The digitalisation of receipts to boost the move to real-time economy - The government will start using electronic receipts by 2025

E-invoicing and e-invoices are commonplace in government operations – now we want to expand these electronic services to cover receipts. Real-time economy, including e-invoicing, electronic receipts and the automation of the payment system, would generate savings of tens of millions of euros per year for the government. The first e-receipt pilots in the central government will start in the autumn of 2019.

The purpose of the pilots is to ensure that e-receipts work properly. With the help of these pilots, we intend to make e-receipts part of everyday life in financial administration, starting with central government and expanding to municipalities and companies.

For the time being, the information on products and suppliers found on receipts is lost to financial administration. The e-receipt may, however, be a solution that would allow for transferring information automatically between the tax authorities and the buyer. E-receipts would also offer consumers the chance to calculate the carbon footprint of their shopping basket.

In order for this to become reality, we need to process receipts and invoices electronically. Information must be structured and contain the right data. This would allow different financial administration systems and data analytics software to utilise it.

The operating models for implementing e-receipts are already there. The biggest challenge in terms of e-receipts is the speed at which vendors and companies are able to adopt them. Automation of receipts, i.e. the implementation of e-receipts (eKuitti), would streamline accounting and help consumers manage their finances as well as enable the comprehensive utilisation of data when calculating the carbon footprint, for example.

By 2025, e-receipts are set to become the shared, compulsory government solution, meaning that anyone dealing with the government must use e-receipts. Investing in electronic services offered by the authorities also creates a basis for innovation in companies and reduces costs to companies.

On a Nordic level, the implementation of electronic receipts is promoted in the Nordic Smart Government project (NSG). In Finland, the NSG project is headed by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) in cooperation with the State Treasury and the Tax Administration. The goal of the NSG project is to automate the flow of financial information between companies in the Nordic countries.

The NSG project is funded by Nordic Innovation, which operates in connection with the Nordic Council of Ministers. Read more about the project on the Finnish Patent and Registration Office website (in Finnish).

eKuitti e-receipts – say goodbye to paper receipts

• E-receipts are digital receipts.
• The government offers e-receipts pilot project will start in October.
• E-receipts will benefit society as a whole, and they are also a climate-friendly option.
• E-receipts save approximately 800 million euros in labour costs for companies per year.
• The eKuitti e-receipts service has potential to be exported: common standards enable marketing throughout Europe.

Read more on the MustRead website:
Eurooppalaisen reaaliaikatalouden luominen on kriittisessä kehitysvaiheessa – eKuitti on nousemassa kehityksen kulmakiveksi (article in Finnish)

Further information:

The State Treasury electronic invoice and e-receipts project:

Payment Transactions Manager Keijo Kettunen
tel. 0295 50 2408, keijo.kettunen[at]valtiokonttori.fi

Senior Finance Administration Specialist Pirjo Ilola
tel. 0295 50 2081, pirjo.ilola[at]valtiokonttori.fi

The Nordic Smart Government project:

The Finnish Patent and Registration Office
Team Manager Franck Mertens
tel. 029 509 5212, franck.mertens[at]prh.fi

Tax Administration (Vero)
Control Manager Sanna Esterinen
sanna.esterinen[at]vero.fi

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