Business Central now supports self-billed invoices, letting buyers generate invoices on behalf of their suppliers — and end the wait for paperwork that holds up payments.

Here is a frustration that quietly costs businesses money: you have received the goods or the service, you know exactly what you owe, but you cannot close the books because the supplier has not sent their invoice. Maybe it is late, maybe it is wrong, maybe it never arrives in the format your finance team needs. So the payment waits, the supplier relationship strains, and your month-end drags.

There is a well-established answer to this, used widely in industries like agriculture, recycling, logistics, and commodities: self-billing. Under a mutual agreement, the buyer raises the invoice on the supplier's behalf. With the 2026 Wave 1 release, Business Central now offers full, built-in support for self-billed invoices in the purchase process — no add-on required.

What the Feature Does

Self-billing lets the buyer generate invoices on behalf of a vendor when a self-billing agreement is in place. Business Central makes this a first-class part of the purchase process:

•      Enabled per vendor. A new field on the Vendor Card page switches on the self-billing agreement. Once set, every purchase invoice created for that vendor — whether from a purchase order or directly — is automatically marked as self-billed.

•      Correct document sequencing. Vendors can be assigned a dedicated number series for self-billed invoices, keeping your document numbering clean and compliant.

•      A proper invoice layout. A new report layout — Posted Purchase Invoice – Self-Billing Invoice — formats the document in the style of a sales invoice, showing your company information, the vendor's details, VAT information, and all essential invoice data.

•      Built-in conflict prevention. To avoid duplicate or contradictory paperwork, vendors with a self-billing agreement cannot receive inbound e-documents for accounts payable — so you never end up with a buyer-issued and a supplier-issued invoice fighting each other.

Why This Matters

Self-billing is not just a convenience — it changes the dynamics of the purchase-to-pay process:

•      No more waiting on suppliers. You generate the invoice the moment you know what is owed, eliminating delays caused by missing or inconsistent supplier-issued invoices.

•      Greater accuracy. Because the invoice is built from your own purchase data, it reflects exactly what was received and agreed — fewer disputes, fewer corrections.

•      Faster, smoother payments. A self-billed invoice posts straight into your payables flow, accelerating processing and helping you pay suppliers on time — which strengthens those relationships.

•      Clean, compliant records. Automated layouts, posting rules, and vendor configuration keep both compliance and internal controls in order, with tidy financial records.

Before and After: An Agri-Processor in the Free State

Before: A grain processor buys from hundreds of small farmers, many of whom do not issue formal invoices in a consistent format — or at all. The finance team chases paperwork, manually reconstructs what is owed, and routinely pays late simply because the documentation is not in order. Supplier goodwill suffers, and month-end is a scramble.

After: Each farmer is flagged for self-billing on their vendor card. When grain is received, Business Central generates a properly formatted self-billed invoice automatically, with the right numbering and VAT detail. Payments go out promptly and accurately, the farmers are paid on time, and the finance team closes the period without the paperwork chase.

Why Resellers Should Take Note

For CSP resellers and partners, self-billing opens a focused conversation with a recognisable set of customers — those who buy from many small or informal suppliers, or who operate in sectors where buyer-led invoicing is the norm. Many of them have been managing self-billing through spreadsheets, manual workarounds, or third-party add-ons. Helping them configure native self-billed invoicing — vendor setup, number series, the invoice layout, and the local compliance considerations — is exactly the kind of targeted, high-value consulting that wins trust. It also pairs neatly with the broader 2026 finance investments, from withholding tax to excise duties, that 4Sight has been tracking.

The throughline of 2026 Wave 1 is unmistakable: Microsoft keeps folding specialist finance and procurement processes — once the preserve of add-ons or manual effort — into standard Business Central. For African businesses with complex supplier landscapes, that means the core product increasingly handles real-world purchasing reality out of the box.

Let's Talk

If your business buys from suppliers who are slow or inconsistent with invoices — or you operate in a sector where self-billing is standard — this new capability can take real friction out of your purchase-to-pay process. 4Sight's Dynamics Africa Services team can configure self-billed invoicing for your vendors and make sure it aligns with your local compliance requirements.