Simple and compliant invoicing with Peppol

E-invoicing in Germany

E-invoicing in Germany is on the rise. In many cases it is mandatory for B2G and things are changing rapidly for Business to Business as well. 

Discover below what the options are for sending electronic invoices in Germany and get started in a few easy steps.

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E-invoicing requirements in Germany

Legal obligations

On a federal level, submitting B2G invoices has been mandatory in Germany since 27 November 2020. Regional and local governments are required to be able to both receive and process e-invoices.

Business to Business e-invoicing is not mandatory yet, but it is being stimulated.

Options for sending e-invoices to Germany

There are several ways to send an e-invoice to German government institutions or to a private company. Choose your option below.

How to send e-invoices to Germany via Peppol

If you want to send invoices via Peppol you only have to register on an official Peppol Access Point.

Follow the steps below to register on the Billit Access Point and send your first invoice.

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Step 1

Create a Billit account

  • Create your free trial account using the button below.
  • Enter your company information in the 'My company' tab.
  • Through the menu item 'My Profile' you can further complete your company details.
Billit - Create Account
Step 2

Create a customer

  • Click on 'Customers' in the menu on the left and click the '+add' button
  • Fill in your customer's details
  • In the section 'invoicing address' set the country to 'Germany'
  • Add your customer's VAT number at the top. You can look up VAT numbers in the VIES VAT portal
  • For public entities you use the LeitwegID. Click on the + sign next to the VAT number to add this field
Billit - Dashboard
Step 3

Create & send invoice

  • Go to the income tab to create your first invoice and click the '+Add' button
  • In the customer field, select the customer you've just created
  • Fill in the rest of your invoice and click 'create invoice' to finalize
  • Click the 'Send' button to see all sending options
  • Billit will automatically recognize if your customer is connected to Peppol. Click the green 'Send via Peppol' button to send your invoice
Billit - Create Invoice

Why use Peppol?

Peppol is a secure and closed network with many advantages:

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Safely exchange sensitive financial data

The identity of everyone affiliated with the network is verified, so you can be sure that your recipient's invoices are genuine, and avoid invoice fraud.

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Automate your invoicing process

The invoices you send through the network are completely digital, so you can process them automatically in your invoicing software.

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Avoid retyping data

E-invoices in the UBL standard are automatically read correctly. This prevents human error during processing.

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Gain more financial insight

Linking to your bank account means that outgoing and incoming invoices are automatically matched and you get a better overview of your company's financial situation.

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Send invoices quickly

Peppol is fast: your recipient will receive your invoice within 10 minutes of sending it. Combined with automatic processing, this will save a lot of time.

What is Peppol?

Peppol is an open network for securely sending and receiving business documents such as invoices. It is designed to simplify the purchase-to-pay process between governments and suppliers. Peppol was developed by the European commission but is on its way to become a global standard.

More info about Peppol

Which identifiers are being used in Germany?

There are many kinds of identifiers for sending invoices via Peppol. Find out the difference between each option below.

Type Description Example
VAT (indentification) number or VAT-id number A unique identification number for entrepreneurs liable to VAT. It should be included on each invoice to customers. DE283428867
LeitwegID The number to identify public entities 16066069-0001-81
Connect to the Billit Access Point, with or without your own software

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