Invoices and documents

Invoice counter value (ICV)

The invoice counter value (ICV) is a running number that each Phase 2 e-invoice carries to show its place in the sequence of invoices your system has issued. It rises with every invoice, so a gap or a repeat stands out.

What it means

Think of the ICV as the system's own tally. The first invoice takes one number, the next takes the number after it, and so on without jumps. If the count stopped at 150, the next invoice is 151; if 153 turns up after it, that is worth asking about. It is kept apart from the invoice number printed for your customer, and it is stored with the invoice data rather than displayed in large type.

Why should an owner care? Because an unbroken count is a sign that nothing has been removed. If a cafe till issues a few hundred invoices in a day, a missing number would point to a missing invoice. Combined with the hash of the previous invoice, the counter makes it hard to change your invoice history quietly. Any member of staff can make this check with a glance at the list.

You do not manage the counter by hand. The invoicing software raises it with each invoice, including credit notes and debit notes, which are e-invoices too. If you run several tills or branches, ask your provider how the counting is arranged across them, and test it in the simulation environment first. It takes no more than one question to your provider.

In practice

Never edit, reset or reuse a counter number; let the software assign it.
Investigate any missing number in your invoice list as soon as you spot it.
Ask how counting works across several tills or branches before you go live.
Run sample invoices in the simulation environment and review their sequence.

Questions about Invoice counter value (ICV)

What does ICV mean on an e-invoice?

ICV is short for invoice counter value, the sequence number that Phase 2 e-invoices carry. It counts the invoices your system issues, one after another, and nobody enters it by hand. It travels with the UUID and the previous invoice hash, and its job is to keep the order of your invoices clear.

Do credit notes and debit notes use the counter as well?

They are e-invoices, so expect them to carry the same technical elements as sales invoices, including a counter value. Ask your provider to show you where the counter appears for each type of document in your own setup, rather than assuming it works the way another business does.

Previous invoice hash (PIH)Invoice UUID UBL XML E-invoicing Phase 2 (integration phase)

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