Your questions,
our answers
Your questions, our answers
General & Getting Started
What is billbox?
billbox is a cloud-based B2B platform for digital accounts payable and accounts receivable management. Since 2008, billbox has helped companies worldwide digitise their entire invoicing process from capture to payment. According to APQC benchmarks, automated AP processing reduces cycle times by up to 70% and processing costs by up to 60%. billbox is software-independent and integrates with any ERP or accounting system via API.
Who is billbox designed for?
billbox is built for CFOs, controllers and finance teams in mid-market companies, scale-ups and international corporations. Organisations with multiple locations, complex approval structures or high document volumes benefit the most. The platform is available from approximately 75 incoming invoices per month, globally scalable and active in DE, AT, CH, CZ and BR.
What is "Service as a Software" at billbox?
billbox is not a self-service tool. Every customer receives personal account management, individual onboarding including supplier migration, training and direct support. Issues are resolved in real time by a dedicated human team — not through ticket queues. According to Gartner (2024), vendors only have 17% of total buying time in direct contact with decision-makers. billbox uses that time for genuine partnership on equal footing.
Is there a billbox app?
Yes, billbox offers apps for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play Store) for mobile access to invoice processes — whether in the office, on the go or across multiple locations. There is also the billbox Wallet app specifically for mobile expense capture by employees.
Invoice Receipt & Submission
How do invoices get into billbox?
Invoices can be submitted in three ways: by email as a PDF to your personal billbox address (e.g. company@billbox.com), by post to the central billbox receiving address, or as a structured e-invoice (ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Faktur-X, XML). Each invoice must be a single PDF and contain the six-digit billbox ID. XML documents are processed almost fully automatically and significantly reduce manual effort.
What is the billbox ID?
The billbox ID is a six-digit identifier per Client Business Unit (CBU). It must appear on every invoice in the letterhead so that documents are automatically assigned to the correct organisational unit. Without a correct billbox ID, automatic assignment is not possible, leading to delays and higher processing costs.
How does billbox support supplier onboarding?
billbox actively manages supplier onboarding: all suppliers are notified by mailing about the new invoice address and method. Our support team handles special cases and misdirected documents. Physical receiving addresses are available in all countries where billbox is active. Goal: a fast, seamless transition without disrupting your payment processes.
Invoice Processing & Workflow
How does the invoice workflow work in billbox?
billbox uses a four-step workflow: 1) Check 1 — factual review with automatic mathematical and fiscal validation. 2) Coding — assignment to cost centres, GL accounts and projects with configurable mandatory fields. 3) Payment approval — role-based final sign-off. 4) Payment — execution via structured payment runs. Every step is audit-proof and visualised with colour-coded status indicators.
What is Check 1 in billbox?
Check 1 is the factual review of an incoming invoice — the first step in the digital workflow. billbox automatically performs mathematical and fiscal validation (amounts, totals, tax rates, IBAN validation). The professional responsibility for delivery note matching remains with the customer. A delayed Check 1 directly impacts payment deadlines and early payment discount utilisation.
What does coding mean in billbox?
Coding is the assignment of an invoice to cost centres, GL accounts or projects — prepared for export to your accounting software. Mandatory fields, validation rules and cost centre visibility can be configured individually per business unit. Invalid combinations are caught directly in the system — reducing queries and accelerating month-end close.
Payments & Integrations
How does payment approval work?
Payment approval is the final checkpoint before the payment run. Only fully reviewed and coded invoices appear there. Authorised users can approve documents individually or in batches. Incorrect approvals can be reversed with a single click. Payments are executed via structured payment runs with partial payment options. Access is strictly role-based.
Which ERP and accounting systems does billbox support?
billbox offers interfaces to DATEV, SAP Business One, Oracle, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics 365, BMD, Xero, Abacus, Mirus, Filosof (Scopevisio) and Wolters Kluwer Addison. Data export is available manually (CSV/XML) or automated via API — e.g. via the DATEV Buchungsdatenservice or SFTP. ERP integrations are typically set up within approximately two weeks.
What roles and permissions are available?
billbox uses role-based access management with three levels: read access (view documents), editing rights (coding, payment approval) and admin rights (manage users, change settings). Each user has an individual login under the Named User Policy. Only administrators can change roles. All changes are logged system-wide.
Security & Compliance
How secure is my data with billbox?
billbox hosts all data in the EU and Switzerland in ISO 27001-certified data centres. Transmission is encrypted with TLS and AES-256. The system is GDPR-compliant and uses two-factor authentication (2FA), Named User Policy (no shared accounts), role-based access management and complete access logging. All processes are audit-proof — traceable even after years.
What does audit-proof mean at billbox?
Audit-proof means: all invoices are fully captured, stored immutably and every processing step (review, approval, export) is logged. Changes are only possible within defined process steps. After export to accounting, no automatic changes can be made via the interface. This ensures billbox meets the requirements of both internal and external audits.
E-Invoicing & Compliance
What is an e-invoice and does billbox support it?
An e-invoice is an invoice in structured XML format (ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Faktur-X) that can be processed by machines. Since January 2025, companies in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices. From 2027, sending will become mandatory for companies with over €800,000 in revenue, and from 2028 for all. Belgium, France and Poland are also introducing new mandates in 2026. billbox supports all common formats and offers bbXML as a free conversion tool.
What is bbXML?
bbXML is a free tool by billbox at bbxml.ai for converting PDF invoices into compliant e-invoice formats. Upload your PDF, choose a target format (ZUGFeRD, XRechnung or custom XML), automatically validate the data and export the finished XML file. This allows companies to meet e-invoicing requirements without additional software costs.
billbox Wallet & LEAF
What is the billbox Wallet?
The billbox Wallet is a mobile app (iOS and Android) for expense capture. Employees photograph receipts on the go; AI automatically analyses the amount, date and category. The data flows seamlessly into billbox — no duplicate entries. Different tax rates and categories (meals, travel, accommodation) are supported. Reimbursement is processed once the receipt has been reviewed in billbox.
What is billbox LEAF?
billbox LEAF is an add-on module for real-time tracking of company-wide CO₂ emissions. LEAF categorises emissions by supplier, product and scope (1–3) based on an AI-powered database (UN Industry Classification). The dashboard provides the data foundation for sustainability and ESG reports and supports preparation for CSRD reporting obligations.
Contact & Support
How can I contact billbox?
You can reach billbox by phone (+41 44 250 6070), email (welcome@billbox.com) or directly via support (support@billbox.com). billbox AG is located at Limmatquai 58, CH-8001 Zurich. For technical help and step-by-step guides, the Help Centre is available at help.billbox.com.
