Invoice lifecycle

Within the 5-corner model introduced by French regulations, the transmission of an invoice does not end with its delivery; it requires all participating actors to keep the processing status of the document constantly updated. This tracking flow relies on the real-time exchange of structured XML messages using a specific format called CDAR (Cross Domain Acknowledgement and Response), transmitted via the Peppol network. The regulations divide lifecycle statuses into two main categories: mandatory (which must strictly be transmitted to the public portal, PPF) and optional (designed to improve automation and business communication between parties).

Mandatory statuses

These statuses constitute the minimum tracking core required by the French tax authority to monitor the legal and fiscal progress of the document. They must be supported and transmitted to the PPF:

• Submitted (200): Identifies the initial correct issuance and submission of the invoice by the supplier.

• Rejected (213): A purely automated, technical rejection status generated by the platforms (PAs) if the document fails functional validation or schema controls.

• Refused (210): A commercial refusal status, triggered by an explicit action from the customer or their system (e.g., in case of a total dispute of the document).

• Payment received (212): This status becomes strictly mandatory only if the company operates under a regime where VAT is due on payments (TVA sur les encaissements), as the tax authority requires exact visibility into when the VAT becomes due.

Technical note: Any lifecycle status update submitted by the platforms to the PPF can be rejected by the public central portal, which will respond by returning an error status marked with code 601.

Optional statuses

All other intermediate statuses within the document workflow are voluntary under French law, although their adoption is highly recommended to prevent commercial discrepancies. These include:

• Processing and Approval Statuses: Such as In hand (204) to indicate the document is being processed, Approved (205) for final approval, or Partially approved (206).

• Dispute Management Statuses: Such as In dispute (207) or Suspended (208), which are essential for signaling an administrative hold without necessarily issuing a definitive refusal.

• Closing and Payment Progress Statuses: Such as Payment sent (211) and Completed (209).

Interoperability Warning in the 4-Corner Model: Since optional statuses are not legally enforced, their successful exchange between the supplier and the final buyer requires that all four corners of the transmission chain (Supplier $\rightarrow$ Sending PA $\rightarrow$ Receiving PA $\rightarrow$ Buyer) actively support that specific status code. If even one platform in the chain does not handle an optional status, the notification cannot be delivered to the counterparty (for example, a customer might set an invoice to In dispute, but the supplier may never receive this status if the transmission chain is not fully aligned).

Send Status Change

French regulations enforce a strict traceability framework for electronic invoices through various lifecycle statuses. A-Cube maps the complete set of statuses required by French law.

• Receiving Inbound Statuses (Passive): A-Cube notifies the partner via Webhook regarding any status updates originating from the recipient or the central system (e.g., Déposée, Rejetée, Encaissée).
• Sending Mandatory Statuses (Active): The partner has the obligation (or the option, depending on the context) to send status updates related to the documents received or managed (for instance, the acceptance or refusal of the goods/invoice).

POST /invoices/:uuid/lifecycle

{
  invoiceStatus:201
}

Statuses list

Object	Code	Label	Character	Definition
Invoice	200	Submitted (Déposée)	Mandatory	The supplier's invoice is transmitted to their sending accredited platform (PA^E), which certifies that the invoice is controlled and compliant.
Invoice	201	Sent by the platform (Emise par la plateforme)	Optional	The sending accredited platform (PA^E) reports having transmitted the invoice to the recipient's receiving accredited platform (PA^R).
Invoice	202	Received by the platform (Reçue par la plateforme)	Optional	The receiving accredited platform (PA^R) reports having received the invoice from the sending accredited platform (PA^E).
Invoice	203	Made available (Mise à disposition)	Optional	The receiving accredited platform (PA^R) reports having made the invoice available to its recipient.
Invoice	204	In hand (Prise en charge)	Optional	The recipient acknowledges receipt of the invoice.
Invoice	205	Approved (Approuvée)	Optional	The recipient accepts the invoice in its entirety.
Invoice	206	Partially approved (Approuvée partiellement)	Optional	The recipient accepts only part of the invoice.
Invoice	207	In dispute (En litige)	Optional	The recipient disagrees with all or part of the invoice.
Invoice	208	Suspended (Suspendue)	Optional	The recipient wishes to obtain additional supporting documents and suspends the processing of the invoice until they are received.
Invoice	209	Completed (Complétée)	Optional	The supplier provides the supporting documents expected by the invoice recipient.
Invoice	210	Refused (Refusée)	Mandatory	The recipient refuses the invoice in its entirety.
Invoice	211	Payment sent (Paiement transmis)	Optional	The recipient reports having made the payment for the invoice, or the supplier reports having issued a refund for the invoice.
Invoice	212	Payment received (Encaissée)	Mandatory	According to the conditions defined by article 290 A of the CGI, the supplier reports having received a partial or total payment for the invoice.
Invoice	213	Rejected (Rejetée)	Mandatory	One of the functional controls carried out by the sending accredited platform (PA^E) or receiving accredited platform (PA^R) has detected an anomaly on the invoice.