If you create or send invoices in Accountable, you’ll sooner or later come across terms like XRechnung, ZUGFeRD or PEPPOL.<\/p>\n
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\ud83d\udc49 Important to know:<\/b><\/p>\n XRechnung and ZUGFeRD are formats for e-invoices<\/p>\n<\/li>\n PEPPOL is a network for sending these invoices<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n E-invoices are structured, machine-readable invoices that can be processed automatically. This saves you time, reduces errors, and makes accounting significantly more efficient.<\/p>\n Benefits include:<\/p>\n Fewer errors<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Faster processing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Simpler accounting<\/p>\n \n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Legal requirements \u2013 when do e-invoices become mandatory?<\/b><\/p>\n The following deadlines apply in Germany:<\/p>\n From 1 January 2025: All businesses must be able to receive e-invoices.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n From 1 January 2027: Businesses with a previous year’s turnover above \u20ac800,000 must also send e-invoices.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Until 31 December 2027: Businesses with turnover below \u20ac800,000 may still send paper or PDF invoices (with the recipient’s consent).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n From 1 January 2028: All businesses in the B2B sector must send e-invoices \u2013 without exception.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n ZUGFeRD combines a regular PDF (human-readable) with embedded XML data (machine-readable). In Accountable, you can choose to export your invoice as a ZUGFeRD PDF when creating it \u2013 making it directly processable for your customers.<\/p>\n \n Benefits<\/b><\/p>\n As easy to read as a regular PDF<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Machine-readable<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ideal for B2B invoices<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \ud83d\udca1 Tip:<\/b> When you create and send an invoice in Accountable, an e-invoice in ZUGFeRD format is automatically attached. You don’t need to do anything extra, just create your invoices as usual and all e-invoice requirements are taken care of.<\/p>\n XRechnung is an XML format that public authorities in Germany are required to use. In Accountable, you can create XRechnungen directly and export them as XML or send them straight away.<\/p>\n PEPPOL is not an invoice format \u2013 it’s a transmission network<\/b>. In Accountable, you can send invoices directly via PEPPOL, whether XRechnung or ZUGFeRD \u2013 and it works across Europe.<\/p>\n \n Important:<\/b> For PEPPOL delivery to work, your recipient also needs to be registered in the PEPPOL network<\/b>. This is already the case for many public authorities and larger companies, but not all. If in doubt, check with your customer beforehand.<\/p>\n Benefits<\/b><\/p>\n Secure delivery to authorities and businesses<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Automatic data transfer into your customer’s accounting system<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Particularly useful for international invoices<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Topic<\/p>\n<\/td>\n XRechnung<\/p>\n<\/td>\n ZUGFeRD<\/p>\n<\/td>\n PEPPOL<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Type<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Invoice format<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Invoice format<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Network<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Readability<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Machine-readable only<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Human + Machine<\/p>\n<\/td>\n \u2013<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Mandatory?<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Yes (for authorities)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n No<\/p>\n<\/td>\n No (but widely used)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Use case<\/p>\n<\/td>\n B2G (authorities)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n B2B<\/p>\n<\/td>\n B2G & B2B<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n File<\/p>\n<\/td>\n XML<\/p>\n<\/td>\n PDF + XML<\/p>\n<\/td>\n \u2013<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n
\nBackground: Why do e-invoices exist?<\/h2>\n
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\nZUGFeRD in Accountable<\/h2>\n
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\nXRechnung in Accountable<\/h2>\n
\nPEPPOL in Accountable<\/h2>\n
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\nDifferences at a glance<\/h2>\n
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\nWhen to use which format<\/h2>\n