French 2026 Finance Bill approved

The French Parliament officially approved the Finance Bill for 2026 (PLF 2026) early February 2026, which includes critical updates for French mandatory e-invoicing and e-reporting reform. This approval confirms that the mandatory e-invoicing and e-reporting regime will commence on 1st September 2026, following several years of postponements. The bill will be formally enacted after the publication in the official gazette, following the Constitutional Court’s decision on the bill, which is expected late February 2026.

Mandatory E-Invoicing & E-Reporting Timeline
The reform follows a phased roll-out based on company size. While the obligation to issue e-invoices is gradual, the obligation to receive them applies to everyone simultaneously.

1st September 2026:

– Mandatory Receiving: All VAT registered businesses in France, regardless of size, must be capable of receiving electronic invoices.

– Mandatory Issuing & E-Reporting: Large enterprises (more than 5,000 employees or >€1.5bn turnover) and Mid-caps (250–4,999 employees or >€50m turnover) must begin issuing e-invoices and submitting e-reporting data.

1st September 2027:

– Full Implementation: The obligation to issue e-invoices and comply with e-reporting extends to all remaining Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises.

Key Provisions of the 2026 Finance Act
The approved bill includes critical updates to the technical and legal architecture of the reform, primarily contained in Article 28:

Approved Platforms (PAs):
Formerly known as Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDPs), these private service providers are now formally rebadged as “Plateformes Agréées” (PAs) with reinforced licensing rules.

The “Y-Model” Architecture:
France will utilise a decentralised “Y-model” where businesses can choose between the public portal (Portail Public de Facturation – PPF) or certified private platforms (PAs) to exchange invoices.

Standardised Formats:
To ensure interoperability, the system enforces three primary formats: Factur-X (hybrid PDF/XML), UBL 2.1, and CII.

Sanctions and “Soft-Landing”:
The bill recalibrates penalties for non-compliance. While stricter fines were originally proposed, current provisions suggest a transition period with softer enforcement to help businesses adapt.

Next Steps for Businesses
A large-scale national pilot program is scheduled to run from late February to August 2026 to test the ecosystem under real-world conditions before the September launch. Businesses are encouraged to designate their chosen platform (PPF or PA) and ensure their ERP systems can generate the mandated structured data formats.