E-Invoicing · Digital Information Solutions
SARS is moving VAT onto e‑invoices. Be ready before it’s the law.
SARS is building toward Peppol-based e-invoicing, with a central hub that sees your invoice data as it happens. The legal framework is already enacted. The consultation paper is open — comments close 16 October 2026. Pilots start from 2027 and large B2B taxpayers go first. DIS gets your Odoo data and connections ready now, so compliance is a switch you flip — not a project you rush.
Ready before it’s required.
Status: proposed by SARS — legislation not yet published
Odoo Ready Partner · Johannesburg · Ajman · Serving Africa & the GCC
The SARS roadmap
Where South Africa’s VAT modernisation stands.
The direction is confirmed. The dates are firming up. Here is what has happened and what comes next.
1 April 2025
In force
Invoice data in electronic customs declarations
Invoice-level data is already required in electronic customs declarations — the first step toward structured data reporting is live.
1 April 2026
In force
Legal framework enacted
The Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act 4 of 2026 was published in the Government Gazette, establishing the legal definitions for e-invoicing, e-reporting, and the interoperability framework.
17 August 2026
Open now
VAT Modernisation Consultation Paper
SARS released its consultation paper proposing the Digital VAT Model — e-invoicing, an interoperability framework, and e-reporting. Public comment period closes 16 October 2026.
2026 / 2027
Expected
Preparation phase
Stakeholder consultations, structured working groups, and publication of draft VAT regulations. Approximately 12 months.
2027 – 2028
Expected
Pilots and voluntary onboarding
Early adopters test the Peppol model and the SARS Central Tax Hub. Large B2B taxpayers and priority sectors first.
2028 – 2030
Target
Phased mandatory rollout
Broad rollout starting with large B2B VAT vendors, then smaller registered businesses. Full operational capability targeted by SARS.
Dates reflect the SARS VAT Modernisation Consultation Paper published 17 August 2026 and the five-phase rollout proposed within it. Always confirm against the latest SARS guidance.
Where do you fit?
Pick the one that sounds like you.
Smaller VAT vendor
Mostly B2C or not registered
Likely timeline
First wave
Priority for pilots and mandatory rollout. If your annual revenue is large enough for SARS to classify you as Category C, you are first in line. Start the data clean-up and Peppol connection now — not when the gazette notice lands.
What to do now
Start the data clean-up and set up a Peppol connection now.
Consider joining a SARS pilot if one opens. The advantage of moving early: you choose your timeline, your access point provider, and your testing window. The businesses that wait have SARS choose all three.
How the invoice will travel
Five corners, with Odoo at corner one.
SARS has chosen the Peppol five-corner model. Invoices move between service providers on the network, and invoice data reaches SARS through its Central Tax Hub.
Corner 1
Your Odoo
Invoice posted as usual. The DIS connector builds the PINT AE XML.
Corner 2
Your access point
Validates the invoice and mandatory fields and routes the document over Peppol.
Corner 3
Buyer’s access point
Receives the document on your customer’s behalf.
Corner 4
Your customer
Gets a structured invoice straight into their own system.
Corner 5
SARS Central Tax Hub
Receives invoice data for VAT return pre-filling in real time.
Status comes back into Odoo, so your team sees whether the invoice was accepted, rejected or pending on the invoice itself.
What DIS does
The businesses that prepare now choose their timeline. The rest get SARS’s.
From gap analysis to your first accepted invoice.
01
Readiness assessment
We map your invoice flows against what SARS’s consultation paper proposes — data format, tax codes, and accredited service provider requirements — and tell you the gap.
02
Master data clean-up
Customer TINs, tax codes, units of measure and addresses fixed at the source, so invoices pass validation first time. This is the work that takes longest and matters most.
03
Peppol connection
Odoo wired to the Peppol network through an accredited access point, ready to switch on when SARS confirms its Central Tax Hub. The same model the UAE uses.
04
Pilot and go-live
Support through voluntary onboarding when SARS opens it, then standing support at and after go-live. End-to-end test with real transactions and hypercare after launch.
Why DIS
Already doing this in the UAE.
The UAE goes live on the same Peppol model in January 2027. South African clients get a team that has already connected Odoo to it. E-invoicing failures usually start in the ERP: bad master data, custom invoice layouts, missing tax logic. We fix those because we implement Odoo every day.
Odoo Ready Partner
Implementation, customisation and support across manufacturing, trading and financial services.
Fixed-scope packages
Clear milestones and pricing from [PACKAGE PRICE] for a standard Odoo setup.
Based in Johannesburg
A local team that knows South African VAT and has your finance team’s time zone.
Africa and the GCC
One approach for groups trading across South Africa, the GCC and other markets.
Questions
What clients ask us first
Is e-invoicing law in South Africa yet?
The legal framework is in place — the Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act took effect on 1 April 2026, and SARS published its VAT Modernisation Consultation Paper in August 2026 with comments due by 16 October 2026. The technical rules and mandatory dates have not been set yet, but the direction is confirmed: a Peppol-based five-corner model with phased rollout starting from the largest B2B taxpayers. Businesses that prepare now choose their own timeline. The ones that wait have SARS choose it for them.
Why prepare before the rules are final?
Most of the work — clean customer data, correct tax codes, valid bank details, a Peppol connection — is needed no matter what the final details say. Leaving it late puts it in the same window as every other VAT vendor, your accountants, and your year-end. The businesses that move now get DIS’s full attention, not a queue.
Do we need to replace Odoo?
No. Odoo stays your system of record. DIS adds the connection and ensures the data beneath it — tax numbers, addresses, line items — meets the structured format SARS will require. If you are not on Odoo yet, this is the right time to move: you set up once, compliant from day one, instead of migrating under deadline pressure later.
What if we’re not on Odoo yet?
That is actually a good position. A new Odoo implementation set up now gets the chart of accounts, tax configuration, and data model right from the start — no retrofit. DIS’s Essentials package starts at $1,500 and includes the accounting foundation an e-invoicing connection sits on top of. One project, one go-live, compliant from day one.
Which Odoo versions do you support?
Community and Enterprise, including Odoo.sh and on-premise installs.
Does a PDF emailed from Odoo still count as an invoice?
For now, yes. Once the mandate is in force, the legal invoice will be the structured XML exchanged through accredited service providers on the Peppol network. A PDF can still go alongside it as a courtesy copy, but it will not be what SARS accepts as the tax document.
How long does implementation take?
Typically 4–8 weeks from assessment to go-live, depending mostly on the state of your master data.
Contact us
Get a 30-minute readiness check.
Tell us about your Odoo setup. We’ll show you where you stand against SARS’s plans and what to fix first — no obligation.
info@digitalsol.co.za
+27 10 003 0713