Hva er EHF?
EHF stands for Elektronisk Handelsformat — the Norwegian standard for electronic business documents. An EHF invoice is a structured XML file that is sent electronically from the seller's system to the buyer's system, where it is processed automatically without manual data entry.
EHF is based on the European PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) standard, which means EHF invoices can be sent to and received by organisations across Europe that are connected to the PEPPOL network.
Hvem krever EHF-fakturaer?
All Norwegian public sector organisations — municipalities, government agencies, hospitals, schools, and state-owned enterprises — are required to accept electronic invoices and strongly prefer EHF. Many will not accept PDF invoices at all.
An increasing number of large private companies also require EHF. This is driven by the efficiency gains of automated invoice processing — no manual data entry, fewer errors, and faster payment cycles.
If you freelance for a municipality, a government agency, or a large corporation, you will almost certainly need to send EHF invoices. Before starting work with a new client, ask whether they require EHF.
Slik fungerer EHF-fakturering
EHF invoices are transmitted through access points on the PEPPOL network. The process works like this:
- You create an invoice in your invoicing system
- The system converts the invoice to EHF format (a structured XML file)
- The invoice is sent through a PEPPOL access point to the recipient's access point
- The recipient's system receives and processes the invoice automatically
The recipient is identified by their PEPPOL participant ID, which is typically their Norwegian organisation number. You can look up whether an organisation is registered on the PEPPOL network through the ELMA registry (Elektronisk mottakeradresseregister).
Utfordringer for frilansere
Sending EHF invoices requires access to a PEPPOL access point, which typically means using invoicing software that supports EHF. Free or basic invoicing tools often do not include EHF support, and connecting to the PEPPOL network independently is not practical for individual freelancers.
This is a common barrier for freelancers who take on public sector work. Without EHF capability, you cannot invoice many of the largest potential clients in Norway.
EHF-fakturering med Payout Partner
Payout Partner supports EHF invoicing out of the box. When you create an invoice on the platform, you can send it as EHF if the recipient supports it. The platform handles the XML formatting, PEPPOL routing, and delivery — you just fill in the invoice details as usual.
This applies to both salary service users and company invoicing users. Whether you invoice through Payout Partner as a private person or from your own company, you have full EHF capability without any additional setup or cost.
The platform automatically checks whether the recipient is registered in the PEPPOL/ELMA registry and routes the invoice accordingly. If the recipient does not support EHF, the invoice is sent as a PDF via email instead.