Generating an e-invoice

Generating an e-invoice is very similar to generating a regular invoice. Some details need to be clarified with the invoice recipient in advance, and this information is recorded in the customer account or the invoice segment.

Check out our YouTube Tutorial on E-Invoicing for more details. (German only)
Enabling e-invoices
Click for an overview of all the fields available for e-invoicing and the details of the respective profile. (German only)

E-invoice basics
From 1 January 2025, B2B e-invoicing will be mandatory for companies based in Germany. A transitional arrangement is planned until 2027. This means that companies will no longer be allowed to send invoices to other companies in paper form or as simple PDFs from 2028 at the latest, but only in a machine-readable, structured XML data set.

Only the digital record is relevant for processing an e-invoice and therefore also for manual checking and approval. If there is a discrepancy between the view document and the XML data record, the view document supplied is not legally binding and the XML data record applies. One advantage of the standardised view document is that it is easy for the user to read.

Read more about the legal requirements on the official website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior https://www.e-rechnung-bund.de/.
Read more on the website of Verband-E-Rechnung.org

Invoice formats:
ZUGFeRD and XRechnung are the most common formats in Germany.
1. The XRechnung consists of a machine-readable file (i.e. XML) with structured data. The XRechnung is intended for public authorities and contractors.
2. ZUGFeRD consists of a machine-readable XML file that is integrated into a human-readable PDF/A file. ZUGFeRD is divided into three profiles that differ in their level of detail.
  a. Basic
  b. EN16931 (Comfort)
  c. Extended
  Some information is mandatory, other optional. Before invoicing, you need to communicate with your customer which invoice data and therefore which e-invoice format will be used.
The invoice format and other details for the e-invoice are saved in the customer account.
Note: If mandatory information is missing (depending on the selected format/profile), you will be notified at the time of invoicing.
Enter data for the e-invoice in the invoice recipient's account
1. Open the organiser's Account .
  Note: If the organiser and invoice recipient are not identical, enter the details in the invoice address.
2. Go to the Added fields in the side navigation of the account and select Invoice details/E-invoice.
3. Select the invoice format.
  a) XRechnung (for public authorities and contractors)
  b) ZUGFeRD profiles Basic, EN16931 (Comfort) or Extended.
  Note: Depending on the invoice format or profile, the mandatory and optional details will vary.
4. Fill in the other fields, but at minimum the mandatory information required by the selected format (e.g. Route IDfor X invoices)
  Note: If mandatory information is missing, you will be notified when the invoice is created.
5. Click here for an overview and description of all invoice recipient fields. (German only)
  Note: It is possible to enter one Routing ID per contact person.
6. If a reason for tax exemption is selected in the VAT category field, this must also be entered in the VAT exemption reason field. Clarify the correct entry with your tax advisor in advance.
7. Save your input by clicking on the icon in the top left-hand corner of the input window.
Enter data for the e-invoice in the event
If the customer's e-invoice data is already known before the invoice is issued, the data can be prefilled in the event. They are transferred when the e-invoice is created.
Alternatively, enter the when invoicing in the e-invoice segment in the toolbar.
1. Open the drop-down menu Presets for e-invoices in the event on the General tab (below the pricing).
2. Enter the data provided by the customer.
3. Save the event.
4. The data entered is transferred to the e-invoice segment and the customer printout at the time of invoicing.

Create an e-invoice

Generating an e-invoice is only possible after an e-invoice format/profile (ZUGFeRD Basic, EN16931 (Comfort), Extended or X-Rechnung) has been selected in the customer account and all mandatory details have been entered. The profile (format), data on the e-invoice and transmission channel must be agreed with the invoice recipient in advance.

Create the invoice as usual.
In the invoice segment, enter the relevant data for the e-invoice that you have received from the invoice recipient. Alternatively, these added fields can be entered in the event itself, before the invoice is issued.
Note: The invoice format defined in the account is preset and determines the type and scope of the available fields. The data entered here will be displayed on the e-invoice.
Enter all relevant data.
Click on Spreadsheet and confirm the messages as usual.
Click on E-invoice in the toolbar to check whether all mandatory fields have been completed.
If necessary, make corrections and update the spreadsheet by clicking Standard .

E-invoice data:

Term	Description
E-invoice profile	Is taken from the account. ZUGFeRD Basic, EN16931 (Comfort), Extended or XRechnung
Booking reference of the recipient (BT-19)	Internal reference required by the invoice recipient to allocate the invoice in their system. This could be a cost centre, branch number or similar. The value should be requested in advance from the invoice recipient.
Contract reference (BT-12)	Identifier of the contract on which the invoice is based. The value should be requested in advance from the invoice recipient.
Business process (BT-23)	Identification of the business process on the part of the invoice recipient This specification is mandatory for the Extended and XRechnung profiles. By default, a value defined by Peppol is transferred as a "placeholder". We recommend asking the invoice recipient for the business process and to enter it in the field if available.
Customer order number (BT-13)	Customer's order reference number This is usually the order number from ERP systems such as SAP. The value should be requested in advance from the invoice recipient.
Reference doc. no. (BT-18, BT-122)	The reference document number (BT-18, BT-122) is the identifier of the document justifying the invoice, e.g. delivery note, time sheet, etc. and can be transmitted if available.
Reference doc. info (BT-123)	Description of the document justifying the invoice, e.g. delivery note, time sheet, etc. This is only transferred if the reference document number field is also filled.
Reference doc. URL (BT-124)	The URL (link) at which the external document is available. External documents are not part of the invoice. If the buyer requires further information as supporting documents for the invoiced amounts (BT-124), add the filing location of the external document.
Business Term (BT numbers)	You can find a list of BT numbers at E-Rechnung-Bund.de
VAT category	Code for the VAT category The sales tax category is an identifier that must be transmitted both for booked items and event segments. If VAT is incurred according to the standard procedure, Bp Event will transmit the identifier automatically (VAT category = S). If one or more invoice items are exempt from VAT, enter the VAT category on the invoice segment for all booked items if you have not already set it individually for each booked item. A picklist of all available categories is provided. Preset the VAT category in the invoice recipient's account if needed, e.g. in the case of an intra-EU delivery.
VAT exemption reason	Reason for exempting the amount from VAT If this is an XRechnung and one of the available VAT categories has been selected, enter an exemption reason as well, unless the VAT category is Z (VAT is charged at a percentage of zero).
E-invoice payment account	A different payment account can be set in the event segment for individual invoices.

Enter the VAT category and an exemption reason
The VAT category is specified by a code. If VAT is incurred according to the standard procedure, Bp Event transmits the code automatically (VAT category = S).
- Different VAT categories and an exemption reason can be set per invoice in the invoice toolbar.
- Individual items exempt from VAT can be entered per booked item. To do this, switch to a segment view that supports showing the VAT category column and enter the different VAT categories (VAT 0) there.
  Show the VAT category in a custom segment view
  Note: The VAT category column is displayed in the event segment if:
  - the booked items view contains the VAT code
  - the event segment is an invoice
  - the invoice recipient is qualified for e-invoicing
- Save the VAT category per price group in the master item for items with a standard VAT rate of 0.
- A VAT category can also be preset in the invoice recipient's account on the Added fields tab under Invoice details/E-invoice .
  Example: K: No VAT is shown for intra-Community supplies (intra-Community supply)
Select a VAT reason from the picklist

Z Item taxable at the zero rate

E Tax-exempt

AE Reverse charge scheme

K No disclosure of VAT for intra-Community supplies

G Tax not levied due to export outside the EU

O Outside the tax application area

L IGIC (Canary Islands)

M IPSI (Ceuta/Melilla)
Save the e-invoice locally for uploading to a portal
To save an e-invoice locally, e.g. in oreder to upload it to a portal, click on Save to hard drive and select E-invoice and the filing location.
1. XRechnung: Two files are stored at the specified filing location. The XML file is for uploading to a platform. The PDF file is only for a more readable summary.
  Note: Added fields are displayed in the account under Added fields > Invoice details/E-Invoice as soon as the e-invoice profile XInvoice has been selected:
  Embed PDF in XML
  The PDF is embedded in the XML file as a callable link
  
  Send emails without PDF
  Only the XML file is attached in the appendix.
2. ZUGFeRD: The PDF/A document is stored in the specified filing location. The obligatory XML file is found in the attachment.
Send the e-invoice by e-mail
1. Click on Email to send the e-invoice by email.
  The e-mail will open with the e-invoice attached.
  a) XRechnung > XML file (and normal PDF for a readable summary)
  b) ZUGFeRD > the e-invoice is a PDF/A document with an embedded XML file.
2. Send the e-invoice.

Generating an e-invoice

Generating an e-invoice

User Manual