InvoiceNow (Peppol) for Small Businesses: Dates, Peppol ID and Setup

Quick answer: does the InvoiceNow requirement apply to you?

• Not GST-registered? The GST InvoiceNow requirement does not apply to you. You can still join InvoiceNow voluntarily, for example if customers or government buyers ask for e-invoices.
• Registered for GST voluntarily on or after 1 April 2026? You must already submit invoice data through InvoiceNow. It is a condition of your registration.
• Registered for GST before 2026? Your date is between 1 April 2028 and 1 April 2031, depending on your 2025 supplies. IRAS began notifying these businesses of their dates from mid-2026.
• Becoming GST-registered compulsorily from 1 April 2028? You must comply from registration.

IRAS says onboarding can take as little as three months, and that most businesses finish within a year. Do not leave it to the quarter before your date.

What InvoiceNow and Peppol are

InvoiceNow is Singapore's nationwide e-invoicing network, introduced by IMDA in 2019. It is built on Peppol, an international standard for sending invoices as structured data rather than PDFs. Instead of emailing a PDF that your customer retypes, your accounting software sends the invoice straight into theirs.

Three pieces make it work:

• A Peppol ID. Your business's address on the network. In Singapore it is based on your UEN, in the format 0195:SGUEN followed by your UEN, per IMDA's grant FAQ.
• An Access Point Provider (AP). An IMDA-accredited company that connects you to the network, like a post office for e-invoices.
• An InvoiceNow-Ready Solution (IRS). Accounting or invoicing software that IMDA has accredited to send and receive InvoiceNow invoices and to submit data to IRAS. Most small businesses go through one of these, and the software provider handles the access point.

Under the GST requirement, IRAS receives a copy of your invoice data through the network once you activate the submission feature. It does not replace filing your GST return.

InvoiceNow requirement: who must adopt it, and when

This timeline is from the IRAS GST InvoiceNow Requirement page, checked October 2026. It was announced at the Committee of Supply debate in February 2026 (IRAS news release).

Total annual supplies means standard-rated, zero-rated and exempt supplies (Box 4 of your GST return) made in all prescribed accounting periods ending in calendar year 2025. IRAS publishes an implementation date calculator (a spreadsheet) on the same page. Businesses without GST returns for periods ending in 2025 will be told their date later.

Overseas entities registered under the Overseas Vendor Registration regimes, and businesses registered only because of reverse charge, are excluded.

What invoice data you must send to IRAS

According to IRAS, you generally submit invoice data for transactions reported in your GST return:

• standard-rated supplies and purchases;
• zero-rated supplies and purchases;
• exempt supplies.

That covers sales invoices, tax invoices, simplified tax invoices, serially numbered receipts, and debit and credit notes. Purchases are included too, not just sales. Point-of-sale data, simplified tax invoice supplies and petty cash purchases may be aggregated.

Some items are excluded, such as reverse charge transactions, deemed supplies, exempt financial services and import permits. The deadline is the earlier of the date you file the relevant GST return and that return's due date. IRAS's e-Tax Guide has worked examples.

How to register a Peppol ID in Singapore

You do not apply to a government portal for a Peppol ID. Per IRAS, you ask your InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Provider or Access Point Provider to register your business in the SG Peppol Directory with your UEN. In practice:

• If you use off-the-shelf accounting software, check it is on IMDA's list of InvoiceNow-Ready Solutions. Registration then happens inside or through that software.
• If you run your own ERP or an in-house system, contact an IMDA-accredited Access Point Provider to connect it.
• If you have no accounting software at all, look at the free-of-charge packages below.

Already on the network and unsure which provider registered you? IMDA's FAQ suggests looking up your 0195:SGUEN identifier on a public Peppol participant lookup tool, or contacting IMDA.

Using Xero, QuickBooks or other software

• Xero is on IMDA's InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Provider list (updated 12 October 2026). Xero's Singapore e-invoicing page describes registering for InvoiceNow through its own e-invoicing app, at no additional cost. Check Xero's help centre for the current steps, including how to switch on GST InvoiceNow submission.
• QuickBooks Online was not on the IMDA list as of the 12 October 2026 update. QuickBooks users typically connect through an accredited provider that integrates with QuickBooks. Ask your provider to confirm GST InvoiceNow submission is supported before you pay.
• Other common local software, including AutoCount, SQL Account, Financio and Million Accounting, appears on the IMDA list. Check the exact product name and version against the PDF.

InvoiceNow grants and free options

As of October 2026, IRAS lists these supports. Full rules are on IMDA's InvoiceNow grants page.

Points from IMDA's S$1,000 grant FAQ that catch people out:

• Existing users don't qualify. If you already pay for an InvoiceNow-ready product, renewing it does not count; you simply turn the feature on.
• Voluntary registrants from 1 April 2026 don't qualify, because InvoiceNow is a condition of their registration.
• No double funding. If you claim PSG or other government funding for the same subscription, you cannot also claim this grant.
• Timing. The grant runs from 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2030 (or until fully claimed). Supporting documents can be submitted until 31 December 2030, and the payout is made by PayNow Corporate about two months after submission.

The free-of-charge package list (updated 17 September 2026) suits micro businesses that only need basic e-invoicing and submission.

Step-by-step InvoiceNow setup for a small business

1. Confirm your date. Look for the IRAS notification, or use the implementation date calculator on the IRAS page.
2. Check your software against the IMDA InvoiceNow-Ready list. If it is not there, decide whether to switch (and check grant eligibility first), add a connector, or use a free package.
3. Get your Peppol ID. Ask your solution provider or access point to register your UEN in the SG Peppol Directory.
4. Clean up your master data. Customer and supplier UENs, GST registration numbers and tax codes must be right, or submissions fail or show wrong data.
5. Send a test e-invoice to a friendly customer or a test participant, and receive one.
6. Switch on GST InvoiceNow submission in your software so invoice data goes to IRAS.
7. Write a short process note for whoever raises invoices: what goes through InvoiceNow, what to do with rejected documents, and who checks submissions before each GST return.
8. Claim any grant you qualify for, keeping invoices and proof of payment.

Do it yourself or get help?

If you already use Xero or another InvoiceNow-ready product and your contacts are tidy, you can usually do this yourself by following your software's guide. IRAS and IMDA also run InvoiceNow webinars. It is worth getting help when your software is not on the list, your customer and tax-code data is messy, or you also want payments and bank feeds reconciling automatically.

IT Sorted's InvoiceNow (Peppol) Setup (S$190) registers your Peppol ID through an accredited access point, connects your accounting software, tests sending and receiving, and leaves your team a process note. You log in and approve anything that needs your company's authority, and any software or access point fees are billed to you directly. If you also want card and PayNow payments flowing into your books, the Get Paid Kit on our kits page bundles this with payment setup and Xero or QuickBooks integration. IT Sorted is not a PSG vendor and does not give tax advice.