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German E-Invoicing

In-depth articles on XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, GoBD compliance, and developer tools — written by practitioners, for practitioners.

Latest Article

8 min read

Small-Amount Invoices in Germany: The EUR 250 Rule and Checklist

Small amount invoice in Germany: the four details § 33 UStDV requires up to EUR 250 gross, input VAT worked examples, exceptions, and why no e-invoice is needed.

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E-Invoicing for Landlords in Germany: Rent, Service Charges and VAT

E-invoicing for landlords in Germany: residential vs commercial lets with the VAT option, parking, holiday flats, leases as recurring invoices and an example.

9 min readRead

Germany E-Invoice Portal: Submitting XRechnung via OZG-RE

Germany's federal e-invoice portal after the ZRE shutdown: OZG-RE registration, the four channels, E-RechV fields mapped to BTs, status codes and rejections.

7 min readRead

Implementing E-Invoicing in a Small Business: A 10-Step Plan

Implement e-invoicing in a small business in Germany: 10 steps with the legal basis, backward planning from your 2027 or 2028 deadline and a checklist table.

7 min readRead

Test an E-Invoice Before Sending: A Four-Level Test Plan

How to test an e-invoice before sending it to a German customer: schema, business rules, content and the recipient portal, with test files and a log template.

8 min readRead

ZUGFeRD Invoice Example: Open a Sample and Read the XML

A ZUGFeRD invoice example taken apart: where to get official samples, how to open the PDF and its embedded XML, and an annotated CII excerpt with BT fields.

6 min readRead

E-Invoicing France 2026: What German Suppliers Need to Know

France's e-invoicing mandate started in September 2026. See the timeline by company size, who is in scope, e-reporting for non-established firms and Factur-X.

7 min readRead

Freelance Invoice in Germany: How to Write One, With a Sample

Freelance invoice in Germany, step by step: the § 14 UStG details, tax number vs VAT ID, a sample with 19 % VAT, bilingual labels and when an e-invoice is required.

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E-Invoicing for Non-Profits in Germany: What Associations Must Do

E-invoicing for non-profits in Germany: when an association (Verein) counts as a business, what applies to sponsors and suppliers, a worked example, deadlines.

8 min readRead

XRechnung 3.0.2 Bugfix Release: What Changed in the Validation Rules

XRechnung 3.0.2 Summer 2026 Bugfix explained: which rules became errors on 31 August 2026, what BR-TMP-2 to BR-TMP-7 check, and how to update your invoice output.

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What Is Kleinunternehmer? Germany's Small-Business VAT Rule Explained

What is Kleinunternehmer status in Germany? The EUR 25,000 and EUR 100,000 limits, how to register with the tax office, three worked examples and when to opt out.

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How to Send E-Invoices in Germany: Channels, Deadlines, Pitfalls

How to send e-invoices in Germany by email, the OZG-RE portal, Peppol or EDI: channel comparison, deadlines under § 27 UStG, attachment rules and a pre-send check.

8 min readRead

How to Receive E-Invoices in Germany: Inbox, Viewer, Archive

Receive e-invoices in Germany without special software: what the rules require, a 5-step intake workflow, the Outlook question and a checklist for small firms.

7 min readRead

Kleinunternehmer Invoice in Germany: Template, Wording and Rules

How to write a Kleinunternehmer invoice in Germany: the six details § 34a UStDV requires, a sample invoice as a table, the § 19 UStG note in German and English.

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Leitweg-ID for Companies: Do You Need One for B2B Invoices?

Leitweg-ID for companies explained: why businesses never get their own, what goes into BT-10 on B2B invoices, how BR-DE-15 works, and when a GmbH has one.

7 min readRead

Germany E-Invoicing Exemptions: A Checklist for Every Invoice

Germany e-invoicing exemptions: invoices up to EUR 250, tickets, Kleinunternehmer, VAT-exempt supplies, B2C and foreign parties, with legal basis and 10 cases.

7 min readRead

Free E-Invoicing Software for Germany: Options Compared

E-invoicing software for Germany without a licence fee: five selection criteria, four categories of free tools, and a checklist for the limits of free plans.

8 min readRead

XRechnung Mandatory Fields: Every Required BT with UBL Path and Rule

XRechnung mandatory fields as a checklist: each required BT with its UBL path, a sample value and the KoSIT rule, plus conditional fields and the § 14 UStG gaps.

8 min readRead

E-Invoice Example for Germany: An XRechnung Explained Line by Line

E-invoice example for Germany with real XML: every XRechnung field mapped to its BT number, validation rule and § 14 UStG, plus the same invoice as ZUGFeRD.

8 min readRead

E-Invoice Format Error, Business Rule Error or Content Error?

E-invoice format error, business rule error or content error: three examples each with the KoSIT rule, the input VAT impact in Germany and a decision table.

8 min readRead

German Invoice Requirements: Every Mandatory Detail (§ 14 UStG)

German invoice requirements under § 14 UStG: all ten mandatory details with examples and EN 16931 field IDs, special cases like reverse charge, and common mistakes.

8 min readRead

Kleinunternehmer E-Invoice Rules in Germany: Receive Yes, Issue No

Kleinunternehmer e-invoice rules: what you must receive, what you may still send on paper or PDF, and what happens when you pass the thresholds. Scenario table.

7 min readRead

ZUGFeRD Profiles and Versions: Which Count as E-Invoices?

ZUGFeRD profiles from MINIMUM to XRECHNUNG with guideline IDs and e-invoice status, plus the full version history from 1.0 to 2.5.2 and the Factur-X numbers.

8 min readRead

Convert a PDF to an E-Invoice: What Works and What Doesn't

Convert a PDF to an e-invoice for Germany: why a converter alone is not enough, which fields a PDF lacks, and three routes to a valid XRechnung or ZUGFeRD file.

7 min readRead

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