E-invoicing mandates changed the rules: here’s the latest AP check list

Compliance and efficiency are not the same outcome, and the difference between them is now costing AP teams real processing time. An invoice can pass every check a tax authority requires and still stall the moment it reaches an AP system, because government mandates and AP matching logic were built to solve different problems.

We covered why that gap exists in E-invoicing mandates and AP automation: why compliance is not enough. This report picks up where that diagnosis ends and sets out what to actually do about it.

Why the gap opened up

Older three-corner e-invoicing networks used a shared service provider on both sides of a transaction, so business-specific validation rules, a required PO number, for example, could be enforced before an invoice ever reached the buyer. Most mandates now run on four-corner models, where supplier and buyer each choose their own provider. That interoperability is what makes mandates scale across millions of suppliers. It also means the shared validation layer is gone. Invoices arrive fully compliant and still short of what an AP system needs to match and post them automatically.

What the report recommends

The report, based on a June 2026 webinar hosted by Susie West (CEO, sharedserviceslink) with guests Jason Palmer (Senior E-Invoicing Sales Executive, Avalara) and contributors at Springtime, sets out six actions for closing that gap:

• Close the data gap with intelligent enrichment, using historical supplier behavior to infer missing PO references and GL codes automatically
• Make exception and approval workflows frictionless for approvers who only touch the system occasionally
• Build visibility before attempting efficiency gains, since process mining shows which suppliers and fields generate the most exceptions
• Treat suppliers as a data quality lever, since most are unaware how their invoice formatting affects downstream processing
• Build automation on a structured, auditable foundation rather than adding complexity to legacy rules
• Choose partners equipped to keep pace as mandates change, citing Italy’s SDI system, which has gone through more than 40 revisions since launch

Who this is for

AP leaders and shared services teams who have already cleared a mandate deadline, or are about to, and need a concrete plan for the operational side rather than another explanation of the regulatory landscape.