Invoicing Software for France
Bill in euros with clear TVA lines while staying aligned with French commercial, tax, and e-invoicing reforms.
Invoicing software for France must comply with strict legal requirements under the Code de commerce and Code général des impôts. Every facture needs mandatory mentions (mentions obligatoires) including SIREN/SIRET, TVA intracommunautaire numbers, sequential numbering, and a breakdown of TVA at the correct rates. Missing a required field can incur a €15 fine per mention per invoice.
France is phasing in mandatory B2B e-invoicing through the Portail Public de Facturation (PPF) and certified private platforms (PDP). Invoicing software must support structured formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII) and align contract terms with the 60-day payment ceiling under the LME law for many B2B relationships. Tools should auto-include the mandatory late-payment penalty notice and €40 recovery indemnity (indemnité forfaitaire pour frais de recouvrement).
Day-to-day, French buyers expect EUR pricing, IBAN/BIC for virement SEPA, and clear TVA lines at 20%, 10%, 5.5%, or 2.1%. Carte bancaire and prélèvement remain common for SMEs; include structured payment references (libellé) so treasury teams can match wires. Public-sector suppliers often route invoices through Chorus Pro, so consistent service labels, purchase order references, and audit-friendly history reduce rejections.
Micro-entrepreneurs under the franchise en base need the CGI art. 293 B mention instead of TVA lines. For intra-EU B2B, reverse charge wording and valid VAT IDs matter for both parties' déclarations. Choose software that enforces chronological numbering without gaps, stores documents for ten years, and exports data your expert-comptable can reconcile with FEC and upcoming e-facturation obligations. Flag acomptes and deposits distinctly so follow-on factures de solde stay clear for TVA déductible timing and buyer audits.
Compliance & invoicing expectations in France
Local rules change over time; use these themes as a checklist and confirm details with a qualified adviser for your situation.
Tax Compliance
Calculate TVA at 20%, 10%, 5.5%, or 2.1% per line item. Display SIREN/SIRET, TVA intracommunautaire numbers, and all mentions obligatoires required by French law.
Currency & Payments
Invoice in EUR with IBAN/BIC for SEPA transfers. Support carte bancaire and direct debit. Include mandatory late-payment penalty rate and €40 indemnité forfaitaire.
E-Invoicing Rules
Support structured e-invoice formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII) for the PPF/PDP mandate. Public sector already requires Chorus Pro. All B2B invoices will need structured transmission on a phased timeline.
Record Keeping
Store invoices in compliance with the NF525 or equivalent certification for fraud-proof accounting software. Retain records for 10 years per French commercial law.
Practical invoicing tools for businesses billing from or into France.
How Billed supports France invoicing
Legally compliant French invoices
Auto-include all mentions obligatoires: SIREN, TVA number, late-payment penalties, and the €40 recovery indemnity. Sequential numbering (numérotation chronologique) is enforced without gaps.
How to choose invoicing software for France
Use this checklist when evaluating any invoicing tool for France-based businesses.
Local tax support
Can it handle France-specific tax rules (rates, exemptions, filing formats)?
Currency & language
Does it support the local currency and languages used in France?
Compliance ready
Does it generate invoices that meet local legal requirements for tax credits and audits?
Payment integrations
Does it connect with payment methods popular in France?
Scalability
Can it grow with your business — recurring billing, multi-client, team access?
Affordability
Does it offer a free tier or trial so you can evaluate before committing?
| Feature | Billed | Generic tools |
|---|---|---|
| France tax lines | Configurable | Varies |
| Local currency | Yes | Usually |
| Free plan | Yes | Sometimes |
| Recurring invoices | Included | Paid plans |
| Payment tracking | Built-in | Limited |
Frequently Asked Questions
Invoicing Software in Other Countries
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At a glance
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tax Compliance | Calculate TVA at 20%, 10%, 5.5%, or 2.1% per line item. Display SIREN/SIRET, TVA intracommunautaire numbers, and all mentions obligatoires r |
| Currency & Payments | Invoice in EUR with IBAN/BIC for SEPA transfers. Support carte bancaire and direct debit. Include mandatory late-payment penalty rate and €4 |
| E-Invoicing Rules | Support structured e-invoice formats (Factur-X, UBL, CII) for the PPF/PDP mandate. Public sector already requires Chorus Pro. All B2B invoic |
| Record Keeping | Store invoices in compliance with the NF525 or equivalent certification for fraud-proof accounting software. Retain records for 10 years per |
How we verified these requirements. Invoice-field and tax rules for France come from the local tax authority's published SMB guidance. Where local practice differs from the written rules, we note it — enforcement norms vary from the printed regulation in several jurisdictions. For each comparison or claim, we cross-referenced at least one primary source (the vendor's pricing page, an official government dataset, or a published industry report) and noted where the source disagrees with widely-cited secondary numbers. Where source figures change frequently (tax rates, vendor pricing tiers, regulatory thresholds), we flag the data point so it can be re-verified at the start of each filing or fiscal period.
When this isn't for you
If you operate cross-border with complex permanent-establishment or VAT-registration requirements, this guide is not enough. Consult a local tax advisor or accountant licensed in France. The information here is general and not legal or tax advice. Operationally, the structure here breaks down once you cross the threshold of having a dedicated finance/billing team, multi-entity consolidation needs, or a regulated payer environment that mandates specific claim or billing formats. In those cases, treat this as background context and follow your platform's or payer's required workflow rather than a generic best-practice template. For teams under 20 people doing direct-to-client billing, this remains the right starting point — the rubric breaks at the enterprise/ERP boundary, not at small-team scale.
