Receiving is often free, sending depends on volume, and one cost nobody shows: retyping. What e-invoicing really costs a small business in the Caribbean.
The essentials in 30 seconds
| What the reform requires | What it costs | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving e-invoices (mandatory since 1 September 2026) | Often €0: several approved platforms offer receiving for free | French Government, answer of 6 October 2026; publishers' pricing pages |
| Sending your invoices (small and medium businesses: by 1 September 2027 at the latest) | From €0 to about €40 excl. VAT per month for a small business, according to publishers | Propulse by CA and Tiime, August 2026 |
| Not being ready in 2026 | No penalties in 2026, as announced by the Government | Answer of 6 October 2026 |
| The cost nobody shows | Time spent retyping: quotes, invoices, data entry for the accountant, payment reminders | Work it out with your own numbers |
The cost of e-invoicing worries many business owners in the French Caribbean. Since 1 September 2026, every VAT-registered business in Guadeloupe and Martinique must be able to receive electronic invoices. In 2027, small and medium businesses will also have to send them. The good news: the platform often costs little. The less good news: it is not the biggest cost. Here is what is free, what you pay for, and the real expense nobody shows.
The short answer: receiving e-invoices is often free. Sending costs from €0 to about €40 excl. VAT per month for a small business, according to publishers. The real cost lies elsewhere: the time spent copying the same information from the quote to the invoice, then to the accountant.
Who is affected, territory by territory? It is all in our guide to e-invoicing in Guadeloupe.
Free e-invoicing: what is free and what is not
Between businesses, everything goes through an approved platform. The French tax FAQ is clear: invoices are sent "through the mandatory intermediary of an approved platform". So there is no free public channel for invoicing another business.
Who are these platforms? The official list includes more than a hundred. You probably know some of the names already:
- online banks: Qonto, Shine;
- accounting software: Pennylane, Tiime, Indy, Dougs;
- business management software: Sage, Cegid, Axonaut, Sellsy, Odoo.
Your bank or your current software may already be on it. That is the first thing to check, before paying for one more tool.
What is often free:
- receiving: several approved platforms offer it at no charge. The Government mentions solutions that are "sometimes free or low-cost";
- small volumes: some entry-level plans include sending, with a cap on the number of invoices.
What you pay for:
- sending volume beyond the plan;
- connections to your tools (point-of-sale system, accounting, bank);
- add-ons: automatic reminders, online payment, e-signature, often from €10 excl. VAT per month per module according to Propulse by CA;
- setup fees for some advanced plans, which "can reach around a hundred euros".
Prices are free to set. The administration does not regulate them, as the Government recalled in its answer of 6 October 2026.
Before you sign: questions to ask the platform
First, check that it appears on the official list of approved platforms. A publisher "in the process of approval" is not approved. Then ask these questions:
- Does it connect to your current software, or will you have to retype everything?
- Does it export your invoices to your accountant, and in which format?
- What is the price beyond the number of invoices included in the plan?
- How long does it archive your invoices, and at what price?
- What happens if you switch platforms in two years?
What E.T. Connect does: one tool for the whole business
The real problem is not the invoice. It is everything scattered around it. Invoices are on the platform. Expenses are in a notebook or an Excel file. Suppliers are in your emails. Ongoing jobs are in the manager's head and on WhatsApp. Five places that do not talk to each other, and hours spent piecing everything together.
E.T. Connect is not an approved platform. We build your custom business software: a dashboard, connected to the approved platform you have chosen, that brings your whole business together in one place.
What you will find in it
- Your e-invoices, sent and received: they go out and come in through your approved platform, but you manage them from your own tool.
- Your suppliers: contact details, invoices received, what is still to be paid.
- Your expenses: sorted as you go, ready for the accountant.
- Your ongoing jobs: who does what, where each project or delivery stands.
- Your quotes and reminders: an accepted quote becomes an invoice without retyping, and reminders go out on their own when payment is due.
- A dashboard that shows you, at a glance, what has been paid, what is owed and what is overdue.
The tool is built around your trade, not the other way round. It connects to your other tools when useful, for example your website: a quote request lands straight in it.
In practice, a week with your tool
Take a transport company in Jarry. On Monday morning, the manager opens a single screen. They see the week's deliveries, the 6 invoices awaiting payment and the 3 supplier invoices that arrived through the platform over the weekend.
On Tuesday, a customer accepts a quote. The e-invoice goes out in one click, with nothing to retype. On Friday, two customers have not paid: the reminder has already gone. At the end of the month, the accountant receives a clean export. Most of the time spent retyping disappears.
The Government says it itself: standardisation "makes it possible to automate tasks that used to be manual". The cost of e-invoicing then becomes an investment that saves time every week.
What we have already built
- SNR Guadeloupe (recycling, Jarry): website requests arrive sorted in a business management tool. Result: +25% leads per month.
- Consulting 971: an online eligibility test, then leads and payments managed in an admin area.
- AVENTI Affichage (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana): quote requests received and tracked in an admin area.
You can watch these tools on video on our custom business software page.
How much it costs
The subscription for custom software starts at €69.90 excl. VAT per month: hosting, updates and unlimited changes included. Setup fees depend on the features you want, agreed together in a specification before we start. We can add an AI assistant trained on your own documents: it drafts a quote, finds an invoice or answers your team's questions.
Where to start?
- Check that you have chosen a receiving platform (mandatory since 1 September 2026). If you are unsure about your situation, read which businesses are affected by e-invoicing.
- Count your invoices per month and the time spent on each one.
- Compare two or three platforms from the official list using the questions above.
- Review it with your accountant before signing.
- Prepare to send before summer 2027, without waiting for the last minute.
Tell us how many invoices you send per month, and with what (Excel, Word, software). We will show you what can run on its own. Take our 1-minute quiz on our home page, or write to us directly.
Frequently asked questions
Partly. Receiving e-invoices is often free, because several approved platforms offer receiving at no charge. Sending can also be free for small volumes. Beyond that, publishers charge by number of invoices and add-ons. For a small business, published ranges go from €0 to about €40 excl. VAT per month.
Prices are free and vary with volume. According to publishers, expect €0 to €15 excl. VAT per month for a sole trader, and about €40 excl. VAT for a business with 4 to 9 employees on a full plan. Medium businesses are often quoted individually. Always check the price beyond the plan.
Not necessarily. Several approved platforms offer receiving at no charge. Since 1 September 2026, every VAT-registered business must have chosen one. Watch out for free offers limited in time or volume: read the terms before registering in the directory.
No, between businesses within the scope of the reform. The French tax FAQ points out that a simple PDF sent by email is not an electronic invoice under the reform. For small and medium businesses, the obligation to send applies by 1 September 2027 at the latest. Until then, PDF remains possible.
The law provides for €50 per invoice not issued in electronic format, capped at €15,000 per year. The first offence is not penalised. Without a receiving platform, the fine is €500 after formal notice, then €1,000 every three months. The Government will apply no penalties in 2026.
Sources
- impots.gouv.fr, FAQ "Je découvre la facturation électronique", version of 1 September 2026 (in French)
- impots.gouv.fr, FAQ "J'approfondis la facturation électronique", version of 1 September 2026 (in French)
- French National Assembly, written question no. 17870 and Government answer, 2026 (in French)
- impots.gouv.fr, list of approved platforms, 2026 (in French)
- Propulse by CA, "Combien coûte la facturation électronique en 2026 ?", 2026 (publisher page, in French)
- Tiime, "Coût de la facturation électronique 2026", 2026 (publisher page, in French)
Information checked on 19 October 2026. Publishers' prices change often: check them on their websites. Every situation is different: review yours with your accountant. Quotes from French official sources are our translations.
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