An invoice that arrives directly in the accounting system can save someone a round of typing. It does not, by itself, tell the business whether the goods arrived, whether the agreed price is correct or who authorised the purchase.
That distinction matters as more New Zealand firms introduce eInvoicing. The useful change is a cleaner route into the accounts workflow. The approval decision still belongs to the business.
MBIE's eInvoicing guidance describes a direct exchange of invoice information between suppliers' and buyers' financial systems. Emailing a PDF is different: someone, or another piece of software, still has to extract the information from it.
Decide where the invoice goes next
Before turning the feature on, trace one ordinary purchase. Who places the order, confirms receipt, checks the invoice and releases payment? In a small firm, one person may do several of those jobs, but the responsibilities should still be clear.
Ask the software provider where incoming eInvoices appear and what notifications are available. An invoice waiting in an unfamiliar draft-bill screen can be overlooked just as easily as an attachment buried in an inbox. Give a named person responsibility for checking that queue.
Supplier and customer records deserve attention too. Confirm the correct New Zealand Business Number, billing entity and any purchase-order or project references the other party requires. Start with a willing trading partner and check that a real transaction reaches the right place.
Keep the safeguards around payment
MBIE's implementation material makes clear that eInvoicing transmits invoice data; it is not a system that automatically approves or pays every bill. Continue checking unexpected charges and changes to payment details through a trusted channel.
Agree what happens if the same invoice arrives electronically and by email. Keeping both copies without a clear duplicate check creates avoidable confusion. After the first few transactions, ask the accounts team what became easier and what still needs correcting. A modest trial can expose those details before the entire supplier list moves across.
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