Found an error on an invoice you have sent? Retrieve the original invoice first and describe what is wrong. For a Belgian business invoice, the correction document, transmission format and accounting treatment are three separate considerations. Changing a customer record alone does not tell the recipient what should happen to the earlier invoice.
Does the credit note need to go through Peppol?
According to the official Belgian FAQ, question 5, a document amending a structured invoice and referring to it unambiguously follows the same format. This includes credit notes. Check the original document, not just the date on which you make the correction.
Use this table as a starting point. It does not determine the VAT adjustment required in your case.
| Situation | What should you check? |
|---|---|
| The original was a structured invoice sent through Peppol. | The correction must refer to the original and follow the same structured format. |
| You are correcting a PDF invoice from 2025 in 2026. | Question 23 describes an exception: a PDF credit note remains possible if the customer accepts it. |
| You invoiced the wrong business. | Check the identity and arrange the correction; simply sending the invoice to someone else does not resolve the original document. |
| The customer disputes an amount or VAT treatment. | Gather the facts and have the appropriate correction and accounting treatment assessed. |
Gather these details first
Prepare a short file before sending anything again. This practical checklist helps you and your accountant work with the same documents:
- The full original invoice number, date and file that was sent.
- The identity of the recipient and of the intended customer.
- A specific description of the error: which line, amount or detail is incorrect?
- The customer’s response and anything already paid or recorded in the accounts.
- The agreed correction and its reference to the original document.
- After sending: keep the correction document, sending status and correspondence together.
For general invoice details, use our mandatory invoice information checklist. Our explanation of invoice numbering helps you distinguish documents clearly.
A wrong recipient is a separate situation
Suppose invoice 2026-0042 went to business A, while you supplied business B. The official FAQ distinguishes the two sides: A must reject the invoice that is not intended for it and has no corresponding supply; the issuer must correct the wrongly invoiced amounts with a corrective document, in practice a credit note. Discuss the VAT and accounting consequences with your accountant too.
A dispute about the price of a service actually supplied is a different case. The Belgian Accounting Standards Commission’s opinion on disputed debts explains that a dispute is not a general reason to leave a debt out of the accounts.
Check the result of the correction
Peppol BIS Billing supports both credit notes and negative invoices. Follow the appropriate process in your software instead of adding negative amounts everywhere. Check with the recipient which document contains the correction and how it relates to the original. A sending status alone does not settle a dispute over the invoice’s content.
This article covers ordinary Belgian business situations, not a complete VAT guide. To organise your invoicing with Cleero, explore the plans.