Germany e-Invoicing Mandate

This guide provides an overview of e-Invoicing requirements in Germany, including the legal framework, compliance obligations, and key reporting considerations. It is intended to assist businesses that issue or receive invoices for transactions subject to German VAT.

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Autoridad fiscal

Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF)

Fecha de puesta en marcha del mandato

1 January 2025

Firma digital

Not Required

Archivo

Mandatory - 8 Years

Formato de la factura

XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Peppol BIS Facturación 3.0

Germany introduced mandatory B2G e-invoicing obligations for public-sector contracting authorities, with suppliers required to issue structured electronic invoices compliant with the European EN 16931 standard. As part of broader VAT fraud prevention and digitalisation efforts aligned with the EU VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative, the Bundesrat approved the Wachstumschancengesetz project on 22 March 2024, establishing a phased rollout of mandatory B2B e-invoicing. From 1 January 2025, businesses must be capable of receiving EN 16931-compliant e-invoices. Mandatory B2B issuance applies from January 2027 for businesses with annual turnover exceeding €800,000, and from January 2028 for all businesses. Germany applies an interoperability model and currently has no centralised B2B reporting platform or reporting requirement.

Detalles del encargo
Estado del mandato
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Effective: January 2025

Germany’s e-Invoicing mandate is fully active.

¿Qué tipos de transacciones deben declararse mediante facturación electrónica?

In scope

B2G domestic transactions & B2B domestic transactions

Not in scope

Cross-border transactions and B2C invoicing. Invoices under €250 (small-value invoices) and tickets for transportation services are generally exempt from the mandatory electronic invoicing requirements for German B2B transactions.

¿Existen umbrales que determinen la obligatoriedad de la facturación electrónica?

  • From January 2025 – All businesses must be able to receive e-Invoices (no threshold)
  • From January 2027 – Businesses with annual turnover > €800,000 must issue e-Invoices
  • From January 2028 – All businesses must issue e-invoices
  • Low-value invoices and tickets may continue using other formats

What are the implementation dates of the e-Invoicing mandate?

Tipo de transacción
18 Apr 2020
27 Nov 2020
1 Jan 2025
2027
2028
2030 (EU ViDA)
Local - B2G (Público)
Local - B2B (nacional)
*
**
Local - B2C (nacional)
Informes locales y transfronterizos
Extranjero - B2B/B2C (sin establecimiento)
Requisito obligatorio en vigor
*
Mandatory receipt capability (EN 16931 compliant)
**
Mandatory issuance for companies with annual turnover > EUR 800,000
No obligatorio
Do I need to have a permanent establishment in Germany to be required to e-Invoice?
Yes, the obligation depends on establishment in Germany.
 
Issuing (B2B domestic):
An e-invoice must be issued where both supplier and recipient are established in Germany (registered office, management, or permanent establishment involved in the transaction). If at least one party is not established in Germany, there is no domestic B2B e-invoicing obligation.
 
Receiving (from 1 January 2025):
All businesses established in Germany (including via a permanent establishment) must be capable of receiving EN 16931-compliant e-invoices.
 
No German establishment or PE:
No obligation to issue or receive e-invoices under German domestic rules.

Yes, applies to taxable persons (VAT-liable businesses) established in Germany.

Invoices must be issued to the buyer within 6 months of supply. There is no real-time reporting requirement (not a CTC model).

No specific e-invoicing fines published to date. However: General VAT penalties may apply (Article 26a UStG). Each offence may incur a fine up to €5,000. If recipient cannot receive an e-invoice, input VAT deduction may be denied.

Steps VAT IT can assist with

1. Ensure the business can receive EN 16931-compliant e-invoices from 1 January 2025.
2. Select a suitable service provider or internal solution to generate compliant formats, such as XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, or Peppol BIS Billing 3.0.
3. Implement an agreed transmission method, such as Peppol, email, De-Mail, file download, FTP/FTPS, web services, or another agreed method.
4. Prepare for mandatory B2B issuance from January 2027 if annual turnover exceeds €800,000, and from January 2028 for all businesses.
5. Ensure compliant electronic archiving for eight years, preserving the structured part of the e-Invoice unaltered in its original form and ensuring it remains machine-readable for audit purposes.

In summary

Where a Peppol ID is available, eezi can send an XRechnung invoice over the Peppol network. Where no Peppol ID is provided, eezi can use the recipient’s email address to send a ZUGFeRD invoice. eezi can also help clients prepare for the phased issuance obligation by supporting compliant invoice generation, format selection, transmission routing, and structured invoice handling.
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