France's electronic invoicing rules for pet sitters: what changes in 2026 and 2027
France is making electronic invoicing mandatory for every business, in two steps: September 1, 2026, then September 1, 2027. It applies to micro-entrepreneur pet sitters too, even those who charge no VAT. If you run a pet sitting business in France, here is what the official texts actually say, in plain words. A fuller version of this guide exists in French.
An electronic invoice is not a PDF sent by email
The most common misunderstanding first: under this reform, an electronic invoice is not a PDF attached to an email. It is a structured, machine-readable file in a defined format (UBL, CII, or a mixed format combining a data file with a human-readable file, the best known being Factur-X). An ordinary PDF invoice, however tidy, does not qualify.
September 1, 2026: receiving
From September 1, 2026, every French business, whatever its size, must be able to receive electronic invoices. Large and intermediate-size companies must also start issuing them. For a solo sitter this first step is mostly passive: your suppliers begin sending you invoices through the new system. Invoices travel through government-certified platforms ("plateformes agréées"; the official list is published on impots.gouv.fr).
September 1, 2027: issuing, and reporting sales to consumers
This is the date that matters for pet sitters. From September 1, 2027, small businesses and micro-enterprises must in turn issue their business-to-business invoices electronically, and transmit their e-reporting data. E-reporting is the part that touches a pet sitting business most: when your clients are private individuals, which is nearly all pet sitting, you do not send each client an electronic invoice, but you must regularly transmit data about those sales to the tax administration through a certified platform. Invoices to a business (a kennel, a company, a breeder) must go through the full electronic circuit.
"I am a micro-entrepreneur with no VAT, so this is not about me": it is
The French tax administration answers this exact question on its official site, "franchise en base, micro-entrepreneur or auto-entrepreneur, am I concerned?", with: "Yes, you are concerned." Even without charging VAT, a micro-entrepreneur is still legally within the VAT system, so the reform applies: receiving from 2026, issuing and e-reporting from 2027.
What to actually do
Nothing dramatic, three things. One: note the two dates. Two: in 2027 you will need to pick a certified platform (banks and accounting tools will offer them; the official list is already online); you do not need to pick one today. Three: if you are choosing an invoicing tool now, it is worth choosing one that already produces the legal format, so you do not redo that work in a year.
Where PetSit fits
PetSit is the private back office for a solo pet sitter: client and pet records, scheduling, and invoices generated from bookings. PetSit's invoice PDFs can be produced in Factur-X format: a normally readable PDF with the structured data file embedded inside it, the mixed format the reform accepts. You fill in your business details once (SIRET, address, and the VAT mention matching your regime) in settings. To be precise about scope: PetSit produces the invoice in the right format; transmission through a certified platform and the 2027 e-reporting happen through the platform you will choose then. One flat price of 12 US dollars per month, after a 30-day free trial with no credit card. The live demo is open to anyone, no signup.
Official sources
The dates and definitions above come from the official pages: economie.gouv.fr on electronic invoicing; impots.gouv.fr, discovering electronic invoicing; impots.gouv.fr on micro-entrepreneurs. Check them directly: the dates have moved before and could move again.
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