How KSeF Helps You Recover Payments Faster

What Is KSeF?

KSeF (Krajowy System e-Faktur, or the National e-Invoice System) is Poland's centralized digital invoicing infrastructure. Every B2B invoice issued in Poland passes through a government-operated system, receives a unique identifier (KSeF number), and is stored by the tax authority.

As of 1 April 2026, KSeF is mandatory for most Polish companies (SMEs, sole traders, anyone with monthly B2B invoice volume above 10,000 PLN gross). Large enterprises (turnover above 200 million PLN in 2024) were required to join from 1 February 2026.

If you are an English-speaking business operating in Poland (whether a foreign subsidiary, an expat entrepreneur, or an international company with Polish clients), KSeF applies to you.

KSeF Mandatory Timeline

Date	Who It Affects	What Becomes Mandatory
1 February 2026	Large enterprises (>200M PLN turnover)	Issuing invoices via KSeF
1 February 2026	All companies	Receiving KSeF invoices from large suppliers
1 April 2026	SMEs, sole traders (>10k PLN/month)	Issuing invoices via KSeF
1 January 2027	Micro-businesses (≤10k PLN/month)	Issuing invoices via KSeF

The Connection Between KSeF and Payment Recovery

At first glance, KSeF looks like a tax compliance system, and it is. But for businesses dealing with late payments, it creates several concrete advantages.

1. Proof of Delivery is Instant and Irrefutable

One of the most common excuses for late payment is "we never received the invoice." With traditional PDF invoicing sent by email, this can be genuinely hard to disprove. Emails get lost in spam folders, to the wrong contact, or are simply deleted.

With KSeF, this excuse disappears. The moment you issue an invoice, it is:

• Logged in the government system with a timestamp
• Assigned a unique KSeF number
• Immediately visible to the recipient in their own KSeF portal

The KSeF receipt timestamp is an official government record. In a dispute (including in court proceedings), it is conclusive proof that the invoice was delivered and when. This eliminates an entire category of payment delay.

2. Precise Due Date Tracking

Because KSeF records the exact issue date, any payment tracking or reminder system that integrates with KSeF can automatically calculate due dates with no manual input. There is no ambiguity about when the invoice was issued, when it was received, or when payment is due.

Terminovo connects directly to KSeF. The moment you issue an invoice, the reminder workflow starts automatically. No manual entry, no missed invoices.

3. Consistent Invoice Format Reduces Payment Disputes

KSeF invoices follow a standardized XML structure (FA(2) schema). This means your client's accounts payable system can process KSeF invoices automatically, without manual data entry by their team. Fewer data entry errors mean fewer disputed invoices and fewer pretextual payment delays.

4. Integration with Payment Automation

Because every invoice has a unique, machine-readable KSeF number, it is straightforward to build automated matching between invoices and incoming payments. When a payment arrives, the system can automatically identify which invoice it covers and update the overdue tracking accordingly.

This means reminders stop the moment payment is received, avoiding the embarrassing situation of chasing a client who already paid.

What KSeF Does NOT Change

It is worth being clear about what KSeF does not do:

• It does not make clients pay faster on its own
• It does not replace the need for systematic follow-up on overdue invoices
• It does not affect your legal rights (statutory interest, 40 EUR compensation). Those exist independently of the invoicing format

KSeF is infrastructure. What you build on top of it - specifically, how you follow up on unpaid invoices - determines whether your payments improve.

Practical Steps for English-Speaking Businesses in Poland

Getting KSeF Access

For a Polish-registered sole trader (JDG), you can access KSeF through your Profil Zaufany (trusted profile) at ksef.podatki.gov.pl, free of charge.

For a limited liability company (sp. z o.o.), you need a qualified electronic seal (pieczęć kwalifikowana) to authenticate the company, typically 300–600 PLN per year from a certified provider.

Foreign companies doing business in Poland should consult a Polish tax advisor, as the access method depends on your registration structure.

Choosing Your KSeF-Integrated Tool

You have three main options:

1. Ministry of Finance free app: basic, manual, suitable for fewer than 10 invoices per month
2. Accounting software with KSeF integration: automated, 30–150 PLN/month
3. Terminovo: KSeF invoicing combined with automated payment reminders, starting from 49 PLN/month

If late payments are a concern for your business (and for most B2B businesses in Poland, they are), the third option is the most cost-effective. You get KSeF compliance and payment follow-up in one tool.

KSeF and the April 2026 Mandate: What You Need to Do Now

If you are an SME or sole trader in Poland and have not yet set up KSeF, the mandatory date is now. For a comprehensive walkthrough of the rollout timeline and what to prepare, see our KSeF April 2026 guide. Here is your immediate checklist:

1. Verify your KSeF access method (Profil Zaufany for individuals, qualified seal for companies)
2. Choose an invoicing tool with KSeF integration — and avoid the common pitfalls covered in our article on 7 KSeF implementation mistakes
3. Test sending and receiving invoices before your first mandatory-period invoice
4. Connect your invoicing to a payment reminder workflow - either manually or via a tool like Terminovo. Once an invoice goes overdue, your payment reminder escalation scenarios take over automatically.

Penalties for non-compliance with KSeF are significant: fines of up to 100% of the tax shown on a non-compliant invoice, capped at 100% of the invoice value.

KSeF as Legal Proof of Delivery

One of KSeF's most practically significant - and least discussed - advantages is its role as legally conclusive proof that an invoice was delivered. In traditional disputes over unpaid invoices, "we never received it" is a common and surprisingly effective delaying tactic. With a PDF sent by email, disproving that claim takes time and rarely succeeds cleanly. With KSeF, the argument simply does not work.

Every invoice submitted to KSeF receives a government-issued timestamp at the moment of acceptance into the system. This is a verifiable official record, downloadable at any time from ksef.podatki.gov.pl. In court proceedings, it functions as documentary evidence of delivery - the debtor's denial carries no weight against a timestamped government record.

The practical upshot: if you include the KSeF reference number and the KSeF acceptance timestamp in your payment demand letter, you have already pre-empted the most common non-payment excuse. Your demand becomes harder to contest and faster to act on.

KSeF Timestamps and Interest Calculation

Under Polish law, statutory interest for late payment in commercial transactions accrues from the day after the payment due date - and that due date runs from the date of invoice delivery (Art. 7(1) of the Act of 8 March 2013 on Counteracting Excessive Delays in Commercial Transactions). Before KSeF, "when was the invoice delivered?" was often disputed. With KSeF, there is no ambiguity: the official delivery date is the KSeF acceptance timestamp.

This precision matters. If a debtor claims your invoice was delivered three days later than your records show, that three-day gap can affect how much statutory interest (currently 15.75% per year) you are entitled to claim. With a KSeF timestamp, you have an irrefutable reference point that anchors the entire interest calculation.

The same timestamp determines when the fixed compensation entitlement (40/70/100 EUR under Article 10 of the Act) begins to accrue. There is no ambiguity, no negotiating over dates.

Using KSeF Data in a Payment Demand: A Practical Example

Here is what a KSeF-anchored payment demand looks like in practice. Suppose you issued an invoice for 15,000 PLN with 30-day payment terms. The invoice was accepted by KSeF on 3 March 2026 at 09:14 - that timestamp is your delivery record. Payment was due on 2 April 2026. The client has not paid.

Your formal demand letter can now reference verified, government-recorded data:

• KSeF reference number: [number from the system] - official proof the invoice exists and was issued
• KSeF acceptance date and time: 3 March 2026, 09:14 - official proof of delivery
• Payment due date: 2 April 2026 - calculated from the KSeF acceptance date per the agreed payment terms
• Accrued statutory interest (Art. 7(1) of the Act of 8 March 2013) - at 15.75% per year, from 3 April 2026 to the date of payment
• Fixed recovery compensation: 70 EUR equivalent (for invoices between 5,000 and 50,000 PLN) - under Article 10 of the same Act

This is a complete, court-ready demand. There is nothing the debtor can claim was missing or unclear. Terminovo generates demand letters in this format automatically by pulling KSeF reference numbers, acceptance timestamps, and invoice amounts directly from the system - no manual data entry required. You can also prepare a demand manually using the payment reminder generator.

Summary

KSeF changes the invoicing landscape in Poland permanently. For businesses that use it strategically - not just as a compliance checkbox, but as the foundation of an automated payment recovery workflow - it is a genuine improvement. Instant proof of delivery, precise due date tracking, and reduced invoice disputes all contribute to getting paid faster. The businesses that combine KSeF compliance with systematic reminder automation will have a material advantage over those that treat it as paperwork.

Combine KSeF Compliance with Payment Automation

Terminovo connects directly to KSeF — the moment you issue an invoice, your reminder sequence starts automatically, built on the government-verified delivery timestamp. See pricing or learn how it works.