German invoices need specific VAT details and e-invoice awareness. Everhour keeps billing records tied to tracked work.
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You came here to prepare an invoice for work billed in Germany, usually for a client, contractor relationship, agency project, or business sale. The document needs to identify both parties, describe the supply, show the correct tax treatment, and give the customer a clear amount to pay. A clean invoice also gives your accountant the details needed to match revenue, VAT, and payment status later.
Germany is a VAT jurisdiction, so the invoice has to handle Umsatzsteuer or Mehrwertsteuer correctly. The standard VAT rate is 19%, and the reduced rate is 7% for specified categories of supplies. If the transaction uses an exemption, the invoice should state the exemption note instead of showing a VAT amount. For domestic B2B supplies, the invoice format also matters because structured e-invoicing rules are phasing in.
A standard German VAT invoice under § 14 UStG includes the supplier and recipient full names and addresses, the supplier's Steuernummer or USt-IdNr., the issue date, and a unique invoice number. It also needs the quantity and type of goods or the scope and type of service, plus the supply date or payment date for advance payments. These fields make the invoice traceable from contract to payment.
The tax section should split taxable amounts by VAT rate or exemption and show the VAT rate and VAT amount, unless an exemption note applies. Add any required retention notice for private recipients, and use "Gutschrift" when the customer issues the invoice as a credit note. For taxable supplies to another entrepreneur for business purposes, or to a legal person that is not an entrepreneur, the supplier generally has six months to issue the invoice after performing the supply.
For supplies performed after December 31, 2024, invoices between domestic German entrepreneurs generally fall under Germany's mandatory e-invoice rules. Private end consumers are not covered by those rules. Since January 1, 2025, a German e-invoice must be issued, transmitted, and received in a structured electronic format that enables electronic processing. A simple PDF counts as another type of invoice, not as an e-invoice.
The transition period affects the format choice. Invoice issuers may use other invoices through December 31, 2026, and issuers with prior-year turnover up to €800,000 may continue that transition through December 31, 2027. After the transition, domestic B2B invoices must be e-invoices. If you invoice in a foreign currency, German VAT and deductible input VAT amounts use the BMF monthly euro average rate unless the tax office permits documented daily-rate conversion.
A one-off invoice maker is enough when you need a single German VAT invoice, already know the buyer details, and can confirm the VAT treatment before sending. It fits a simple service bill with one currency, one tax rate, and a clear payment term. If no payment time is specified, German civil law allows performance to be demanded immediately, with default rules applying at the latest 30 days after due date and invoice receipt.
A managed workflow matters when billable time, project costs, approvals, and invoice status need to stay connected. Everhour Reporting turns logged time, budgets, costs, and project data into customizable reports with columns, grouping, filters, date ranges, exports, and scheduled email delivery. That gives teams a record behind the invoice, instead of a document that stands apart from the work it charges for.
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A German VAT invoice must show either the supplier's Steuernummer issued by the tax office or the USt-IdNr. issued by the Federal Central Tax Office. The buyer's details still matter because the invoice also needs the recipient's full name and address. Use the identifier that matches the supplier record used for tax reporting.
A PDF is not a German e-invoice under the rules that began on January 1, 2025. A German e-invoice must use a structured electronic format that enables electronic processing. During the transition, many issuers can still use other invoice types through December 31, 2026, with an extension through December 31, 2027 for issuers with prior-year turnover up to €800,000.
Use 19% for supplies subject to Germany's standard VAT rate and 7% only for specified reduced-rate categories. If an exemption applies, the invoice should include the exemption note rather than a VAT amount. The invoice should also split taxable amounts by tax rate or exemption so the VAT total is easy to review.
German is the official language of tax proceedings. Revenue authorities may require a prompt translation of foreign-language documents, including notarised or sworn translations in justified cases. An English invoice can still create practical review friction, especially when the tax office, accountant, or customer needs German-language support for the invoice record.
State the payment due date directly if the contract sets one. If no payment time is specified, performance may be demanded immediately. A debtor is in default at the latest 30 days after due date and invoice receipt, with default interest of 5 percentage points above the base rate, or 9 percentage points above the base rate for transactions where no party is a consumer.
Everhour Reporting lets teams build reports from logged time, budgets, costs, and project data using 45+ columns, filters, grouping, date ranges, and exports. A team can keep the time and cost record behind a German invoice in one reportable place before finance finalizes the client document.
Use Everhour Reporting to connect tracked work, costs, budgets, and invoice support records, then export the details finance needs for cleaner billing follow-up.
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