The EU's EN16931 eInvoicing regulation is designed to enhance efficiency, lower costs, and accelerate digital transformation across businesses. To comply with these new standards, companies must adopt technology that streamlines processes and improves transparency.

Since eInvoicing mandates and requirements differ between countries, Payhawk closely monitors regulatory updates to ensure its customers can seamlessly transition to e-invoices and remain compliant with local laws.

Below is an example of an xRechnung XML e-invoice:

Payhawk currently supports the processing of multiple e-invoice formats and versions.

While direct integration with tax authorities and public portals is not yet available, this functionality is planned for the future. In the meantime, you can upload your e-invoices directly through the Payhawk portal or send them via email using the Payhawk Mailbox.

The processing of the e-invoice in Payhawk is very similar to a regular PDF or image-based document and goes through the following stages:

E-invoices are typically provided in XML format—a structured, machine-readable format such as xRechnung in Germany. To enhance usability, Payhawk automatically generates a PDF preview of the e-invoice for your convenience.

In some cases, e-invoices are provided as PDFs with embedded XML data, such as ZUGFeRD (Germany) or Factur-X (France). In these instances, Payhawk will not generate a separate PDF but will utilize the uploaded PDF directly.

A key advantage of e-invoices is their structured and standardized format, which allows Payhawk to extract information with 100% accuracy. Once the data is extracted, fields automatically populated from the e-invoice will be marked with a blue icon for easy identification.

You will still be able to edit expense details and select text directly from the PDF—whether it’s a generated preview or the original document—just as you would with any other document in Payhawk.

The approval workflow for expenses with e-invoices in Payhawk functions exactly the same as it does for regular documents. Regardless of the type of uploaded document, Payhawk will follow the approval process you've defined.

Exporting expenses with e-invoices is nearly identical to exporting those with regular documents. The key difference lies in the XML format and the generated PDF preview of the invoice. For your convenience, Payhawk exports both the original XML file and the PDF preview. This applies whether you're exporting to an integrated ERP or accounting system or using the standard export functionality.