The Public Billing Portal (PPF)
France is undergoing a major transformation in the dematerialization of invoices, with the aim of :
– Combat VAT fraud
– Improve understanding of companies’ economic activity
– Improve efficiency
– Simplify their management thanks to VAT pre-filling.
In accordance with the Finance Act for 2021, it will be mandatory for these companies to be equipped with a dematerialization platform (PDP) to receive their invoices in electronic format. The obligation to issue invoices, which will be phased in according to company size between 2026 and 2027, also requires the choice of a PDP to issue invoices and transmit payment and transaction information to the tax authorities.
Orchestrade® by ARTÉVA, a platform compatible with the Public Billing Portal
With the B2B portal offer, the Orchestrade® solution simplifies your billing exchanges with the various administrations as well as your partners, for electronic billing that meets the modernization and regulations put in place by the 2024 Finance Act.
The Portail Public de Facturation (PPF) is an initiative set up by the French government to centralize companies’ declaratory data and facilitate their transmission to the tax authorities. Although initially designed to offer comprehensive services, such as manual data entry and direct exchange of electronic invoices, its role evolved in October 2024.
The PPF, now refocused on its regalian missions, manages the company directory and acts as a data concentrator to ensure the transmission of information to the tax authorities. Contrary to its original purpose, it no longer offers an invoice exchange service between companies. Companies must now rely on Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDP) to issue, receive and process their electronic invoices.
This reorientation is designed to ensure that the roll-out schedule for electronic invoicing in France is respected.
The main objective of the Public Billing Portal (PPF) is to provide French companies with a convenient and free solution to manage their electronic invoices. It offers a full range of features and will evolve into a Dematerialization Platform (PDP), thus simplifying the process of managing electronic invoices in the formats required by the tax administration (UBL, CII or Factur-X).
In addition to its main role, the PPF has two additional important functions: it acts as a central hub for critical data transmitted by PDPs, which it then communicates to the tax administration, and it also administers the central directory listing the methods of transmission of electronic invoices for companies subject to VAT.
By replacing “Chorus Pro”, the PPF maintains its importance in B2G commercial exchanges, thus ensuring the continuity and efficiency of electronic invoicing processes between companies and public administrations.
How does the Public Billing Portal (PPF) work?
The Public Billing Portal (PPF) now concentrates on managing the public directory of companies and coordinating the work of Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDPs) with the tax authorities. Its role is to ensure the consolidation of declarative information from PDPs, while guaranteeing traceability and compliance with legal requirements. Contrary to what was initially planned, the PPF does not offer direct invoice exchange services between companies.
Here are the main methods used by PPF to manage these flows:
01
Public company directory
The PPF manages the Public Company Directory, a key element in the system: any PDP that has to send an invoice to the buyer’s PDP must be able to identify this PDP. Buyers are therefore declared in the directory, along with the corresponding receiving PDP.
02
Data concentrator
The PPF also syntax-checks and consolidates the information transmitted by PDPs to the tax authorities. This includes information from exchanged invoices, lifecycles, and transaction and payment e-reports.
03
Integration with existing billing systems
The PPF synchronizes with Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDP), thus enabling the automation of the transfer of billing data, thus ensuring smooth and efficient management of billing flows.
The role of the public billing platform
The public billing portal has 5 main functions:
Free Access
Allow free access for all companies issuing and receiving invoices (private or public).
Evolution of digitalization
Developing the digitalization of invoices initiated with Chorus Pro.
Receiving and issuing invoices
Receiving electronic invoices in one of the 3 minimum base formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII) provided by the administration and issuing (sending virtually) the invoices in question.
Document conversion
Through OCR, convert PDF or image documents into one of the 3 mandatory dematerialized formats, in order to extract the expected invoicing data.
Billing Option
Be able to optionally use the public billing portal for B2B exchanges without having a PDP, while retaining the possibility of using other billing paths.
Accounting Management
Manage ascending accounting with Chorus Pro.
Artéva supports you with Orchestrade®
Whatever the size of your company or the stage of development of your invoice dematerialization strategy, ARTÉVA can help you make the transition. Get ready today with our Orchestrade® platform.
Contact us now to talk to one of our invoice dematerialization experts and anticipate this key stage in your digital transformation!
What is PPF’s role from now on?
The PPF now concentrates solely on :
– Directory functions: the PPF acts as a centralized registry that lists and identifies the actors involved in the exchange of electronic invoices).
– Data concentrator: the PPF will act as a central collection and redistribution point for tax information contained in electronic invoices.
The main functions of the directory are :
– Company referencing: each company will be assigned a digital “address” corresponding to the dematerialization platform it has chosen to receive its invoices.
– Invoice routing: Based on the information contained in the directory, the issuer’s PDP can route invoices to the appropriate platforms chosen by the companies (partner dematerialization platforms).
The main functions of the concentrator are :
– Collecting tax data: The PPF collects the essential information from the invoices exchanged (amounts, VAT, etc.) and transmits it to the tax authorities, from the platform used for the exchange.
– Data standardization: It checks the data received from the various PDPs to ensure that they comply with the standards defined by the French government.
In short, the PPF will no longer manage and route invoices, but will play a key role in facilitating their circulation (thanks to the directory) and consolidating tax data (thanks to the concentrator).
Deadline for the implementation of the reform
The obligation to issue electronic invoices will be: September 1, 2026 for large companies and mid-sized companies (ETI); September 1, 2027 for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and micro-enterprises.
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