Invoice with VAT under § 14 UStG (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
An invoice template with every particular § 14(4) of the German VAT Act (UStG) requires: both parties' names and addresses, tax number or VAT ID, invoice number and date, time of supply, quantity and type of goods or services, net amount, rate, tax and gross amount, plus payment terms and the default notice. On e-invoicing: between businesses in Germany a PDF is enough only until the end of 2026 (with the recipient's consent), and until the end of 2027 at up to €800,000 prior-year turnover; then an e-invoice is compulsory. To consumers a PDF stays allowed. In German.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Trader
- Trader's address
- Customer
- Customer's postal address (street and number, postcode and town)
- City
- Date
- Invoice number
- Time of supply (date or period)
- Business's tax number (Steuernummer) or VAT ID
- Customer's VAT number (for a business, where needed)
- Goods or services: description, quantity, unit price before VAT, any discount and value
- Amount before VAT
- VAT rate (%)
- VAT amount
- Total amount
- Payment terms
- Notes
- Due date
- IBAN
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- When is a PDF invoice to another business in Germany no longer enough?
- For invoices to businesses in Germany: since 2025 every business must be able to receive e-invoices. Until 31 December 2026 you may still issue paper invoices or, with the recipient's consent, PDF invoices. From 1 January 2027 businesses with prior-year turnover above €800,000 must issue e-invoices in the EN 16931 format (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD from 2.0.1), and from 1 January 2028 all must. Small businesses under § 19 UStG and invoices up to €250 remain exempt. Invoices to consumers and abroad are not affected.
- What must an invoice under § 14 of the German VAT Act contain?
- Your and the customer's full name and address, your tax number or VAT ID, the date of issue, a sequential invoice number, the quantity and type of goods or services, the time of supply, the price broken down by tax rate with any reduction agreed in advance such as a cash discount, the rate and amount of tax, or a note of any exemption (§ 14(4) UStG). For supplies at 7 % and 19 %, give the net and tax amounts per rate in the items, or issue two invoices.
- Must an invoice in Germany be signed, and how long is it kept?
- No signature is required on an invoice; the signature line is optional. Since 2025 invoices must be kept for eight years, both those issued and those received (§ 147(3) AO, § 257(4) HGB); books and annual accounts are still kept for ten years.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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