E-invoicing
E-invoicing with Odoo – in good time before 1 January 2027
From 1 January 2027, companies whose total turnover exceeded €800,000 in the previous year must issue invoices to domestic businesses in Germany as e-invoices. From 2028 this applies to everyone. We check what your system is missing and set up format, Peppol, incoming invoices and archiving in Odoo.
- Ruetech issues its own invoices as e-invoices.
- We have set up Odoo e-invoicing for clients in Germany and abroad.
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Deadlines
Deadlines in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the EU
The table gives a source for each deadline and highlights the two German issuance dates. As of: 27 September 2026
| Date | Country | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.01.2014 | Austria | E-invoices to the federal government mandatory (Section 5 IKT-Konsolidierungsgesetz) | [1] |
| 01.01.2016 | Switzerland | E-invoices to the federal administration above a contract value of CHF 5'000 | [2] |
| 27.11.2020 | Germany | Federal public contracting authorities: mandatory for suppliers (Sections 3(1), 11(3) ERechV) | [3] |
| 01.01.2022 | Baden-Württemberg | Public contracting authorities of the state of Baden-Württemberg: mandatory for suppliers | [4] |
| 01.10.2022 | Switzerland | QR-bill is the only payment slip (a payment part, not an EN 16931 e-invoice) | [5] |
| 01.01.2025 | Germany | Business to business: all domestic businesses must be able to receive e-invoices | [6] |
| 14.04.2025 | EU | ViDA directive in force | [7] |
| 09/2025 | Germany | Federal government: OZG-RE is the only platform (ZRE switched off at the end of 2025) | [8] |
| 01.09.2026 | France | Reception for all companies; issuance for large companies and ETIs | [9] |
| 31.12.2026 | Germany | End of transition rule Section 27(38) no. 1 UStG (paper or PDF for everyone) | [10] |
| 01.01.2027 | Germany | Issuance mandatory if prior-year total turnover exceeded €800,000 | [10] |
| 01.09.2027 | France | Issuance for SMEs and micro-enterprises | [9] |
| 31.12.2027 | Germany | End of transition rules no. 2 (turnover up to €800,000) and no. 3 (EDI) | [10] |
| 01.01.2028 | Germany | Issuance mandatory for all domestic businesses | [10] |
| 01.07.2030 | EU | ViDA: digital reporting and e-invoicing for intra-EU business-to-business supplies | [7] |
| 01.01.2035 | EU | ViDA: national systems harmonised | [7] |
| currently | Austria | Business to business: no mandate, no draft law found | [11] |
| currently | Switzerland | Business to business: no mandate; paper, PDF and electronic invoices are equal for VAT purposes | [12] |
Sources
- [1] erechnung.gv.at: legal basis
- [2] Swiss Federal Council, press release of 8 October 2014
- [3] E-Invoicing Ordinance (ERechV)
- [4] service-bw.de: e-invoicing FAQ
- [5] SIX: QR-bill
- [6] Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 15 October 2024
- [7] European Commission: VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA)
- [8] e-rechnung-bund.de: ZRE/OZG-RE consolidation
- [9] impots.gouv.fr: calendar
- [10] Section 27(38) German VAT Act (UStG)
- [11] EY Austria, 18 August 2026
- [12] Swiss Federal Tax Administration, VAT Info 16
Scope
What we set up for you
We work through six steps, checking the outcome of each. The linked guides explain the details.
- 01
Readiness check
We review your current issuing, receiving and archiving processes, including credit notes and recurring invoices.
Every domestic business has had to be able to receive e-invoices since 1 January 2025.
Start the readiness check → - 02
Choice of format: XRechnung or ZUGFeRD
We choose the appropriate format for each recipient and store it in their customer record.
XRechnung and ZUGFeRD from version 2.0.1 qualify, except the MINIMUM and BASIC-WL profiles. Odoo generates ZUGFeRD only in the EXTENDED profile.
Guide: XRechnung or ZUGFeRD → - 03
Peppol registration
We test the Peppol connection in demo mode first, then register the database for live operation.
Odoo is a Peppol access point itself. Registration is free and also available in Odoo Community.
Guide: registering for Peppol in Odoo → - 04
Incoming invoices
The email alias and Peppol bring incoming invoices together as drafts in the purchase journal.
Odoo imports XML invoices without OCR credits. Only scanned PDFs use one credit per document.
Guide: automating incoming invoices → - 05
GoBD archiving (8 years)
We define where the XML file and the validation report are kept for eight years and who can access them.
At least the structured part must be kept intact in its original form (Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 15 October 2025, para. 60).
Guide: e-invoicing with Odoo → - 06
Training
Your accounting and sales teams practise reviewing and correcting invoices and issuing credit notes correctly.
A validation does not replace the recipient’s duty to check (letter of 15 October 2025, para. 35a).
Guide: e-invoicing with Odoo →
Who it affects
When the mandate applies to you
Mandatory from 1 January 2027
Companies with more than €800,000 turnover
If your total turnover in the previous calendar year exceeded €800,000, you must issue invoices to domestic businesses as e-invoices from 1 January 2027. Paper and PDF are then no longer sufficient.
Mandatory from 1 January 2028
All other companies
Up to €800,000 prior-year turnover you may still send paper or, with the recipient’s consent, PDF until 31 December 2027. From 1 January 2028 the issuance mandate applies to everyone. You already have to be able to receive e-invoices today.
France: 1 September 2026 and 2027
Companies with entities in France
In France all companies receive e-invoices since 1 September 2026; large companies and ETIs have issued them since then, SMEs from 1 September 2027. Odoo is on the French tax administration’s list of platform operators (as of 22 September 2026). We set up both mandates in one Odoo database with several entities.
Video course
E-invoicing in Odoo – video course (in preparation)
The planned short videos cover e-invoicing setup and checks in Odoo. Recordings are in preparation; we will announce the start date when the first lessons are ready.
Planned outline
- 1.Basics: What an e-invoice is, what it is not, and which deadlines apply to you.
- 2.Formats: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD and their profiles – and which format your customer expects.
- 3.Setup in Odoo: Format per customer, mandatory fields and Leitweg-ID for public authorities.
- 4.Peppol: Registration, demo mode and switching to live operation.
- 5.Incoming invoices: Email alias, XML import and checking incoming invoices.
- 6.Archiving: Keeping invoices intact for eight years – with the validation report.
Join the interest list
Webinar
In-depth session for finance and IT – date on demand
The webinar covers further questions from finance, accounting and IT. We will set a date once enough people have registered their interest.
Topics
- Input VAT deduction, format errors and the validation report (letter of 15 October 2025, paras. 6a and 35a)
- Recurring invoices and contracts (letter of 15 October 2024, paras. 44–46)
- Credit notes and corrections (letter of 15 October 2025, paras. 17, 51a and 51b)
- Invoices to public authorities: Leitweg-ID, OZG-RE and the Baden-Württemberg central invoice inbox
- Handover to the tax adviser: DATEV export from Odoo
Register interest
Try Odoo
Evaluate Odoo in a trial database or book it through Ruetech
You can try Odoo first or discuss licensing directly. E-invoicing is part of the standard functionality in either case.
Create an Odoo trial database
Odoo provides the free trial database at odoo.com. Ruetech is registered as your partner, with support available if you would like it.
Create an Odoo trial databaseBook Odoo through Ruetech
As an Odoo Silver Partner, we review user numbers, required apps and hosting with you, then coordinate the licence quote with Odoo.
Book Odoo through RuetechQuestions and answers
Frequently asked questions about e-invoicing
Every answer names its source. The answers do not replace tax advice. As of: 27 September 2026.
Is a PDF invoice an e-invoice?
No. A PDF file without embedded structured data is an “other invoice” (Federal Ministry of Finance letter of 15 October 2024, para. 7). An e-invoice is issued, transmitted and received in a structured electronic format (Section 14(1) UStG). ZUGFeRD is a PDF with an embedded XML file; the XML data are the leading part (para. 31).
Do I have to be able to receive e-invoices even if I do not send any yet?
Yes. Since 1 January 2025 every domestic business must be able to receive e-invoices; there is no transition period for this. An email inbox is sufficient (letter of 15 October 2024, paras. 40 and 62). This also applies to small businesses under the Kleinunternehmer rule.
Do businesses need a Leitweg-ID?
Not between businesses: according to the ministry FAQ, B2B e-invoices generally need no Leitweg-ID. Invoices to public authorities, however, carry the authority’s Leitweg-ID in field BT-10 (Section 5(1) no. 1 ERechV). The supplier needs no Leitweg-ID of its own. From Odoo 20, Odoo takes the Leitweg-ID from the customer record into the XRechnung.
How must an e-invoice be retained?
For eight years (Section 14b UStG). At least the structured part must be kept so that it remains intact in its original form (letter of 15 October 2025, para. 60). Storage outside a GoBD-compliant system is not, for VAT purposes alone, an infringement (ibid.).
Do credit notes also have to be e-invoices?
Yes. The rules also apply to self-billing credit notes under Section 14(2) sentence 5 UStG (letter of 15 October 2025, para. 17). A correction must itself be an e-invoice with a specific and unambiguous reference to the original invoice (letter of 15 October 2024, para. 57). Cash discounts and other reductions under Section 17 UStG need no correction (letter of 15 October 2025, para. 51a).
What are the risks for input VAT deduction with faulty e-invoices?
An other invoice issued where an e-invoice was mandatory does not in principle entitle the recipient to deduct input VAT (letter of 15 October 2024, para. 56). A correction by e-invoice with an unambiguous reference applies retroactively (para. 57). Format errors turn the file into an other invoice (letter of 15 October 2025, para. 6a). You may rely on the technical result of a validation; keeping the validation report as evidence is advisable (para. 35a).
Does the mandate also apply to invoices abroad?
The German issuance duty applies when supplier and recipient are both established in Germany (Section 14(2) sentence 2 no. 1 UStG). Entities abroad follow the law of their country: in France all companies receive e-invoices since 1 September 2026 and SMEs issue them from 1 September 2027. Austria and Switzerland currently have no B2B mandate. EU-wide, e-invoicing for intra-EU business-to-business supplies follows from 1 July 2030 (ViDA).
Does Odoo Community support XRechnung and ZUGFeRD, or only Enterprise?
XRechnung and ZUGFeRD/Factur-X are generated by the module account_edi_ubl_cii, which is part of Community in versions 17 to 20. Peppol registration is also available and free in Community. Odoo generates ZUGFeRD only in the EXTENDED profile. The DATEV export, by contrast, comes with the Enterprise module l10n_de_reports (according to Odoo’s documentation and source code, as of September 2026).
Introduce e-invoicing with Odoo – before 1 January 2027
From 2027, companies with more than €800,000 prior-year turnover must issue e-invoices in Germany, from 2028 all of them. We check where you stand and set up format, Peppol, incoming invoices and archiving in Odoo.
Or call us directly: +49 170 3058441
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