XRechnung

The e-invoice format for German authorities

XRechnung is an XML-based invoice format that has been designated as the preferred format for the implementation of EU directive 2014/55/EU in Germany. This directive requires all public clients or concessionaires to accept and process electronic invoices. The existing XRechnung standard only allows two XML formats for the transmission of electronic invoices: either UBL or UNCEFACT/CII.

Important deadlines

The German federal government is already required to accept e-invoices. Effective 18 April 2020, regional and local authorities will have to accept them as well. Since 27 November 2020, public contractors must submit their invoices electronically. Anyone can start sooner than that if they wish. There are no standardized deadlines for suppliers when it comes to submitting invoices to state governments and local authorities because every state can define its own rules.

Who is affected by this requirement?

This requirement affects all businesses that submit invoices for products and services to the government in the amount of EUR 1.000 net or higher. For these businesses, access to the electronic XRechnung system must be up and running.

PEPPOL – the easiest path to XRechnung

The biggest challenge for suppliers is to first create invoices in their ERP system, convert these to the XRechnung format, and subsequently transfer them to the authorities. The easiest and most secure way of meeting these requirements is the fully automated transmission via the PEPPOL network (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) supported by all German authorities. EDITEL offers its clients technical access to German authorities via PEPPOL. Upon request, we will also take care of invoice checking, conversion to XRechnung format, and automatic invoice transfer.

Your benefits

• Efficiently complies with all legal requirements
• Speeds up payments thanks to structured digital data
• Allows invoice recipients to process received data automatically
• Saves money thanks to automated processes
• Reduces media disruptions (minimizes error potential)
• Supports paperless work (e.g. as a result of changing working conditions)
• Sustainability