ZUGFeRD Update (electronic Invoices in Germany)

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Many customers in Germany are currently interested in the topic of electronic invoices. With the MBS FileMaker Plugin and the DynaPDF functions, we can help you to implement this in FileMaker solutions.

ZUGFeRD

If you are looking into the topic of e-invoicing, then you should read on the website of the Forum elektronische Rechnung Deutschland what ZUGFeRD, what XRechnung and what Factur-XX is.

Then download the current standard: ZUGFeRD 2.3.2. In the download you will find the specification for ZUGFeRD (and Factur-X). There are also various code lists, schema files and many sample invoices.

Display e-invoices

The sending of electronic invoices still has two years to develop. But the first e-invoices could arrive by email or as a download from a website as early as January. Invoices in PDF format can of course still be viewed directly. But with an XML invoice (X-invoice) you would then need a program to display it. The Quba-Viewer for example, is suitable for this. The viewer allows you to check whether XML and PDF have the same content and pay the invoice.

DATEV Unternehmen online

For small companies, we recommend DATEV with the DATEV Unternehmen online solution. Especially if your tax consultant uses DATEV, you can upload, display and archive invoices here. This makes it easier for you to manage your paper file and you only have to pass on the paper receipts. Your tax advisor can view and post your PDF and XML invoices directly with DATEV.

Writing a few e-invoices

First of all, small businesses are exempt from e-invoicing under the Value Added Tax Act. In addition, sales of 250 euros or more to companies must be issued as e-invoices from 2027 or 2028. Invoices to non-entrepreneurs or abroad can, but do not have to, be sent as electronic invoices. A normal PDF would suffice here.

Consequently, if you only need to write a few invoices (as e-invoices), it may be advisable to use invoice writing software. For example, the program RechnungPro X for MacOS can write e-invoices. And all for a one-off cost of around 30 euros!

ERP Software

If you do not yet have ERP software to write your invoices, you can access various ready-made packages. Several of our customers use the MBS plugin to offer e-invoices in their software. For example, gFM-Business, advanter, onexio and many others offer e-invoices as part of their packages.

MBS Plugin

If you want to implement e-invoices according to the ZUGFeRD standard in a solution with FileMaker, the MBS plugins will help you. With the XML and DynaPDF functions, you can implement both creation and reading. You have two options:

  1. Without PDF/A converter
    You create the PDF from scratch with DynaPDF and save it as PDF/A.
    You only need the Lite version for this, but you must not import an existing PDF as a template.
  2. With PDF/A converter
    You have FileMaker (export data records as PDF) write a PDF. Then load this PDF into DynaPDF and output it as a PDF file together with the XML. For this you need DynaPDF Pro and the PDF/A extension, because FileMaker can't create a PDF/A directly.

With the download of the MBS FileMaker Plugin you will find some examples that show how to insert or read the XML into a PDF. Since last summer we also have examples to build the XML from records in FileMaker and an example to parse the XML back into fields. You are welcome to use the examples as a template for your implementation.

PS: Please have a look at the latest examples. 14.6pr1 has a few bugfixes and pr2 will probably get some too.

FileMaker Module

The developers Robert Herman and Armin Egginger are working on FileMaker modules. Robert presented his solution at the FMK. Armin has presented his current status at several regulars' tables. While our examples of the MBS plugin only implement the functionality, Armin has invested considerably more work in a general interface and has integrated the business rules for validation.

More information

Recently,FileMaker Magazin 5/2024 featured two articles on the topic of e-invoicing.

You can find more articles on the topic in our blog:

This is the English version of the German article here.

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