German fee work can follow RVG rules or an hourly agreement. Everhour keeps approved billable time ready for invoicing.
Track billable vs. non-billable time and see your real utilization rate and revenue potential in seconds.
Working hours in the period
Admin, meetings, internal work
Industry average is 75–80%
The calculator gives you the number — Everhour takes it from there.
One click and you're timing. Start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Everhour.
Set a budget, assign rates, and get alerted before you're over.
Measurement
Track your budget through time or costs
Every report you need — configured your way, always up to date.
Tracked hours flow straight into a polished invoice — no copy-paste, no manual math.
The calculation answers how much client-facing time is worth before and after German VAT, when the engagement is billed under an agreed hourly arrangement. It turns approved billable hours into a net fee, then adds VAT where applicable. Germany uses the euro, so German billing inputs and totals are normally stated in euros.
For German attorney work, this check has a threshold question: is the fee governed by the Lawyers' Remuneration Act, known as the RVG, or by a separate remuneration agreement? For civil matters under the RVG, the statutory fee is generally based on matter value and legal activity, not hours worked. Hourly math belongs to the agreed-fee side.
A German attorney remuneration agreement must be in text form, clearly identified, and separated from other agreements except the engagement itself. It may not be included in the power of attorney. For court representation, agreed attorney fees generally cannot be lower than the statutory RVG amount, so an hourly calculation still needs a statutory-fee floor check.
If no fee agreement exists and the client is a consumer, Germany caps the first attorney consultation fee at €190 plus VAT. Other advice or a written legal opinion is capped at €250 plus VAT. Those caps are not hourly totals. They matter because a time sheet alone does not override the applicable German fee basis.
For an hourly agreement, multiply each approved billable-hours category by its agreed rate, then add the line totals. Apply 19% German VAT to taxable supplies unless a valid exemption applies. A Germany-based small entrepreneur's taxable domestic supplies are VAT-exempt if total turnover did not exceed €25,000 in the previous calendar year and does not exceed €100,000 in the current calendar year.
For example, a German contract review includes 24 approved partner advisory hours at €180 per hour and 18 approved associate drafting hours at €120 per hour. The net fee is €4,320 plus €2,160, or €6,480. At 19% VAT, tax is €1,231.20, and the gross invoice total is €7,711.20.
A one-off calculation is enough when you have a signed hourly fee agreement, a small number of approved entries, one VAT treatment, and no need to preserve a billing history. It is also enough for checking a draft invoice before sending it. Keep the source time entries and the fee basis with the matter file.
A managed workflow becomes necessary when multiple people, rates, non-billable entries, expenses, VAT handling, and invoice status all need to stay tied together. Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts tracked billable time and expenses into invoices, calculates invoice amounts from rates while excluding non-billable tasks, and exports invoices to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
High Performer
G2
Summer 2026
Best Ease Of Use
Capterra
Summer 2026
Rated in the top time trackers across G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius — with consistent praise for ease of use, integrations, and support.
Billable hours apply when the lawyer and client have a valid remuneration agreement that uses hourly billing or another agreed time-based method. Without that agreement, German attorney remuneration can fall under the RVG, where civil statutory fees are generally calculated from matter value and legal activity instead of hours worked.
A lawyer may demand remuneration only on the basis of a text-form calculation. The calculation must state individual fees and expenses, advances, fee descriptions, applicable RVG schedule numbers, and the matter value where value-based fees apply. For hourly agreements, keep the approved time detail with the agreed rates.
German VAT law sets the standard rate at 19% for taxable supplies. First calculate the net fee from approved billable hours and rates, then multiply the net fee by 0.19 and add that VAT amount to the invoice total. Do not add VAT when the supplier is properly covered by the small-business exemption.
A common mistake is treating a time sheet as the fee authority. For German attorney work, confirm the RVG position, the text-form fee agreement, and any court-fee floor before invoicing hourly work. The hours support the amount only when the underlying billing basis permits an hourly charge.
A debtor on a payment claim is in default at the latest if payment is not made within 30 days after the due date and receipt of an invoice or equivalent payment statement. For consumers, the invoice must specifically warn of this consequence, so invoice wording matters when the client is a consumer.
Everhour Billing & Invoicing converts tracked billable time and expenses into invoices, calculates amounts from rates, and excludes non-billable tasks from billable totals. Invoice data can be grouped by project, task, person, date, or other available breakdowns before export to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks.
Everhour Reporting lets admins build reports with columns for billable time, non-billable time, billable amount, cost, task, project, client, member, and invoice status. Saved reports can be exported as CSV, Excel/XLSX, or PDF for billing review, client support, or internal archive work.
Track approved billable time, exclude non-billable tasks, and generate invoices from rates and expenses. Everhour Billing & Invoicing keeps hourly billing tied to invoice status.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime
