How to create an invoice in Germany


When creating invoices as a freelancer or small business owner you have to follow a specific set of rules, this is necessary to get your invoices accepted by the tax authorities.
There are 8 mandatory details you need to have on your invoice to claim pre-tax and make it a valid invoice.

  • Name and address of your company
  • Name and address of your customer
  • VAT identification number, in case you're exempt from VAT your tax id
  • Creation date of the invoice
  • Ongoing and unique invoice number
  • The amount and description of the goods delivered or type service
  • Date of the delivery or timespan of the service
  • Net value as well as the used VAT and the gross value

Highlights important parts on a German invoice sample

Additional informations


There are additional informations you might want to add. It can be useful to add the word "Invoice" on your invoice to mitigate possible discussions later on when your customer thinks it was an offer or a delivery note. Further it's useful to have you contact details like email address or phone number on it in case your customer has further questions.

Due date and payment options


To get paid quicker we advice to put a due date on the invoice. According to the BGB your customer have to pay within 30 days otherwise you can send them a reminder. Further don't forget to put your bank details on the invoice plus let your customer know if there are any other options on how to pay you as an example via PayPal.

In case you don't want to worry too much about all the details, don't hesitate to download InvoiceBot from the AppStore. We take care about all the technicalities and you can focus on your work instead

The best app for your business


Downloading and creating an account only takes a minute and in two minutes you’ll be sending your first invoice.