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.

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

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, others are 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 E-invoice.
3. Select the invoice format.
  a) XRechnung (for public authorities and contractors)
  b) ZUGFerd Profile 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. Save your input by clicking on the icon in the top left-hand corner of the input window.

Create an e-invoice

Generating an e-invoice is only possible after an e-invoice format/profile (ZUGFerd Basic, EN16931 (Comfort), Extended or XRechnung) has been selected in the customer account and all mandatory idetails 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.
Enter any relevant e-invoice data that you have agreed with the invoice recipient in the toolbar at the top.
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 copied from the account. ZUGFerd Basic, EN16931 (Comfort), Extended or X-bill
Recipient's booking reference	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	Identifier of the contract on which the invoice is based. The value should be requested in advance from the invoice recipient.
Business process	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	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.	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	Description of the document supporting the invoice (BT-123), e.g. delivery note, time sheet, etc. This is only transferred if the reference document number field is also filled.
Reference doc. URL	The URL (link) at which the external document is available (BT-124). 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.
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 an custom segment view
- 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 E-invoice .
  Example: in the case of an intra-EU supply.
Select a VAT reason from the picklist

Z             Zero-rated taxable item

E            0   Tax-exempt

AE          Reverse charge scheme

K            No VAT declared for intra-EU deliveries

G             Tax not levied due to export outside the EU
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.
2. ZUGFeRD: The PDF/A document is stored in the specified filing location. The obligatory XML file is found in the attachment.
  Note: With an e-invoice profile ZUGFeRD Extended, an invoice can be sent to the recipient as a proof copy. Proof copies can still be edited. Confirm the "Proof copy" message with "Yes" to send a proof or "No" to send a regular e-invoice.
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.