Information site of the Federal Government about E-invoicing

E-invoicing within the Federal Administration

Welcome to the Federal Government's information page about electronic invoicing, or e-invoicing for short. Here you will find information for invoice issuers, software manufacturers and authorities.

Invoice issuers, software manufacturers and authorities illustration

Information for invoice issuers

More detailed information for self-employed persons, small and medium-sized enterprises.

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Information for software manufacturers

More detailed information for software manufacturers on format and interfaces.

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Information for
authorities

More detailed information for authorities and their suppliers.

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Information for
associations

More detailed information for associations and their members.

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Implementation of e-invoicing

Digitalisation and automation of business processes are increasingly becoming part of everyday business operations. E-invoicing is a key topic. Starting 27 November 2020, suppliers to the Federal Government will be mandated to issue invoices in electronic format for public contracts. However, besides the legal obligation, it is also worthwhile to look at the opportunities and advantages of e-invoicing for your own company.

On this page you will find general information on e-invoicing and the associated forms and deadlines, the Federal Government’s invoice receipt platforms as well as comprehensive content that can help you transition to e-invoicing. Furthermore, this website serves as an orientation guide and contact point for all topics concerning e-invoicing. A variety of information material for invoice issuers, software developers and authorities is available here. The site is continuously being updated with new content and formats. So make sure to check back regularly.

The introduction of e-invoicing is part of the Federal Government’s service consolidation programme. By 2025, shared powerful and secure IT solutions for the Federal Administration are supposed to be developed in more than 40 projects and made available to around 200 Federal Authorities.

find out more at cio.bund.de

New version 2.0.0 of XRechnung standard applicable since 1 January 2021

Electronic invoices for the federal administration must be issued using the current version of the XRechnung standard format in accordance with section 4 (1) sentence 1 of the E-invoicing Ordinance (E-Rechnungsverordnung, ERechV). Version 2.0.0 of the XRechnung standard, which has been the current version since 1 january 2021, includes not just the XRechnung standard but also an XRechnung extension for transmitting electronic invoices to the ZRE and OZG-RE submission portals. The XRechnung extension allows invoice lines to be divided into several sub invoice lines. The extension also allows XML files to be embedded in the invocie as attachments. The XRechnung extension makes e-invoicing easier for the building sector, among other users.

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Press release: Digitalisation of the administration is moving along – Federal Administration obliges its suppliers to use electronic invoicing

The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community has published a press release regarding the cut-off date on 27/11/2020 for the supplier obligation to issue electronic invoices.

Go to the german press release

What is an e-invoice?

An e-invoice provides invoice content in a structured, machine-readable XML data set instead of on paper or in an image file such as a PDF. This ensures that information provided in this form by the biller can be transmitted and received electronically and seamlessly and can be processed and approved for payment automatically.

Find more information about the differences between paper, PDF and e-invoices here:

Paper, PDF and e-invoice differences

The basics of sending e-invoices to the Federal Administration

The latest version of the XRechnung standard must always be used when issuing e-invoices to the Federal Administration. Any other standard (e.g. ZUGFeRD version 2.1.1 or later with the XRechnung profile, as a purely structured XML file) can also be used, if it meets the requirements of the European standard for electronic invoicing (EN-16931), the Federal Government’s Regulation on Electronic Invoicing (E-RechV) and the Federal Government’s terms of use for the invoice submission platforms.

Two main platforms are available for submitting e-invoices to Federal Government invoice recipients: The Central Invoice Submission Portal (ZRE) , for suppliers to the direct Federal Administration, and the Online Access Act-Compliant Invoice Submission Portal (OZG-RE) , for suppliers to the indirect Federal Administration and the Federal States of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony and Thuringia.

Billers, such as suppliers or service providers, can submit their e-invoices via these platforms. In addition to simply submitting e-invoices, there is also a self-service option to manually create e-invoices.

Indirect Federal Administration public contracting authorities are not obliged to use the OZG-RE, which is why in-house solutions are also possible in individual cases in addition to ZRE and OZG-RE. The contracting authority will inform its billers about the invoice submission method to be used.

Find out more about the ZRE and OZG-RE here:

To the FAQ