- Feature
- Vendor-specific numbering for self-billing invoices
- Availability
- Preview from October 2026; Microsoft's roadmap lists general availability for January 2027
- Industry focus
- Scrap metal and recycling
In the scrap metal and recycling trade, the buyer usually raises the invoice. A yard weighs and grades the material, then issues a self-billed invoice to the supplier, whether that's a demolition contractor, a manufacturer selling offcuts or a small trader. Self-billing agreements often come with rules about invoice numbering. Business Central 29.0 makes those rules much easier to follow.
The industry challenge
A metal recycler might self-bill hundreds of suppliers each month. Each agreement may require:
- A unique invoice number sequence for that supplier
- Numbering that the supplier can use in its own accounting
- No gaps or duplicates within a supplier's sequence
Business Central 28.0 introduced full self-billing support in purchasing. Buyers can mark vendors as having a self-billing agreement, and their purchase invoices are marked as self-billed and printed in a dedicated layout. But numbering per supplier still needed care. Without a vendor-specific sequence, invoices for different suppliers share one series, which doesn't meet some agreements and confuses suppliers.
What Microsoft delivered in Business Central 29.0
According to Microsoft, users can now define and assign dedicated number series for self-billed purchase invoices on a per-vendor basis. Key capabilities include:
- Setting up a unique number series for each vendor in a self-billing arrangement
- Applying the vendor-specific series automatically when creating self-billed invoices
- Keeping separate numbering sequences for different suppliers
- Improving compliance with vendor agreements and local requirements
- Reducing manual intervention and numbering errors
An MVP walk-through shows that this is controlled by a new Self-Billing Invoice Nos. field on the vendor card. You can only set it when the vendor has a self-billing agreement, and you can't remove the agreement while the field has a value.
Microsoft's roadmap shows the feature in preview from October 2026, with general availability planned for January 2027.
Where the value shows up
| Business area | Impact for a metal recycler |
|---|---|
| Agreement compliance | Each supplier gets its own invoice numbering sequence |
| Supplier relationships | Suppliers receive clear, consistent invoice references |
| Accounts payable | Fewer queries and corrections over invoice numbers |
| Tax compliance | Self-billed invoices meet numbering requirements more easily |
| Efficiency | Numbering applied automatically, with no manual overrides |
For recyclers, supplier trust is commercial. A supplier who's confused by invoice numbers may take material to a competitor down the road.
A worked scenario
Consider a metal recycling business with three yards and 400 regular suppliers on self-billing agreements (an illustrative example). One large demolition contractor's agreement requires a dedicated invoice sequence it can match to its own records.
Before, the accounts team kept a manual log for that contractor and overrode invoice numbers by hand. With Business Central 29.0, the team sets a dedicated self-billing number series on the contractor's vendor card. Every self-billed invoice for that contractor now uses its own sequence automatically. The team then rolls the same approach out to other suppliers whose agreements require it.
Adoption considerations
- Review your agreements. Identify which suppliers need their own numbering.
- Design number formats. Use a clear prefix for each supplier so invoices are easy to recognize.
- Plan for preview. Test in a sandbox now and plan production use for general availability.
- Check local rules. Confirm self-billing and numbering requirements with your tax adviser.
- Communicate with suppliers. Let suppliers know about any change in invoice references.
The bottom line
In recycling, self-billing is the norm, and getting it right keeps both tax authorities and suppliers happy. Vendor-specific numbering for self-billed invoices in Business Central 29.0 makes it simple to follow each agreement's rules automatically. It's a focused improvement with a direct impact on compliance and supplier confidence.
If self-billing is central to your business, it's worth reviewing your set-up with an experienced Business Central adviser before general availability.
Sources: Microsoft roadmap 573307 · Dynamics 365 Lab: Vendor-specific number series for self-billing invoices