What Is an E-Invoice?
An e-invoice is structured digital invoice data exchanged directly between software systems. Instead of a PDF that someone reads and enters manually, an e-invoice is a machine-readable file that arrives directly into your customer's accounting software — automatically, with no manual entry on either side.
Not every invoice created in Smeetz is sent as an e-invoice. Only B2B invoices are e-invoiced. Delivery is handled by Storecove, a certified global e-invoicing provider.
An invoice is considered a B2B invoice when the customer profile includes a VAT number.
How Does Delivery Work?
When a B2B invoice is created, Smeetz sends it to Storecove. Storecove then checks the customer's data and determines the best delivery method automatically — you don't need to do anything.
Storecove delivers through the PEPPOL network when possible. PEPPOL is a global network that connects businesses for secure electronic document exchange. A business that is "on PEPPOL" has their accounting software registered on the network, meaning invoices arrive directly into their system within seconds — no email, no manual entry. PEPPOL is already live or being mandated across Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and many other countries.
Here are the rules we follow to send an e-invoice:
Customer has a VAT number and address filled and is on the PEPPOL network → E-invoice delivered directly into their accounting system via PEPPOL. No email is sent.
Customer has a VAT number and address filled but is not on the PEPPOL network → E-invoice sent by email.
Customer has a VAT number but no address filled → The e-invoice will fail.
Customer has no VAT number (regardless of address) → Treated as a B2C invoice; no e-invoice is created.
Customer record has no data at all → Invoice creation fails in Smeetz. The customer profile must be completed before an invoice can be generated.
Smeetz checks PEPPOL registration automatically using the customer's VAT number. You do not need to verify this manually.
You will see the new "E-invoicing Compliance" fields on the invoice page, including the status, e-invoice ID, submission date, and downloadable documents (raw email and XML format):
Important Note:
If the invoice is not subject to e-invoicing (in case the customer has no VAT number), these fields will be empty.
E-Invoice Statuses
Every invoice has a live e-invoicing status visible on the invoice detail page.
Color | Status code | Meaning |
🔘 Grey — Pending / Waiting |
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Grey | PENDING | Not yet submitted / waiting to be processed |
🟡 Amber — In Progress / Attention Needed |
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Amber | IN_PROCESS | Currently being processed by the e-invoice network |
Amber | UNDER_QUERY | Recipient has questions about the invoice |
Amber | CONDITIONALLY_ACCEPTED | Accepted with conditions or reservations |
🟢 Green — Success |
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Green | ACCEPTED | Successfully accepted by recipient |
Green | CLEARED | Cleared for payment |
Green | SUCCEEDED | Delivery / processing succeeded |
Green | ACKNOWLEDGED | Receipt acknowledged by recipient |
Green | PARTIALLY_PAID | Partial payment received |
Green | PAID | Fully paid |
🔴 Red — Error / Failure |
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Red | REJECTED | Rejected by recipient |
Red | FAILED | Delivery or processing failed |
What You Need to Keep Accurate
Storecove routing is fully automatic. Your responsibility is to ensure the following customer fields are correct and complete before generating an invoice:
Legal company name
Tax number
Billing address (street, city, postal code, country — all fields required)
Contact email
If any of these are missing, e-invoice generation will be blocked and you will see empty e-invoice compliance fields.
Partial or Full Cancellation of Tickets from the Attendee List
In the Attendee list, you can cancel tickets partially or fully (via cancel and refund, or cancel and refund as a voucher). Cancellations made from this list are not automatically synced with the e-invoice. You need to open the invoice and click "Update Document" to ensure the e-invoice reflects the change accurately.
Cancellations made directly from the invoice page are automatically synced with the e-invoice, as long as you click the "Update Document" button.
What If There Is a Mistake on an Issued Invoice?
Once an invoice is issued, the customer data on it is permanently frozen. It will not update even if you correct the customer's profile afterwards. The incorrect data stays on the invoice until it is cancelled and reissued.
If you spot a mistake in the company name, tax number, billing address, or contact email after the invoice has been issued, follow these steps:
Cancel the invoice in Smeetz
Update the customer profile with the correct information
Re-issue the invoice — the new invoice will capture the corrected data
Always double-check customer data before issuing a B2B invoice to avoid having to cancel and reissue.
FAQs
My customer says they didn't receive their e-invoice — what do I check?
Open the invoice and check the e-invoicing status. If it shows Failed, contact support. If it shows Success, ask the customer to check their accounting software's invoice inbox.
Does a PEPPOL customer also receive an email copy?
No. When Storecove routes via PEPPOL, the invoice goes directly into their accounting system. No email is sent separately.
Can I choose to send by email even if the customer is on PEPPOL?
By clicking "Send Invoice", you can send the PDF to your customer, but it will not be re-sent through PEPPOL.
The invoice creation failed in Smeetz — what do I do?
The customer record is completely empty. Open the customer profile, fill in all required fields, and try generating the invoice again.
The e-invoice creation failed — what do I do?
The e-invoice will fail if the customer has a VAT number but no address is entered (all four fields are required: address, city, ZIP, country). Cancel the current invoice, update the customer data, and issue a new invoice with the correct information.
I updated the customer profile — will the existing invoice update too?
No. Once an invoice is issued, the data on it is frozen. You must cancel the invoice, update the customer profile, and reissue.
Does the generated invoice PDF change?
No. The invoice PDF is not updated and does not currently include e-invoice information.