The US e-invoice exchange framework is a voluntary four-corner network for business invoices. The Business Payments Coalition piloted it with the Federal Reserve, and in 2023 the pilot participants set up DBNAlliance to run it. Invoices are UBL, checked against DBNAlliance rules, and travel between access points over AS4, as on Peppol. It is not a tax mandate. Klarbon support is planned, not available yet.
What is in the exchange framework?
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Document format | UBL, validated as UBL 2.3 |
| Network | four corners: supplier, two access points, buyer |
| Transport | AS4, with SML and SMP lookups |
| Governed by | DBNAlliance, set up in 2023 |
| Origin | Business Payments Coalition pilot with the Federal Reserve |
| Status | voluntary, no tax clearance |
The Federal Reserve describes the coalition, the pilot and the founding of DBNAlliance (FedPayments Improvement). DBNAlliance describes the four corners, the UBL validation and the transport components (network, validation, identifiers).
DBNAlliance or Peppol?
| DBNAlliance | Peppol BIS Billing | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | United States | Europe and other regions |
| Syntax | UBL 2.3 | UBL 2.1 |
| Data model | DBNAlliance rules | EN 16931 |
| Transport | AS4, SML, SMP | AS4, SML, SMP |
The networks are built the same way but are separate, so a Peppol invoice is not automatically valid on DBNAlliance.
What does Klarbon do with DBNAlliance invoices?
Opening and checking it is planned, not available yet. Klarbon is not an access point and does not send invoices on either network. Klarbon opens UBL 2.1 invoices; see the invoice viewer.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is the BPC e-invoice?
An electronic invoice exchanged over the US e-invoice exchange framework. The Business Payments Coalition, a volunteer group working with the Federal Reserve, piloted the framework, and in 2023 the pilot participants set up DBNAlliance to run it.
Which format does DBNAlliance use?
UBL. DBNAlliance's validation tool checks files in UBL 2.3 against the DBNAlliance rules. Documents travel between access points over AS4, found through SML and SMP lookups, as on Peppol.
Is e-invoicing mandatory in the United States?
The DBNAlliance exchange framework is voluntary, not a tax-clearance service. Its specification does not determine every public-body invoicing requirement.
How does a supplier join?
Through a certified service provider that acts as its access point. The supplier connects once and can then reach any buyer whose service provider is on the framework.
Sources
- Federal Reserve FedPayments Improvement, electronic invoices fedpaymentsimprovement.org
- DBNAlliance, open exchange network dbnalliance.org
- DBNAlliance, XML validation tool dbnalliance.org
- DBNAlliance, policy for use of identifiers dbnalliance.org
- OpenPeppol, Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 docs.peppol.eu