THE KEY POINTS IN 5
- The public portal (PPF) no longer serves as a platform for issuing and receiving invoices. Going through a private accredited platform is mandatory, and there is no longer a free public option.
- Only a registered platform, on the official list on impots.gouv.fr, transmits your invoices in the legal network.
- Several platforms have a free plan, such as Indy, Tiime, Abby and Shine, for issuing and receiving your e-invoices.
- A platform transmits your invoices. It isn’t required to archive them beyond 12 months after you leave, nor to organize them.
- To choose, look at the real price, archiving, exports, compatibility with your accountant and what happens if you leave.
What is an accredited platform?
It’s a private operator registered by the DGFiP, the French tax authority, whether it’s a software publisher, an accounting firm, a bank or a dematerialization specialist. “Plateforme agréée” (accredited platform) is the new name of the PDPs (plateformes de dématérialisation partenaires, partner dematerialization platforms), written into the 2026 Finance Act. Registration, granted for three years and renewable, certifies that the platform meets specifications on formats, security and the transmission of data to the tax authority through the national concentrator.
In the network, it plays four roles.
Accredited platform or compatible solution?
A compatible solution (solution compatible, formerly called OD) works before or after the platform. It creates invoices, files them, runs approval workflows or archiving, but it can’t transmit in the official network. So check that your provider is on the official list of accredited platforms. Its first version, published in January 2026, had 101, and it changes, so check it on the day you choose. We copy it, dated and searchable by name, on our list of accredited platforms (in French).
Three misconceptions about accredited platforms
The specifications govern how invoices are transmitted. For everything else, they leave platforms a lot of freedom, and that’s where misunderstandings start.
| What you often hear | In reality |
|---|---|
| “My platform archives my invoices for 10 years.” | Not as a rule. Archiving with evidential value isn’t part of the registration requirements. Some platforms offer it, sometimes as a paid option, others don’t. |
| “If I leave, my platform keeps everything.” | No. After you leave, it only has to keep your data for 12 months. Beyond that, it all depends on the contract, and a new platform taking over the archive is anything but automatic. |
| “My platform files and organizes my invoices.” | Not necessarily. Its mandatory role is limited to making them available and handling the regulatory statuses. Filing, search and preparing the accounts are left to you, or to a dedicated tool. |
Keeping invoices for 10 years, in their original format, remains the business’s responsibility. The details are in our page on archiving e-invoices.
Four accredited platforms with a free plan
Several platforms offer a free plan. Here is the one of four publishers that present themselves as accredited platforms, taken from their pricing pages on October 15, 2026. Check that they are on the official list, and read their terms, before you commit.
| Platform | Free plan | What the publisher says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indy | Essentiel, €0 excl. VAT per month | Unlimited quotes and invoices, e-invoicing as an accredited platform. For micro-entrepreneurs, sole proprietorships and companies. | indy.fr/prix |
| Tiime | Free, no commitment | E-invoicing as an accredited platform, unlimited invoices and quotes, no credit card. Presented as ideal for micro-entrepreneurs. | tiime.fr/tarifs |
| Abby | Basique, €0, no commitment | E-invoicing, unlimited quotes and invoices. Abby presents itself as an accredited platform. | abby.fr/tarifs |
| Shine | With or without a business account (Shine Facture), no commitment | Free, unlimited issuing and receiving of e-invoices, through Shine’s accredited platform. | shine.fr/facturation-electronique |
| Pages checked on October 15, 2026. None shows an invoice cap for its free plan. Plans change, so check the terms on each publisher’s website. | |||
The free plan covers issuing and receiving e-invoices. The features around it, such as signing quotes or bookkeeping, are often kept for paid plans. Before you commit, check whether archiving is included, whether you can export all your data and what happens if you leave.
Seven questions to choose your accredited platform
No platform suits everyone. Ask these questions in order, as the first one is sometimes enough to decide.
- Which platforms does your accountant work with?For a very small business, it’s often the first criterion. A platform that works with the firm’s tools avoids keying data in twice and back-and-forth, and many firms have already made their choice or offer access themselves.
- Is your current software already an accredited platform?If it is, or if it’s connected to one, the shortest path may be to stay.
- What’s the real price?Beyond the advertised price, look at setup fees, volume overages, extra users and e-reporting.
- Is archiving included?Ask whether it has evidential value, at what price and for how long. It’s the most often forgotten point, and the most costly to discover late.
- Can you export everything?You must be able to get all your invoices back in their original format (Factur-X or XML), in bulk and at any time.
- What does the contract say if you leave?Returning your data and keeping invoices coming in during the switch should both be in it.
- Is receiving invoices comfortable day to day?Look at notifications, how XML invoices are displayed (you can’t read them without a tool), status handling and access from your phone.
Between a platform at a few euros and another at several dozen, compliance is the same. The gap comes from the volume of supplier invoices you handle and from the extra features. Many very small businesses get by with a light, even free, platform for compliance, backed by a dedicated tool downstream if the volume warrants it. There’s no point paying for a high-end plan for features you won’t use.
The work left after the platform
An accredited platform is a regulatory pipe. It wasn’t designed to manage your documents day to day, so several tasks are still yours to organize.
- Finding the plumber’s invoice from March among 800 documents, in a few seconds.
- Keeping in one place the invoices from the platform and those that still arrive by email, such as foreign suppliers, receipts or expense reports.
- Noting amounts, VAT and payment dates to prepare the month’s file.
- Getting a heads-up before a payment deadline.
This downstream work is the role of compatible solutions and document management tools. Our pages on filing documents automatically and bringing in invoices received by email show how it works.
3 invoices found
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between an accredited platform and a PDP?
None in substance. “Plateforme agréée” (accredited platform) is the new official name of the PDPs (plateformes de dématérialisation partenaires), enshrined in the 2026 Finance Act. Both refer to a private operator registered by the tax authority.
Is a free accredited platform really compliant?
Yes, if it’s on the official list, since registration applies to the free plan as much as to the paid one. Do look at what the free plan leaves out, though, such as archiving, exports or volume.
Can I do without an accredited platform?
No. The PPF now only serves as a directory and a data concentrator, so issuing and receiving in the legal network has to go through a platform. Without a designated platform, after a formal notice you face a €500 fine, then €1,000 per quarter. See our page on penalties.
Can I have several accredited platforms?
Yes. The directory accepts several receiving addresses, per establishment for example. Yet each platform adds one more space to watch, and for a very small business, one platform is usually enough.
What happens to my invoices if I change platform?
The old platform only has to keep them for 12 months after you leave. Reversibility is part of the specifications, but the new platform taking over the archive isn’t automatic and must be in the contract. Export everything before the switch, then check in the directory that your new link shows up, so you don’t lose a single invoice.
Can my bank or my accounting software be my platform?
Yes, if it is registered or connected to a platform, as several banks, software publishers and accounting firms are. It’s even the path the DGFiP recommends, so ask your usual providers first.
How do I check that a platform is really accredited?
By looking at the official list on impots.gouv.fr, which is updated regularly. Wording such as “compatible solution” or “ready for 2026” on a commercial website doesn’t mean registration.
Official sources (in French): impots.gouv.fr, list of accredited platforms · impots.gouv.fr, Je découvre la facturation électronique · rules of use of the “plateforme agréée” mark · E-invoicing directory (AIFE)
Updated October 15, 2026 by the Clivio team. Spotted an error, or a plan that has changed? contact@clivio.app