ZUGFeRD / Factur-X
A normal PDF with the invoice data embedded inside it as XML. People open it like any PDF; accounting software reads the data and books it. Every invoice and credit note you issue is one.
E-invoices with ZUGFeRD and XRechnung
An e-invoice is an invoice software can read without anyone typing it in. Invoice Studio makes the two formats German businesses and public bodies ask for, from the same invoice you already write.
Two formats, one invoice
You write the invoice once. Both formats are built from that same record, so they carry exactly the figures on the page you see.
XRechnung
The data alone, as XML, in the form most German public bodies accept through their portals - with the Leitweg-ID they gave you as the buyer reference. It downloads from any issued document.
Why it matters now: the German mandate
- Since 1 January 2025, every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices.
- From 1 January 2027, businesses with more than €800,000 turnover in the previous year must send them to other businesses.
- From 1 January 2028, every business must.
Once the obligation applies, a plain PDF is no longer enough for an invoice to another business in Germany. ZUGFeRD at the EN 16931 profile - which is what Invoice Studio writes - and XRechnung both meet it. Small invoices up to €250 are among the exceptions. This is a summary, not tax advice.
The obligation covers sales between businesses established in Germany. If you bill German clients from elsewhere, it does not bind you - but your clients are set up to receive e-invoices, and their software books a ZUGFeRD PDF without anyone retyping it.
How to create an e-invoice here
- Fill in your company details once: address, VAT number, bank account, and a contact name, phone number and email for invoice questions.
- Give each client its address. For a public body, add the Leitweg-ID it gave you as the buyer reference, and its electronic invoicing address.
- Issue the invoice. On Business and Enterprise, the PDF you download or email is already a ZUGFeRD / Factur-X e-invoice - there is nothing to switch on.
- For a portal, download the XML from the invoice page. If the document does not yet meet XRechnung, the page lists exactly what to add.
Checked against the rules
Both formats are checked against the official rule sets: the EN 16931 business rules, the XRechnung rules published by KoSIT, and PDF/A for the archive copy. Totals are worked out the way the standard checks them, with VAT rounded per rate, so the page and the data inside it never disagree by a cent.
Questions
- Do I need special software to open a ZUGFeRD invoice?
- No. It is an ordinary PDF - a PDF/A, the archive format - so any PDF reader shows it. Software that understands ZUGFeRD also reads the data inside it and books the invoice without retyping.
- What is the difference between ZUGFeRD and XRechnung?
- ZUGFeRD is a PDF with the invoice data inside: people read it, software books it. XRechnung is the data alone, with no page, and is what most public-sector portals accept. Both follow the European standard EN 16931.
- Which plans include e-invoices?
- Business and Enterprise. On those plans every invoice and credit note you issue is a ZUGFeRD PDF, and any issued document downloads as XML.
- Can I correct an e-invoice?
- Yes. An issued invoice is not edited; it is corrected with a credit note, and the credit note is an e-invoice of its own that names the invoice it corrects.
Send your first e-invoice
Start free, fill in your company details and issue an invoice. Switch to Business when your clients need ZUGFeRD or XRechnung.