The 5 biggest mistakes when introducing e-invoicing in SAP – and how to avoid them

Introduction: The 5 pitfalls you should avoid

The e-invoicing obligation from 2025 will bring movement to the SAP landscape. Many companies are facing the challenge of converting their invoicing processes to electronic formats such as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD in good time – and doing so as legally compliant, efficiently and with as little effort as possible.

But practice shows: When implementing e-invoicing in SAP, the same mistakes happen time and time again. These lead to delays, additional work or even incorrect invoices – with direct consequences for accounting, customer relationships and compliance.

In this article, we reveal the 5 biggest pitfalls and provide practical tips on how companies can integrate their e-invoicing smoothly – ideally with a modern SaaS approach such as the Global E-Invoice Cloud from Softway AG.

Mistake 1 – Unclear responsibilities and lack of project structure

One of the most common mistakes: the introduction of e-invoicing is seen as a purely technical IT project. In reality, however, it affects financial accounting, taxes, IT, purchasing and sales in equal measure.

If there are no clear responsibilities or central project management, this can quickly lead to a lack of transparency:

• contradictory requirements,
• lack of data harmonization,
• and delays in implementation.

Tip:
Define an interdisciplinary project group with clear roles right from the start. Only when IT and specialist departments work together can legal requirements, technical integration and processes be optimally dovetailed.

Mistake 2 – Underestimated technical complexity in SAP

Many companies believe that they can “simply develop ” the SAP implementation of e-invoice dispatch themselves – after all, SAP Output Management exists. But this is exactly where the biggest risks lurk.

Frequent technical stumbling blocks:

• Complex mapping processes for XRechnung or ZUGFeRD
• Lack of validation tools for statutory audits, especially internationally
• No central monitoring for dispatch, error messages and status queries
• Complex SAP transports and upgrades that have to be adapted every time the law changes

Tip:
Rely on a SaaS-based solution that has been specially developed for sending e-invoices from SAP. This will save you development time, avoid version conflicts and automatically keep you up to date with the latest legislation.

Mistake 3 – Ignoring international requirements

The e-invoicing obligation does not only affect Germany. Many countries in Europe, such as Poland and Belgium (mandatory from the beginning of 2026!) and worldwide have their own formats, transmission channels and platforms. Anyone operating internationally therefore faces a huge challenge.

Common mistakes:

• Use of a purely national solution without scalability
• Incorrect format selection (e.g. XRechnung for countries that require PEPPOL, KseF or FatturaPA)
• No integration of international authority portals

Tip:
Right from the start, choose an international solution that covers different country formats and can be managed centrally. With the Global E-Invoice Cloud, for example, EU formats, PEPPOL standards and country-specific portal connections can be easily mapped – without multiple system landscapes.

Error 4 – Lack of legal protection and archiving

The GoBD, GDPR and EN 16931 stipulate clear rules for the storage and verification of digital invoices. Many in-house developments or interim solutions do not fully meet these requirements.

Typical risks:

• Non-auditable storage of e-invoices
• Missing logging of transmissions
• Insecure storage outside the EU
• No traceability during tax audits

Tip:
Use a solution with integrated legally compliant archiving. SaaS services such as the Global E-Invoice Cloud store every invoice automatically, document dispatch and status and guarantee data security in accordance with European standards.

Error 5 – No consideration of the clean core principle in SAP S/4HANA

With the switch to SAP S/4HANA, many companies are pursuing the goal of streamlining their system landscape and remaining “clean core” capable.
Individual developments in the area of e-billing torpedo this goal – they make subsequent upgrades costly and error-prone.

Tip:
A cloud-based, SAP-related solution integrates via standardized interfaces without changing the SAP core. This means that the system remains updatable and the burden on IT is permanently reduced.

Conclusion – avoid mistakes, seize opportunities!

The introduction of e-invoicing in SAP is more than just a technical task – it is a strategic digitization project. Those who know the typical mistakes and avoid them will benefit from:

• automated processes
• legally compliant processing,
• international scalability
• and low maintenance

Softway’s Global E-Invoice Cloud shows how easy it can be: a managed SaaS service that integrates seamlessly with SAP, automatically fulfills legal requirements and relieves your team of development and maintenance.

👉 Would you like to know how you can send your e-invoices from SAP securely, legally compliant and without developing them yourself?

Find out more about the Global E-Invoice Cloud:
➡️ www.softway.de/sap-e-rechnung