Tally Enters UAE’s E-Invoicing Fast Lane

As the UAE moves closer to introducing nationwide e-invoicing, many small and medium businesses are quietly preparing for what will be a major shift in the way invoices are created and shared. For most SMEs, the concern isn’t just about compliance, but about whether existing systems will need a complete overhaul.

Tally Solutions, a global provider of business management software used by SMEs, has taken an early step in that direction. The company has secured Peppol certification, a requirement under the UAE’s upcoming national e-invoicing mandate. This places Tally among the first few providers, and one of the first major SME-focused platforms in the country, to meet the framework being adopted by the Ministry of Finance.

The UAE has confirmed that its e-invoicing system will be based on the Peppol network, a global framework that allows businesses and governments to exchange electronic invoices in a secure and standardised way. Under the new rules, service providers need Peppol accreditation to operate in the market and connect with tax authorities. With this certification, Tally can now act as both a sender and receiver access point for electronic invoices in the UAE.

Alongside the accreditation, Tally has also passed OpenPeppol’s conformance tests. In practical terms, this means its infrastructure can securely send, receive and validate invoices using international standards such as the Peppol International Invoice format and AS4 messaging protocol. The result is smoother, interoperable invoice exchange, including for cross-border transactions.

For businesses, the real question is how disruptive this change will be. According to Vikas Panchal, General Manager – MENA at Tally Solutions, the idea is to make compliance feel like part of everyday operations rather than a separate task. He said the company’s goal is to help customers follow the mandate without forcing them to rethink the way they already work.

Tally’s approach in the UAE builds on its experience in other markets where digital tax systems have already become standard. In India, the company supported businesses through GST, e-invoicing and e-way bill implementations. It has also worked with Saudi businesses during the ZATCA e-invoicing rollout and supported UAE companies through VAT and Corporate Tax adoption. That background gives the company a practical view of how regulatory change affects SMEs on the ground.

With Peppol certification now in place, Tally is preparing to integrate e-invoicing directly into TallyPrime. Instead of using separate tools, businesses will continue creating invoices the same way they do today. In the background, those invoices will be securely transmitted through a certified Peppol Access Point, checked for compliance, reported to the Federal Tax Authority, and returned with real-time status updates inside the same screen.

The Peppol-enabled e-invoicing feature is still under preparation, with rollout planned ahead of the UAE’s mandate timeline. The aim is to give businesses time to adjust, rather than pushing changes at the last minute.

As the UAE’s digital compliance landscape continues to evolve, SMEs are likely to see more of these behind-the-scenes system upgrades. For many, the focus won’t be on technology itself, but on whether daily business operations can continue without unnecessary disruption — something software providers like Tally are now working to address.