Toward a fully digital accounting future: China introduces national Standard for structured E-Voucher data

published on 20 June 2025 | reading time approx. 3 minutes

In a significant step toward the digital transformation of financial and administrative processes, China’s Ministry of Finance and eight other authorities issued Circular [Cai Kuai 2025] No. 9 on 9 May 2025, launching the nationwide implementation of the Electronic Voucher Accounting Data Standard (电子凭证会计数据标准).

Following a multi-agency pilot program, the new standard sets unified rules for the receipt, verification, reimbursement, booking, and archiving of electronic vouchers across industries. It builds on China’s broader digitalization drive, which has already transformed tax reporting and electronic invoicing (e-fapiao) over the past decade.

This latest phase mandates the use of structured, machine-readable formats — such as XML and XBRL — for accounting vouchers. These e-vouchers will fully replace paper-based records and enable seamless integration with ERP systems. The goal: to increase data quality, reduce manual work, and enhance compliance with tax and audit requirements.

Why this matters

The implications of this reform extend well beyond technical alignment:

Digital transformation: The standard supports China’s broader push toward digital governance. It enables accounting teams to move from transactional processing toward more analytical and strategic roles.
Operational efficiency and cost control: Automating reimbursement and archiving processes reduces administrative workload, paper usage, and physical storage — supporting ESG and sustainability goals.
Data integrity and audit readiness: Structured, machine-readable data enables more reliable financial reporting and improves oversight by tax authorities and auditors.
Scalability and interoperability: The standard applies to a wide range of e-voucher types, including VAT invoices, airline and railway tickets, and e-receipts — ensuring broad applicability and future expansion potential.

Implementation pathways

Organizations are expected to adopt the standard based on their digital maturity:

Digitally mature enterprises can integrate directly with voucher-issuing platforms, adapt internal tools or the official toolkit, and move toward fully automated workflows.
SMEs and non-profits can work with qualified third-party providers to meet compliance requirements while minimizing internal IT effort.
Service providers — including e-invoicing platforms and outsourced accounting firms — will need to upgrade their systems to ensure end-to-end support for the new standard.

All organizations and software providers must ensure that accounting systems are upgraded within three years of the standards coming into effect to fully support structured e-voucher data processing.

Looking ahead

The Ministry of Finance will continue to issue implementation guidance, develop additional accounting standards to support structured data integration, and promote platform interoperability.

While compliance is mandatory, the reform also presents an opportunity: organizations that act early may benefit from streamlined processes, improved data capabilities, and increased regulatory readiness.

How we can support you

As a trusted advisor in tax and accounting, we help businesses of all sizes assess and implement accounting solutions that align with evolving regulatory and operational requirements. Whether you are looking to enhance internal systems or explore third-party options, our interdisciplinary team offers practical support across both technical and compliance dimensions.

If you are currently assessing the potential impact of the e-voucher standard on your organization, we invite you to contact us. We would be pleased to share our current perspectives and explore how we can assist you in the next steps of this transition.