Peppol Invoice for a County Council in Ireland

Do county councils require Peppol invoices?

Local authorities are sub-central public bodies, and have had to be able to receive EN 16931 e-invoices since 18 April 2020 under S.I. 258/2019, which transposes Directive 2014/55/EU. Suppliers are not legally required to send e-invoices to councils, but several councils prefer or require structured or Peppol invoices, so check your contract and purchase order terms. This applies across every council function that buys from the private sector — roads and civil works, waste and recycling contracts, housing repairs and maintenance, parks and leisure services, planning and environmental consultancy, fleet and plant hire, and general facilities and office supplies.

Finding the council's Peppol ID

Each city and county council has its own Peppol ID, so look up the specific council you are invoicing in the Peppol Directory (directory.peppol.eu), or ask your council contact or check the purchase order. For Irish bodies registered with their VAT number, the electronic address scheme is 9935 (Ireland's VAT-based Peppol scheme). PeppolInvoice.ie does not pre-load any council identifier: you enter the buyer's Peppol ID yourself.

What makes council invoices different

Because there are 31 separate legal entities, getting the buyer details right matters:

• Name the specific council clearly — always state which county or city council you are invoicing in the buyer name field, so the invoice reaches the right authority.
• Purchase order or contract reference — most councils issue a PO or tender/contract number through their own procurement system (many via eTenders.gov.ie); include it exactly as issued.
• Department or scheme code — larger councils split budgets by directorate (Roads, Housing, Environment, Community). If your contact gave you a cost centre or scheme code, add it to the buyer reference or line description.
• Correct VAT treatment — construction-related supplies to a council may fall under RCT (Relevant Contracts Tax) reverse charge rather than standard VAT; confirm the treatment with your council contact before invoicing.

How to generate a council-ready Peppol invoice

1. Create a free PeppolInvoice.ie account with your company and VAT details
2. Enter the specific council's name and its own Peppol ID (from the Peppol Directory, your council contact or the purchase order) as the recipient
3. Add the PO or contract reference and any department/scheme code you were given
4. Enter your line items with the correct VAT rate or RCT treatment
5. Download the PDF and the UBL 2.1 XML (built to EN 16931 / Peppol BIS Billing 3.0) instantly, and send via your Peppol Access Point or directly to your council contact if they accept PDF

Invoicing other public bodies

If your work spans more than local government, see our guide to invoicing the Irish government via Peppol for central government, the HSE and Education and Training Boards, or our complete Peppol invoice Ireland guide for the full timeline and how to find a buyer's Peppol ID.