Additional process considerations
Explore key considerations for using Sovos eArchive as a central archive, focusing on managing e-invoice copies and distinguishing between supplier and buyer archives.
When using Sovos eArchive as a central archive, consider the following:
Guidelines for Managing Copies of e-Invoices
When storage is outsourced to a central archive such as Sovos eArchive, your system will need to identify copies of e-invoices.
Make an unsigned copy of the e-invoice available for download. The unsigned invoice data can be parsed from the signed e-invoice, or the unsigned invoice data can be archived along with the signed e-invoice.
If it's not possible to provide an unsigned copy for download, or the supplier and/or buyer needs to retrieve the original signed e-invoice for audit purposes during a tax inspection, the signed e-invoice can be downloaded from Sovos eArchive. Before the download starts, the supplier/buyer will be notified by Sovos eArchive that a copy of the original invoice is about to be downloaded and that it should be treated as such.
Separation of Supplier and Buyer Archives
Both the supplier and the buyer need to store their original invoice in compliance with applicable laws. If you archive invoices for both the supplier and the buyer, you must create two User Organizations with enabled storage companies: one for the supplier and another for the buyer.
If an invoice has been signed on behalf of the supplier, this signed invoice should be archived for them by setting the Archiving.StoreFor node to "supplier", while omitting the Archiving.StoreFor node set to "buyer" in the SBDH.
If the signed invoice has been validated on behalf of the buyer, this signed and validated invoice should be archived for the buyer by setting the Archiving.StoreFor node to "buyer". If, as Sovos recommends, the supplier's invoice is archived separately, the SBDH should NOT contain the supplier's Archiving.StoreFor information. However, if the buyer's signed and validated invoice is also going to be archived for the supplier, the SBDH should contain the Archiving.StoreFor supplier scope information.