This Tuesday, the Government promoted a royal decree that requires the use of electronic invoices between companies and professionals, known as the B2B system. The measure, approved in the Council of Ministers, seeks reduce late paymentsstreamline collections and payments, and strengthen the competitiveness of the business fabric, especially small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
Spain, according to a note released by the Ministry of Economy, is currently among the European Union countries with the longest average payment periods, around 80 days, well above the 60-day limit set by the late payment law. This situation has slowed down the growth of many companies for years. The new regulations will allow electronically record the issueacceptance and payment of each invoice, offering much more precise control over collections and allowing the Administration to monitor compliance with payment deadlines.
The royal decree establishes that companies will be able to exchange electronic invoices through two means: private platforms, which must be interconnected with each other so that no company is forced to belong to its client’s platform, or the free public solution designed by the Tax Agency (AEAT). Additionally, the structured invoice format allows data to be automatically integrated into the software accounting, eliminating the work involved in entering information from classic Excel files, PDFs or paper. Sectors such as mass consumption, automotive and hospitality already apply similar systems successfully, generating million-dollar savings in time and resources.
The implementation, explains EconomÃa, will be staggered. Companies with a turnover of more than 8 million euros will have one year to adapt, while the rest will have a period of two years, starting to be counted from the publication of the Ministerial Order of the Treasury, scheduled before July 1, 2026.
Although the royal decree coincides in time with another project of the Ministry of Finance, In factboth have different objectives. The Government remembers that the B2B electronic invoice (business-to-businessor business-to-business) focuses on efficiency in payments between companies, while Verifactu seeks to combat tax fraud, establishing requirements for softwares billing and facilitating the reporting of information to the AEAT. This project came into force recently, but its practical effects were postponed until 2027 to give those affected some more room to adapt.
