Create an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD invoice for free
Fill in the form once: it asks for exactly what a German e-invoice needs and shows what's still missing. Download a ZUGFeRD PDF for businesses or the XRechnung XML for public authorities.
- Free
- No sign-up
- XRechnung 3.0 · ZUGFeRD EN 16931
- Nothing stored
Your business (seller)
Your client (buyer)
Invoice
Delivery date: when you delivered or did the work. German invoices must state it.
Lines
Summary
Complete this first:
- · Add at least one line
ZUGFeRD: a PDF anyone can open, with the e-invoice data inside (for businesses). XRechnung: the XML file public authorities ask for.
Tired of typing it all again?
In KipBill your clients and invoice numbers are saved, and any invoice becomes a ZUGFeRD PDF or XRechnung in a few clicks (Starter plan and up).
Try KipBill freeXRechnung or ZUGFeRD: which one do you need?
Both carry the same data to the European standard EN 16931, and both count as e-invoices in Germany. The difference is how they travel.
ZUGFeRD PDF
For businesses
A normal-looking PDF invoice with the e-invoice data (XML) embedded. Your client reads it like any PDF; their accounting software reads the data.
- Opens in any PDF viewer
- PDF/A-3 with the EN 16931 profile
- Send it by email, like your invoices today
XRechnung (XML)
For public authorities
The data file alone, in the format German public bodies require. Enter their Leitweg-ID as the reference and upload the file to their invoice portal.
- XRechnung 3.0 in UBL
- Required for invoices to public authorities
- Read by much accounting software too
Who must send e-invoices, and from when
The obligation covers invoices between businesses in Germany. It comes in three steps.
1 January 2025
Receiving is mandatory
Every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices. An email inbox is enough.
1 January 2027
Sending, above €800,000 turnover
Businesses whose turnover in 2026 was over €800,000 must issue e-invoices to other businesses.
1 January 2028
Sending is mandatory for all
Every business must issue e-invoices to other businesses in Germany. Paper and plain PDF are no longer allowed there.
Not affected
Kleinunternehmer (§ 19 UStG), invoices up to €250 gross and tickets may always be on paper or PDF, as may invoices to private customers and to customers abroad. Kleinunternehmer must still be able to receive e-invoices.
What an XRechnung must contain
The form asks for all of it, and the list beside the totals says what's still missing.
- Your name, full address, email and phone number
- Your VAT ID (USt-IdNr.) or tax number (Steuernummer)
- Your client's name, full address and email
- A unique invoice number and the invoice date
- The delivery or service date (Leistungsdatum)
- Each line: description, quantity, unit, net price and VAT rate
- Net amount and VAT per rate, and the total payable
- For 0 % VAT, the reason: Kleinunternehmer or reverse charge
- For public authorities, their Leitweg-ID
How to create an XRechnung in 3 steps
Enter your business and your client
Name, address, VAT ID or tax number, email and phone. Your details stay in this browser for the next invoice.
Add the lines
Description, quantity, unit, net price and VAT. The form checks as you type and lists what's still missing.
Download and send
A ZUGFeRD PDF for businesses or the XRechnung XML for public authorities. Send it by email or upload it to the authority's portal.
Key facts
- Formats
- XRechnung 3.0 (UBL 2.1) and ZUGFeRD / Factur-X, EN 16931 profile (PDF/A-3)
- Price
- Free, no account
- Checks
- Required fields checked as you type; we test the files with the KoSIT validator, Mustang and veraPDF
- VAT
- 19 % and 7 %, Kleinunternehmer (§ 19 UStG) and reverse charge (§ 13b UStG)
- Your data
- Used to make the file and sent straight back; nothing is stored
- Languages
- Form and PDF in 12 languages; amounts in euros
Tested with the official validators
The files come from the same engine as the e-invoices in KipBill. We test it with the KoSIT validator (the reference for XRechnung), Mustang (ZUGFeRD / Factur-X) and veraPDF (PDF/A-3), with standard VAT, Kleinunternehmer and reverse-charge invoices.
Your data
The form is saved only in this browser, so your next invoice is quicker. To make the file, your data goes to our server once and comes straight back; we don't store it.
This tool helps you create e-invoices; it isn't tax advice. Keep every e-invoice for 8 years (§ 14b UStG) as you sent it: the XML or the ZUGFeRD PDF itself.
Every invoice as an e-invoice, without filling in a form
In KipBill your business, clients and products are saved once. Any invoice of a German business becomes a ZUGFeRD PDF or XRechnung in a few clicks, on the Starter plan and up.
- What an e-invoice needs is checked before you download
- Kleinunternehmer and reverse charge (§ 13b) handled
- Invoices sent by email, with view tracking and payment reminders
- Quotes, credit notes, expenses and reports in the same place
Questions about XRechnung and ZUGFeRD
What is an XRechnung?+
XRechnung is the German standard for electronic invoices: an XML file built on the European norm EN 16931 that accounting software reads without anyone retyping it. Public authorities in Germany require it, and between businesses it is one of the formats that count as an e-invoice. This tool makes XRechnung 3.0 in UBL.
What is the difference between XRechnung and ZUGFeRD?+
Both carry the same EN 16931 data. An XRechnung is the XML file alone, so a person needs a viewer to read it. A ZUGFeRD invoice is a PDF/A-3 with that data embedded as XML: your client opens it like any PDF and their software reads the data. Businesses usually prefer ZUGFeRD; public authorities ask for XRechnung.
Do I have to send e-invoices?+
Between businesses in Germany, yes, step by step. Since 1 January 2025 every business must be able to receive e-invoices (an email inbox is enough). Businesses with more than €800,000 turnover in 2026 must issue them from 2027, and everyone from 1 January 2028. Kleinunternehmer, invoices up to €250, tickets, private customers and customers abroad are not covered.
Can I still send PDF invoices?+
A plain PDF is no longer an e-invoice, but it is still allowed with your client's consent until the end of 2026, and until the end of 2027 if your previous year's turnover was at most €800,000. Kleinunternehmer, invoices up to €250 and private customers can keep using PDF. A ZUGFeRD PDF already counts as an e-invoice, so you can switch now without changing how you send.
Do I need a Leitweg-ID?+
Only to invoice a public authority: it routes the invoice inside their portal, and they give it to you. Enter it as the client reference. Between businesses no Leitweg-ID is needed: enter your client's order number or leave the field empty, and the e-invoice uses the placeholder "-", which the tax authorities accept.
I'm a Kleinunternehmer. Can I use it?+
Yes. Set your lines to 0 % VAT and choose "Small business (§ 19 UStG)": the e-invoice then states "Kein Ausweis von Umsatzsteuer, da Kleinunternehmer gemäß § 19 UStG" where the standard expects it. Kleinunternehmer don't have to issue e-invoices, but they may, and they must be able to receive them.
How do I send an e-invoice, and how long do I keep it?+
Between businesses, an email with the file attached is fine. Public authorities take XRechnung through their portals, such as the federal ZRE or OZG-RE. Keep every e-invoice for 8 years (§ 14b UStG) in the form you sent it: the XML or the ZUGFeRD PDF itself, not a printout.
Is it really free?+
Yes: no account, as many invoices as you need, and nothing stored. KipBill earns money with its paid plans, where your clients, numbering and VAT settings are saved and any invoice becomes a ZUGFeRD PDF or XRechnung in a few clicks.
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