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eInvoicing for government

How all levels of government are adopting Peppol eInvoicing to help boost productivity across the economy.

Last updated 14 August 2025

Australian Government's commitment

The Australian Government is extending its commitment to increase Peppol eInvoicing adoption as noted in the Budget 2024-25, and is now establishing eInvoicing as the default method for exchanging invoice information in government procurement for most Australian Government entities.

By leading the implementation of eInvoicing, the government aims to improve cash flow, disrupt payment redirection scams and boost productivity across the economy. For these and other benefits to be realised, all governments across the country should be looking to use eInvoicing and be encouraging the businesses they interact with to use it too.

In addition to the Australian Government's adoption of eInvoicing, more than 300 state and territory government organisations and local councils are also on board.

Australian Government entities

Establishing eInvoicing as a default method of invoicing builds on the 2022 mandate for Non-corporate Commonwealth Entities (NCEs) to be able to receive eInvoices, and to further increase the uptake of eInvoicing in Australia. This is in line with the recommendations agreed to in the Government response to the Statutory Review of the Payment Times Reporting Act 2020External Link.

The Department of Treasury is working with the Department of Finance and other agencies to establish a policy to bring in this new mandate. The Australian Taxation Office, as the Australian Peppol Authority (APA), is providing guidance for NCEs to help them with their immediate transitional requirements:

  • work with suppliers to increase the use of eInvoicing to 30% of all invoices received by 1 July 2026
  • enable automated processing and sending of eInvoices by December 2026
  • report progress against items 1 and 2 quarterly to the APA.

While Corporate Commonwealth Entities (CCEs) and Commonwealth Corporations (CCs) are not currently in scope, we encourage them to adopt eInvoicing and to contact us if they have any questions. To find out more about the different types of Australian Government entities visit the PGPA Act Flipchart and ListExternal Link.

Suppliers to government

If you are a supplier to the Australian Government, check the full list of entities able to receive eInvoices. We are also listing here some of the businesses who have sent eInvoices to NCEs.

If you have trading relationships with state, territory and local government organisations, you may also be able to send eInvoices to them.

If you are not yet eInvoicing-enabled, see Step 1: Prepare and resource your eInvoicing changes to help you get started.

Moving to eInvoicing as a default

We, the APA, are here to support and guide in-scope government entities to move towards the 30% volume target. This includes advice on any system or processing improvements needed to prepare for the 'eInvoicing as a default’ mandate.

Together, we're aiming for a positive eInvoicing experience for NCEs and suppliers.

Increasing eInvoicing volumes

There are a number of things you can do to get your eInvoicing volumes up, even if you are not yet using an automated workflow system:

  • Increase internal awareness - All NCE staff involved in procurement will need to understand how a change to eInvoicing affects them. This includes finance teams, contract managers, the receivers of the goods and services, and financial delegates and approvers. eInvoicing is not email, so you need to learn how it works in your agency.
  • Don't reject eInvoices you receive today, especially unexpected ones - As other NCEs transition their suppliers to eInvoicing, suppliers with contracts across other government agencies may start sending to you too. If you encounter difficulties, get in touch with the supplier to make sure they can send all the information you need and stay with eInvoicing.
  • Let all your suppliers know you accept (or prefer) eInvoices - Bulk emails are a good starting point to raise awareness. We also recommend you provide some basic information about eInvoicing on your website, including your eInvoice requirements to make it easier for your suppliers to send you the right information. Examples and templates are available.
  • Check which suppliers are already sending eInvoices - We have listed a number of businesses who are already sending eInvoices to government agencies. Check if any of your suppliers are there. We will update this list regularly.
  • Use the Peppol Directory - A large number of businesses are now registered on the Peppol network, but may be hesitant to start sending eInvoices. Compare your supplier list to the Australian businesses on the Peppol Directory and encourage any that match to send eInvoices to you.
  • Identify high volume invoice senders - Have a look at your own accounts payable data and identify suppliers that send you the most invoices. Consider how you can get to the 30% eInvoicing target by prioritising these suppliers to transition to eInvoicing.
  • Cross-government suppliers - Looking at the contracts reported on AusTender we can see many suppliers are common across government agencies. We are already working with them, for example in the labour-hire and IT industries. Let us know if you would like to lead the onboarding of any of your vendors, who would then be ready to use eInvoicing with other agencies.
  • Contract renewals and negotiations - Including eInvoicing when initiating new contracts or when negotiating renewals can be a good way to influence suppliers. If they can't send using their current systems, then suggest that they look into connecting via a service provider to send eInvoices. We have some information that'll help them get started on Step 1: Prepare and resource your eInvoicing changes.

While the 30% usage target may seem ambitious, with the over 400,000 businesses now on the Peppol eInvoicing network, some NCEs are closing in on this target already.

Find out more

For more detailed assistance read our Supplier onboarding guidance.

We are initiating a working group of government entities to focus on supplier onboarding. To join, email eInvoicing@ato.gov.au.

Automated processing

NCEs may need to automate their processing of eInvoices to get the full benefits of eInvoicing and meet the transitional volume target requirement.

If your agency needs to uplift your accounts payable processing capability, get in touch with the APA. The better we understand your current state, the more we can help you improve your systems and processes.

Patterns

We've identified 4 high-level system patterns you can follow to accept eInvoices directly into an automated workflow:

  1. You use 3 separate systems/services - a separate access point connected to a separate accounts payable automation solution, which then connects to your ERP.
  2. You use 2 systems/services - an access point that is bundled and integrated 'out of the box' with an accounts payable automation solution, which then connects to your ERP.
  3. You use 2 systems/services - a separate access point that connects to the accounts payable automation that is included as part of your ERP.
  4. You use 1 system/service - an access point and automation solution that's all bundled together as part of your ERP.

One of these patterns may suit your agency better than the others.

We can help you asses the options and identify existing examples of each. You could also read our guidance for medium and large businesses as government finance systems' connections to the Peppol network are similar

Another useful resource when it comes to researching system capabilities and assessing suitability is our eInvoicing Ready product registerExternal Link.

Procuring a service provider

The DTA's Software Marketplace ERP categoryExternal Link has replaced the Peppol Capabilities and Associated Services Panel which stopped in September 2023. We recommend you register as a buyer so you can access all the information in the seller catalogue. Search for service providers that support 'eInvoicing', e-Invoicing', 'Peppol', 'accounts payable', 'accounts receivable' and other relevant keywords; or you can use the filters within the marketplace.

Improving consistency and workflow requirements

Improving the consistency of the information we need on our invoices (and eInvoices) will provide a smoother experience for all government entities and our suppliers.

To understand more about the data and information capabilities of eInvoices, and the checks, process steps and routing that could be automated read our Guide to receiving and processing eInvoices.

Find out more

We are working with the Digital Transformation Agency to grow the eInvoicing resources available on Australian Government ArchitectureExternal Link site.

The APA and the New Zealand Government have developed the A-NZ Peppol eInvoicing Business Guide to help large businesses and government agencies implement eInvoicing. Download the resource from 'Implementing eInvoicing' on Advice for large businessesExternal Link.

More about Peppol the Australian-New Zealand invoice specification, technical validation rules and other procure-to-pay documents is on our software developersExternal Link site. Of particular interest may be the newly updated A-NZ Invoice Content Industry Practice Statements (DOCX, 262KB)External Link.This link will download a file which outlines common data requirements that are optional according to the specification but vital to support processing of invoices by large buyers such as government.

Sending

To date, government entities have primarily invested in the receiving of eInvoices and not sending. This reflects the main role of government in procurement as being a buyer of goods and services.

Some NCEs are already able to send and a few more are currently integrating eInvoicing with their accounts receivable systems. We would like to work with you to better understand and address the challenges. If there is a use-case you'd like to explore in more detail, contact us.

Otherwise, consider your accounts receivable volumes, systems and processes and investigate how you may meet the requirement to include eInvoicing as a channel when sending invoices to businesses or other government agencies.

Reporting

We began requesting eInvoice volume data from NCEs from July 2024. More than 80% are already reporting their volumes to us.

Starting from July 2025, we are asking you to confirm the finance systems you use, your ability to automatically process and send eInvoices, and what upgrade plans you have. The more information we have, the better we can tailor our assistance.

To date our volume reporting has focussed on 'departmental spend', however all procurement activities are in scope and some administrative functions may qualify. We are now providing the option to include administrative invoice volumes in your reporting.

If you are not yet reporting or have any questions about what we're asking, contact us.

Contact us

To find out more about how we can help you prepare for eInvoicing as a default, increase the number of eInvoices you're receiving and improve your processing, email einvoicing@ato.gov.au.

State, territory and local governments

The Australian Peppol Authority at the ATO is also working with state and territory governments, and local councils who are furthering eInvoicing adoption in their jurisdictions:

To connect with the eInvoicing lead in your state or territory, or to find out how we can help your council, email eInvoicing@ato.gov.au.

eInvoicing-enabled agencies

Australian Government entities that can receive eInvoices and some businesses that are sending eInvoices to them.

Guide to receiving and processing eInvoices

Enhance your accounts payable processes to ensure you can efficiently receive and process Peppol eInvoices.

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