Electronic Invoice in Finland

1. Electronic Invoice in Finland Revision of Recommendation 6. 2005-04-04 Brussels TIEKE/Jari Salo

2. Structure • Electronic Invoicing • eInvoicing Forum • Technical Workgroup • User and Softwarehouse Workgroups TIEKE/Jari Salo

3. eInvoice • Modern, reliable, secure and practically paperless method of handling and processing invoices for goods, services and other transactions. • Both companies and private consumers can receive invoices in electronic format. • Effective and cost-efficient, and has potential for great savings • E-invoicing can halve invoicing costs compared to invoicing with printed invoices TIEKE/Jari Salo

4. eInvoice in Finland • Finland is one of the definite leaders in the world in electronic banking. • Electronic invoicing is a significant step towards the wider use and knowledge of electronic business. • Originally aim to develop one common standard • Finvoice and eInvoice recommended by government • International standardization slow TIEKE/Jari Salo

5. eInvoicing model Invoice recipients Invoicing channels 1) EDI Large businesses eInvoice/service Operators Invoicing company Direct connections 2) eInvoice Large businesses Data Communication a) Direct connections Partners’ clients b) Cooperation partners Data format conversions and channeling Data repository c) Bank batch transfer connections Small businesses and consumers • d) Net banks • Printing services 3) eInvoice TIEKE/Jari Salo

6. eInvoice mapping table TIEKE/Jari Salo

7. eInvoicing • Distribution of invoices mainly by eInvoice operators • Contracts between operators • B-2-B • RosettaNet specification implemented especially in electronic industry TIEKE/Jari Salo

8. eInvoicing Forum • Finnish, neutral co-operation network founded in 2002 • Central collaboration and meeting point for the different parties in the field, such as eInvoice operators, IT developers, experts and users of electronic invoicing. • Promote the introduction of eInvoicing and support the implementation process • Promote the widespread adoption and use of electronic invoicing based on common standards and procedures. • Support inter- and intra-organisational collaboration between all parties in the field • The of Forum is operated by TIEKE TIEKE/Jari Salo

9. How the eInvoicing Forum Works? • The main focus is to develop co-operation between Forum member organizations in the area of eInvoicing • Promote and accelerate the development between different parties and to increse co-operation and information sharing • Find the acute areas and topics that need to be operated on • Twice a year a free-of-charge meeting for members • Annual seminar on current topic (September) TIEKE/Jari Salo

10. How the eInvoicing Forum Works? • Workgroups where the subjects are studied and developed further • Technical workgroup (started 2003) • User workgroup (started 2004) • Softwarehouse workgroup (started 2004) • Neutral channel for updated information concerning eInvoicing • Defining national needs for development • 2002 – 2003: eInvoice register (companies ready to send/receive eInvoices) • 2004: Minimum information required for eInvoice TIEKE/Jari Salo

11. - Anilinker- BasWare- c3i- CapGemini- Cobra Systems- DL Software- Edimaster- Elma- Emce- Jydacom- Maestro Yhtiöt- OnSolutions- Opus Capita- Oracle- Pretax - Proceedo - Procountor- Pupesoft- Rauhala Yhtiöt- SceLogistiikka- StreamServe- Systeam Consulting- Tietoenator- Tietonovo- Tietonovo- Tietosauma- Tietotisma- VismaSoftware- WM-data Oy Software Vendor Working Group TIEKE/Jari Salo

12. Technical Workgroup • Idea for the workgroup originally from member organizations autumn 2003 • Aiming to find solutions and best practicies for operator co-operation • Concrete work done by technical workgroup: • eInvoicing register • Operated in TIEKEs www site • Updated by operators • Use free-of-charge • Working to find the minumum data required for an eInvoice (VAT law etc.) • Questions concerning error situations in operations, pictures as part of the invoice, etc. TIEKE/Jari Salo

13. Software and User Workgroups • To integrate the information from an eInvoice to bookeeping – pilot • Development areas from softwarehouses and user organizations point of view • Manual for eInvoice user organizations • Best-practicies • Obstacles (and how to overcome them) • Autumn 2004 TIEKE/Jari Salo

14. Under discussion in Finland • Many formats vs. one • ’Visualization’ of the invoice, where it is produced • Invoice attachments / marketing • Slow growth of volumes / users (especially among SME’s) • Contract issues – (different models, simple and complicated) TIEKE/Jari Salo

15. Contact TIEKE Tietoyhteiskunnan kehittämiskeskus ry TIEKE Finnish Information Society Development Centre Ms. Ilona Vallenius email: ilona.vallenius@tieke.fi tel: +358 9 4763 0422 http://www.tieke.fi/in_english/_ebusiness/einvoice_forum/ http://www.tieke.fi http://www.verkkolaskufoorumi.org http://www.tieke.fi/verkkolaskuosoitteisto TIEKE/Jari Salo

16. TIEKE/Jari Salo

17. Electronic Seal/Signature case Finland TIEKE/Jari Salo

18. Case Finland • No requirement for seals/signatures in invoices (paper or digital) by Finnish law • Option in EU directive by Finland • eInvoice operator/bank identifies business parties by their Business Identity Code • Identification by Business Identity Code (Business ID) • BID is a code given to businesses and corporations by the authorities • A VAT liable business can form a VAT number of its Business ID 1234567-8 by adding a two-character country code ‘FI’ TIEKE/Jari Salo

19. The national VAT legislation • The national VAT legislation does not include the requirement of electronic signatures for electronic invoices. • It states that there is no need to set any specific requirements for electronic invoicing in Finland. There has not been any taxation problems in electronic invoicing. Although encouraging technical security in electronic invoicing is a good goal, legislation should not include mandatory requirements that are too strict. • Paper invoices are not signed in Finland, the requirements for eInvoices should be similar. TIEKE/Jari Salo

20. Case Finland • Electronic Invoice is still a document – not a direct debit • Requirement for electronic signature is an ”efficient tool for slowing down the penetration and implementation of eInvoice” TIEKE/Jari Salo