Short answer: A Singapore company gets its Peppol ID through an IMDA-accredited InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Provider or Access Point Provider, which registers the company’s UEN in the SG Peppol Directory. The ID lets the company send and receive e-invoices, but it does not send data to IRAS until the company also switches on the GST InvoiceNow submission feature.
Most small companies meet the InvoiceNow peppol id question at a specific moment: an accountant says the company needs one before a voluntary GST registration, a large customer asks for it on a purchase order, or an IRAS letter gives the company its mandatory InvoiceNow date. Owners often confuse three separate things: buying InvoiceNow-ready software, registering a Peppol ID, and activating submission to IRAS. This guide sets out who issues the ID, which route suits a small company, and what must happen before invoice data reaches IRAS.
Key facts at a glance
- A Peppol ID is the unique address that lets a business receive e-invoices and other business messages over the InvoiceNow network (IRAS e-Tax Guide, second edition, 9 March 2026, para 3.15).
- InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Providers (IRSPs) and Access Point Providers (APs) register the business for a Peppol ID using its UEN and list it on the SG Peppol Directory (para 3.17 and para 13.5).
- IMDA is Singapore’s Peppol Authority and accredits the providers; IRAS receives invoice data through IMDA-accredited Access Point Providers.
- The GST InvoiceNow Requirement already applies to new voluntary GST registrants (from 1 November 2025 for companies incorporated within 6 months, and from 1 April 2026 for all), and reaches existing GST-registered businesses in phases from 1 April 2028 to 1 April 2031.
- Invoice data must reach IRAS by the earlier of the date the relevant GST return is filed and that return’s due date (para 8.3).
- Businesses using in-house enterprise systems should allow 3 to 12 months for system connection to IRAS (para 13.6).
Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.
What is an InvoiceNow Peppol ID, and who issues it?
A Peppol ID is your company’s address on InvoiceNow, Singapore’s nationwide e-invoicing network built on the international Peppol standard. You do not apply to a government agency for it; your accredited software provider or Access Point Provider registers it for you against your UEN.
The IRAS e-Tax Guide “Adopting GST InvoiceNow Requirement for GST-Registered Businesses” describes the Peppol ID as the unique address that enables companies, organisations and authorities to receive business messages, such as e-invoices and e-orders, through the network. Think of it as an email address for invoices.
IMDA (the Infocomm Media Development Authority) is Singapore’s Peppol Authority and accredits providers. Access Point Providers run the gateways that route invoices across the network. InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Providers sell accounting software connected to the network through an accredited Access Point.
Paragraph 3.17 of the e-Tax Guide says IRSPs and APs need to assist businesses to register for a Peppol ID and to update the business’s details in the Service Metadata Publisher (SMP), so that the business is listed on the SG Peppol Directory.
Singapore Peppol IDs are built on the UEN. IMDA’s InvoiceNow FAQs explain that when searching the directory for a Singapore-registered business by UEN, you add the prefix “0195:SGUEN” before the UEN number.
Which onboarding route should a small company choose?
Most small companies should use accounting software that is already on IMDA’s list of accredited InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Providers, because the provider handles both the Peppol ID and the IRAS connection inside the software. Engaging an Access Point Provider directly is mainly for businesses running their own in-house enterprise systems.
The IMDA InvoiceNow brochure (version 1.3, 26 February 2026) points small and medium-sized businesses to accredited IRSPs, large enterprises with in-house systems to an Access Point Provider, and micro businesses without accounting software to free solutions.
| Route | Typical user | Who registers the Peppol ID | Who connects you to IRAS | Points to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-the-shelf InvoiceNow-Ready accounting software | Small and medium-sized companies using cloud accounting | The software provider (IRSP) | The software, through its accredited Access Point, once you enable the GST InvoiceNow submission feature | That the product appears on IMDA’s accredited IRSP list, not just that it “supports e-invoicing” |
| Free-of-charge InvoiceNow-Ready solution | Micro businesses with few invoices and no accounting system | The solution provider | The solution provider | Whether it covers purchase invoices too, and how you export data if you change provider |
| Accredited Access Point Provider with an in-house system | Businesses with their own ERP | The Access Point Provider | The Access Point Provider, after integration and testing | Lead time (IRAS suggests 3 to 12 months), data mapping and who maintains the connection |
The IRAS GST InvoiceNow Requirement page links to both lists: accredited InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Providers and accredited Access Point Providers. Check the list yourself rather than relying on a vendor’s marketing page.
How does a company get a Peppol ID, step by step?
IRAS and IMDA set out three steps: make sure your solution is InvoiceNow-Ready, register for InvoiceNow and obtain a Peppol ID, then enable the GST InvoiceNow submission feature and test it.
- Confirm whether and when the requirement applies to you. New voluntary registrants are already covered. Existing GST-registered businesses that were registered before 2026 were notified of their implementation date by IRAS from mid-2026, and IRAS publishes an implementation date calculator on its InvoiceNow page.
- Check your current accounting software against IMDA’s accredited IRSP list. If it is listed, you probably do not need to change systems.
- Decide who will be the administrator. Pick a director or finance staff member with the company’s Corppass access. IMDA’s FAQs say Singapore companies need a Corppass ID to complete the registration process.
- Ask the provider to register the company. The provider registers the business in the SG Peppol Directory with its UEN and obtains the Peppol ID (e-Tax Guide para 13.5). Keep the confirmation that shows the ID and the date it was issued.
- Check the SG Peppol Directory listing. Search for your company by name or UEN to confirm the entry is live and the details are correct.
- Enable the GST InvoiceNow submission feature. For off-the-shelf software this is a setting you switch on; for an in-house system, the Access Point Provider must confirm that the system is connected to IRAS and the feature is enabled.
- Test before your date. IRAS has offered a sandbox environment since September 2024 so providers and businesses can test API integration and submission of invoice data.
- Tell your trading partners. Add your Peppol ID to purchase orders, customer onboarding forms and supplier records, and ask regular customers and suppliers for theirs.
If your company is preparing a voluntary GST application, the onboarding and the GST application should be planned together. See our note on preparing InvoiceNow onboarding evidence for a voluntary GST registration for the working papers to keep alongside the application.
Does having a Peppol ID mean invoice data is already going to IRAS?
No. A Peppol ID only puts the company on the network; IRAS receives a copy of invoice data only after the GST InvoiceNow submission feature is activated in the InvoiceNow-Ready solution.
IRAS’s FAQs (version of 26 October 2026) address this directly: if a business has not activated the submission feature, the Peppol invoices it issues to customers continue as usual but are not transmitted to IRAS. A company that registered years ago to invoice a government agency may wrongly assume it is already compliant.
Once the feature is on, there are two ways data reaches IRAS:
- Peppol invoices sent to customers who are on InvoiceNow: a copy is transmitted to IRAS automatically, generally in real time or near real time, when the invoice reaches the customer’s Access Point.
- Solution-extracted invoices: sales invoices issued outside the network (for example PDF invoices to customers not on InvoiceNow) and purchase invoices recorded in the software are extracted and sent to IRAS on a regular schedule, such as daily or weekly.
Under paragraph 8.3 of the e-Tax Guide, invoice data must be submitted by the earlier of the date the relevant GST return is filed and the filing due date of that return. Submitting invoice data does not replace the GST return itself, a point we cover in InvoiceNow data is accepted: check the separate GST return filing.
When must a small company have its Peppol ID in place?
A company needs its Peppol ID and submission feature working by its implementation date under the GST InvoiceNow Requirement. For a new voluntary registrant that is the effective date of GST registration; for an existing GST-registered business it depends on its total annual supplies for 2025.
| Implementation date | Who it applies to |
|---|---|
| 1 November 2025 | Companies that register for GST voluntarily within 6 months of their incorporation date |
| 1 April 2026 | All businesses that apply for voluntary GST registration on or after 1 April 2026, regardless of incorporation date or business structure |
| 1 April 2028 | Businesses applying for compulsory GST registration on or after 1 April 2028, and existing GST-registered businesses with total annual supplies of S$200,000 or less |
| 1 April 2029 | Existing GST-registered businesses with total annual supplies of S$1,000,000 or less |
| 1 April 2030 | Existing GST-registered businesses with total annual supplies of S$4,000,000 or less |
| 1 April 2031 | Existing GST-registered businesses with total annual supplies above S$4,000,000 |
Total annual supplies means Box 4 of the GST return (standard-rated, zero-rated and exempt supplies) for all prescribed accounting periods ending in calendar year 2025, extrapolated to 365 days if those periods cover less than a full year. For voluntary registrants, IRAS says a GST application may not be approved, or the registration may be revoked, if the business does not comply. Our guide to the GST InvoiceNow full roll-out from 2028 to 2031 explains the phases for existing businesses in more detail.
Overseas entities (including overseas vendors under the OVR regimes) and businesses registered for GST wholly because of the reverse charge regime are excluded.
How do you find a customer’s or supplier’s Peppol ID?
Search the SG Peppol Directory by company name or UEN. IRAS’s FAQs say businesses can use the directory to find the Peppol ID of businesses registered on the network and then use that ID to send invoices.
Where a customer is not on InvoiceNow, you can keep sending PDF or paper invoices; the data still goes to IRAS as a solution-extracted invoice once your software records the sale. IMDA’s InvoiceNow brochure puts the number of Singapore businesses already on InvoiceNow at over 63,000, so many of your larger customers are likely to be listed.
Some InvoiceNow-Ready solutions also flag GST charged by suppliers who are not GST-registered; our sister site explains what to do when a non-GST-registered supplier charges GST.
What if your accountant or bookkeeper issues invoices for you?
An outsourced accountant or billing service can operate InvoiceNow on your behalf, but the Peppol ID stays registered to your company’s UEN and the provider acts with your consent.
IRAS’s FAQs say that a third-party service provider using an InvoiceNow-Ready solution can use it to perform transactions on behalf of its clients, with the clients’ consent. If the provider uses its own system, it must engage an Access Point Provider to integrate that system with the network. In practice:
- the company, not the accountant, should be the registered owner of the account and the Peppol ID;
- the engagement letter should record that the provider is authorised to issue, receive and submit invoice data for the company;
- the company should keep administrator access in case it changes provider.
Keep the records. GST-registered businesses must keep business and accounting records for at least 5 years, and IRAS says this includes structured invoice data in machine-readable form, such as Peppol invoices as XML files. If a transmission fails, keep the error trail, as described in our note on keeping an exception log while resolving an InvoiceNow transmission failure.
On cost, IRAS lists free-of-charge InvoiceNow-Ready solutions available until 31 March 2031, and a GST InvoiceNow Transition Grant of S$1,000 for GST-registered businesses with total annual supplies of S$4 million or less. The detail is in our article on the InvoiceNow Transition Grant. You can estimate your other compliance dates with the Raffles Corporate Services free tools.
Official sources: IRAS GST InvoiceNow Requirement, IRAS e-Tax Guide on adopting the GST InvoiceNow Requirement and IMDA InvoiceNow.
Frequently asked questions
Can a company register for a Peppol ID directly with IMDA?
No. IMDA accredits the providers, but the registration is carried out by an InvoiceNow-Ready Solution Provider or an Access Point Provider, which registers the company’s UEN in the SG Peppol Directory and updates its details on the Service Metadata Publisher.
Is a Peppol ID the same as a UEN?
They are linked but not identical. The Peppol ID is registered under the company’s UEN, and IMDA’s FAQs say a Singapore business is found in the directory by adding the prefix “0195:SGUEN” before its UEN.
Our company already has a Peppol ID for government invoicing. Do we need a new one?
Usually not, but check two things with your provider: that the solution is on IMDA’s accredited InvoiceNow-Ready list, and that the GST InvoiceNow submission feature is enabled. Without the feature, Peppol invoices are not transmitted to IRAS.
How long does onboarding take?
IMDA’s FAQs say many local accounting solutions have InvoiceNow capability that can be switched on with immediate effect, while other systems need changes first. For in-house enterprise systems, IRAS advises allowing 3 to 12 months for the connection to IRAS.
Can we recall an e-invoice sent over InvoiceNow by mistake?
No. IMDA’s FAQs say a sent e-invoice cannot be retrieved from the network. The supplier should issue a credit note referring to the wrong invoice, or ask the customer to discard it and send a fresh one.
Need help with this? Call, SMS or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or email [email protected]. Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.
Last reviewed: 8 November 2026. The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services.
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