Key points
- As of 20 October 2026, HMRC has not announced any registration, sign-up or enrolment for the 2029 e-invoicing mandate.
- The UK has chosen a decentralised model with Peppol as the core network, so there is no central government platform to register with.
- You get on Peppol through a service provider, often built into accounting software. The provider registers your Peppol ID in its SMP and usually lists you in the Peppol Directory.
- End users do not need to join OpenPeppol to send and receive Peppol messages; service providers do.
- Whether HMRC will add any registration or notification step is not yet confirmed. The implementation roadmap is due at Budget 2026 on 28 October 2026.
No: HMRC has not announced any registration, sign-up or enrolment for e-invoicing. The UK has chosen a decentralised model with Peppol as the core network, so the step that matters is getting connected to Peppol through a service provider, which then registers your Peppol ID on the network for you.
The question is a natural one. Making Tax Digital (MTD) involved signing up with HMRC, so many owners expect e-invoicing to work the same way. As of 20 October 2026 it does not, although the implementation roadmap due at Budget 2026 on 28 October 2026 could add a step. Here is what is confirmed, what "getting on Peppol" actually involves, and what is still open.
The short answer, by status
| Question | Status (20 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| HMRC e-invoicing registration or sign-up | None announced |
| Government portal to register on | None: decentralised model chosen |
| Peppol as the UK network | Confirmed (Tax update 2026, 23 June 2026) |
| Need a Peppol ID to send and receive | Yes, in practice: Peppol routes by participant ID |
| Need to join OpenPeppol yourself | No, if you use a service provider |
| Which ID scheme the UK will require | Not yet confirmed |
| Any HMRC notification or registration step | Not yet confirmed; watch the roadmap |
Why there is nothing to register with HMRC (yet)
The consultation response chose a model that allows "businesses to exchange e-invoices directly through their chosen software providers". On 23 June 2026 the government confirmed that Peppol "will be the core interoperability network for e-invoicing in the UK".
In that design, invoices travel between providers' Access Points using the four-corner model. HMRC does not sit in the middle, and real-time reporting to HMRC will not be introduced in 2029 (see real-time reporting). So there is no HMRC system that every business must enrol in for invoices to flow. Compare that with clearance countries, where invoices pass through a government platform; we explain the difference in decentralised vs clearance model.
What could change: the roadmap may set out how businesses or providers are recognised, how a Peppol Authority for the UK will work, or whether HMRC wants to know which provider you use. None of that has been announced. Treat any article that describes an "HMRC e-invoicing registration" today as speculation.
The MTD comparison
| MTD for VAT | E-invoicing (as of 20 October 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign up with HMRC | Yes, originally; HMRC later signed up remaining VAT-registered businesses automatically | No sign-up announced |
| Who you connect to | HMRC's systems, through compatible software | Your trading partners, through a Peppol provider |
| Software list from HMRC | Yes, a software finder | None announced |
| Applies to | VAT-registered businesses | VAT invoices (B2B and B2G) from April 2029 |
For more on how the two programmes fit together, see e-invoicing vs Making Tax Digital.
What "getting on Peppol" actually means
Instead of registering with HMRC, you will need to be reachable on Peppol. That happens in four steps, and your provider does most of the work.
1. Choose a provider. This may be your existing accounting software, if it offers Peppol, or a separate certified Peppol service provider. You do not join OpenPeppol yourself: an OpenPeppol presentation to the EU eDelivery network (May 2024) states that "End Users are not required to be OpenPeppol members to send and receive Peppol messages". Providers must be members and certified. See how to choose a Peppol Access Point and check your software's Peppol support.
2. Get a Peppol ID. Your participant ID is your address on the network: a scheme code plus an identifier. For most VAT-registered UK businesses this is scheme 9932 ("United Kingdom VAT number" in the Peppol EAS code list) plus the VAT number, for example 9932:gb123456789 (made up). NHS suppliers often use 0088, the Global Location Number. The UK has not yet said which scheme the mandate will expect. See Peppol ID UK and EAS codes 9932 and 0088.
3. Your provider registers you in its SMP. The Service Metadata Publisher records which documents you can receive (invoices, credit notes) and at which Access Point. A central locator, the SML, points senders to the right SMP. This registration is what makes you reachable. See Peppol SMP and SML explained.
4. Your provider usually lists you in the Peppol Directory. The Directory is a public search service. OpenPeppol's specification says providers publish business cards "on a voluntary basis", so a listing helps customers find you but is not what makes delivery work. You can check how you appear with our Peppol directory lookup or our guide to checking if a company is on Peppol.
Then give your Peppol ID to customers and suppliers, and collect theirs.
Worked example
Hollin Joinery Ltd (fictional) is VAT registered and uses cloud accounting software.
- It asks its software provider whether Peppol sending and receiving is available on its plan. It is, through the provider's certified Access Point partner.
- It switches the feature on. The provider registers
9932:gb123456789in its SMP for invoices and credit notes, and publishes a Directory business card in the company's legal name. - Hollin checks the Directory listing, then adds its Peppol ID to its invoice footer and supplier forms.
- It has not registered anything with HMRC, because nothing is required as of October 2026. It will check the roadmap on 28 October.
Common mix-ups
- "Registering for e-invoicing" is not VAT registration. VAT registration is a separate legal duty: you must register if your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in the last 12 months, or is expected to in the next 30 days. The e-invoicing mandate covers VAT invoices, so it builds on VAT registration rather than replacing it.
- You do not need a VAT number to be on Peppol, because other schemes exist. But if you are not VAT registered, and not required to be, the consultation response says you "will not be obliged to adopt this technology". See e-invoicing if you are not VAT registered.
- Public sector buyers may already ask for Peppol. NHS Supply Chain and many NHS trusts already trade with suppliers over Peppol. That is a customer requirement, not an HMRC registration. See NHS Peppol for suppliers.
- Paying for a listing. You should not need to pay anyone just to "register" you with HMRC for e-invoicing, because no such registration exists today.
What to do now
- Ignore any claim that you must register with HMRC for e-invoicing now; nothing has been announced.
- Ask your software provider whether it can register you on Peppol to send and receive, and which Peppol ID it would use.
- If you are already on Peppol, check your ID and listing character for character.
- Watch the roadmap on 28 October 2026 for any registration or provider rules; our what to watch page lists the key questions.
- Work through the readiness checklist and follow the timeline.
This article explains published guidance and specifications. It is not tax advice; see HMRC guidance or speak to an adviser about your own position.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register with HMRC for e-invoicing?
No registration has been announced as of 20 October 2026. The UK has chosen a decentralised model, so there is no central government platform to sign up to. Watch the implementation roadmap due at Budget 2026 on 28 October 2026.
How do I sign up for Peppol in the UK?
Through a Peppol service provider, which may be built into your accounting software. The provider registers your Peppol ID, usually 9932 plus your VAT number, in its SMP so other businesses can find and send to you.
Do I need to become a member of OpenPeppol?
No. OpenPeppol says end users are not required to be members to send and receive Peppol messages. Service providers must be members and certified.
Is e-invoicing registration the same as signing up for Making Tax Digital?
No. MTD for VAT involved signing up with HMRC, although HMRC later signed up remaining businesses automatically. For e-invoicing, no HMRC sign-up has been announced; joining Peppol happens through your provider.
Do I need to be VAT registered to use Peppol?
No. Peppol accepts other identifier schemes, such as the GLN (0088). But the 2029 mandate covers VAT invoices, so businesses that are not VAT registered, and not required to be, will not be obliged to adopt e-invoicing.
Spotted a mistake? Report an error. einvoices.uk is an independent publication and is not affiliated with HMRC. Details of the mandate may change; check the sources and official GOV.UK guidance before acting.