted the Peppol Interoperability Framework.
As a result, the Australian Taxation Office became the Australian Peppol Authority, and legislation was passed to allow the tax authority to implement e-invoicing.
It’s worth noting that the country’s tax authority does not have access to e-invoices transmitted between businesses. This approach differs from those seen in many other countries, primarily because e-invoicing is often seen as a means of closing the tax gap—meaning tax information is transmitted to national tax authorities in almost real time for transparency and validation.
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FAQ
Is e-invoicing mandatory in Australia?
Australian government agencies are obligated to receive e-invoices. It is not obligatory for B2B transactions.
When will B2B e-invoicing be mandated in Australia?
There are currently no public plans for the Australian government to mandate the issuance of electronic invoices for transactions between businesses.
