Invoicing software in Singapore meets the GST InvoiceNow Requirement when it holds your Peppol ID and has IRAS submission switched on. Xero Starter costs S$42 a month with GST included (5 November 2026). IRAS starts existing GST-registered businesses from 1 April 2028, by annual supplies (e-Tax guide, 9 March 2026). Zoho Invoice describes itself as free, and QuickBooks awaits full IMDA accreditation.
Accurate as of 5 November 2026. Every figure, date and rule on this page was checked against its source on that date, and the page is rechecked monthly.
IRAS takes invoice data from your tool, and a Peppol ID is only the first step
Your invoicing tool meets the requirement when it is InvoiceNow-Ready, holds your Peppol ID and has the GST InvoiceNow Submission feature switched on.
All new voluntary GST registrants are covered from 1 April 2026. New compulsory registrants, and existing registrants with annual supplies of S$200,000 or less, start on 1 April 2028. Existing registrants with up to S$1,000,000 start on 1 April 2029, up to S$4,000,000 on 1 April 2030, and above S$4,000,000 on 1 April 2031. The Accounting software guide holds the full phase table and a worked example for short accounting periods.
This guide covers four products whose vendors publish Singapore pages that were readable on 5 November 2026: Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho Books and Zoho Invoice. FreshBooks, Financio and Invoice Crowd sit outside it because no vendor page for them was read.
Do you send a Peppol invoice to every customer?
No, you send a standard invoice to customers who are not on Peppol, and your solution extracts that invoice's data for IRAS.
IRAS describes two paths into its system. Peppol invoices are transmitted automatically, and other invoices go as solution-extracted submissions. Both Xero and Zoho Books state that a Peppol e-invoice needs a recipient who is also on the network.
Source: Zoho Books, November 2026
What does IRAS do with an invoice you issue at a till?
IRAS accepts point-of-sale, simplified tax invoice and petty cash transactions as aggregated submissions, and no other transaction type.
Every other in-scope invoice or credit note goes one by one. If one line on an invoice is in scope, the entire invoice or credit note is transmitted. Deemed supplies, reverse charge transactions and exempt financial services stay out.
Four routes cover most small invoicing needs, and each leaves one point to confirm
Pick the route that matches what you invoice with today, then confirm the one point the vendor page leaves open.
| Situation | Route | Stated on the vendor or IMDA page | Confirm before you commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro business with no finance or accounting software | Free InvoiceNow solution | IMDA and IRAS list free solutions with basic InvoiceNow features | Which solution, and whether it enables GST InvoiceNow Submission |
| GST-registered, invoices only | Zoho Invoice | Described as free; connects to Peppol through Storecove; e-invoicing needs taxes enabled | Whether invoice data reaches IRAS, which the page does not state |
| Invoices plus bookkeeping, Xero | Xero Starter, Standard or Premium at S$42, S$77 or S$99 a month, GST included | E-invoicing included in all three plans, registration free, sending limited to Singapore recipients | Whether GST InvoiceNow Submission is live on your plan |
| Invoices plus GST return tools, Zoho | Zoho Books, free to S$373 a month before local taxes | Sends and receives through a Peppol-accredited access point provider; GST F5 module | Whether the access point connects to IRAS |
| Invoices plus bookkeeping, QuickBooks | Simple Start, Essentials or Plus | Native InvoiceNow experience built with Fonoa, pending full IMDA accreditation | When direct reporting to IRAS starts |
Five invoicing routes for Singapore businesses, with what each vendor or IMDA page states and what stays open, checked 5 November 2026.
Source: Zoho Invoice, November 2026
Source: Zoho Invoice, November 2026
Source: QuickBooks, November 2026
The Zoho Invoice page shows a banner for the United States site, so check the Singapore edition of the plan before you rely on the free label.
Which route fits a business with S$150,000 of annual supplies?
A business with S$150,000 of annual supplies starts on 1 April 2028, 513 days after 5 November 2026, so a free or low-cost route leaves time to register and test.
S$150,000 is below the S$200,000 line, so the 1 April 2028 phase applies. A free solution from the IMDA and IRAS list costs nothing. Zoho Invoice is described as free, and Xero Starter costs 12 × S$42 = S$504 a year with GST included. Whichever you pick, finish the seven-point check below before 1 April 2028.
When does Xero Starter's invoice limit force an upgrade?
Xero Starter lists 20 invoices and Standard lists invoices as included, so the step up costs S$35 a month, or S$420 a year at list price.
The arithmetic: S$77 − S$42 = S$35 a month, and 12 × S$77 = S$924 against 12 × S$42 = S$504, a gap of S$420. With the three-month offer for new Singapore customers, the first year costs S$739.20 on Standard against S$403.20 on Starter, a gap of S$336. Xero's footnote states that the Starter limit applies to both approving and sending invoices, and the page does not say whether the limit resets monthly. Xero reserves the right to change or cancel the offer.
Each tool shows a different sign that an e-invoice reached its destination
Zoho Books gives three statuses, Xero returns received e-invoices as draft bills, and QuickBooks offers a status view, so check the sign your tool gives before you rely on it.
| Tool | Check before sending | What the tool shows | Failure cause stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Books | Use Validate Customer ID to confirm the customer is on Peppol | Yet to be Pushed, Pushed or Failed | A failed invoice usually means the customer's UEN is not registered on Peppol |
| Zoho Invoice | Recipient holds a Peppol ID; taxes are enabled; approval is complete where approval is switched on | Push through Send to Customer, then Send | Not stated |
| Xero | Enter the customer's Peppol ID; both sides use Peppol-connected software | Received e-invoices arrive as draft bills for approval | Not stated |
| QuickBooks | Complete the setup steps, including the sales tax information | An e-invoice status view on the invoice dashboard | Not stated |
E-invoice checks and status signals on four vendors' own help pages, checked 5 November 2026.
Source: Zoho Books, November 2026
Source: Zoho Invoice, November 2026
Source: QuickBooks, November 2026
A seven-point check gets you ready to send your first InvoiceNow invoice
Work through seven checks in order, and finish the Peppol registration before you test the IRAS submission.
| Order | Check | Where it happens | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find your start date from annual supplies | Box 4 of your GST return, accounting periods ending in 2025 | IRAS e-Tax guide |
| 2 | Confirm the product is on IMDA's accredited list | go.gov.sg/invoicenowirsp | IMDA and IRAS brochure |
| 3 | Register your UEN to get a Peppol ID | Provider app, with a CorpPass authorisation | Xero and Zoho Books pages |
| 4 | Wait for the Peppol ID to activate | 24 to 48 hours stated by Zoho Books | Zoho Books help |
| 5 | Validate each customer's Peppol ID | Customer record in the tool | Zoho Books and Xero pages |
| 6 | Switch on GST InvoiceNow Submission and test it | Your solution settings | IRAS e-Tax guide |
| 7 | Store structured invoice data for at least 5 years | Machine-readable formats such as XML | IRAS e-Tax guide |
Ordered pre-send checklist for an InvoiceNow invoice, built from IRAS, IMDA and vendor pages checked 5 November 2026.
Source: Zoho Books, November 2026
If you track leads and clients before they reach the invoice, the CRM software guide covers that stage.
General guidance as of 5 November 2026, not legal advice.