In the following Help Centre article, we want to inform you about the German XRechnung and how to create an XRechnung with Zervant.
An XRechnung is an XML file containing all the information of an invoice in a machine-readable format. Once uploaded to a software, the information from the XML file will be imported into the recipient’s software without manual intervention, reducing labour costs and potential human mistakes. From the 27th November 2020 onwards, all companies in Germany sending invoices to public sector entities must send them as XRechnung.
There are two ways to send an XRechnung depending on the recipient:
From a Zervant account, any user (Free or Premium) can generate an XRechnung invoice by either downloading it and sending it by their own means, or sending the file directly by email from Zervant:
1. Create a new invoice and fill out the information
2. Important: The Buyer's reference (Leitweg-ID in German) is mandatory for any XRechnung. This code is given by the recipient. You can add the Buyer's reference from the right-hand panel of your invoice editor (>Settings >Visible references).
3. Check your invoice by clicking >Preview on the upper right corner.
4. Click >Approve and send and choose from the following options to create your XRechnung:
By email oder Download XRechnung
5. Selecting >By email will open a new window as usual when sending an invoice.
6. Select the option >XRechnung + PDF invoice. Your recipient will receive your invoice attached as PDF as well as the XRechnung file in an XML-format.
5. When selecting >Download XRechnung, your XRechnung as XML-file will be automatically downloaded to your computer/laptop. Afterwards, you will be forwarded to the tab >Invoices to overview all your invoices.
6. You can forward the XRechnung as XML-file to your recipient.
After approving an invoice, you can also download an XRechnung or send it to your recipient (please ensure the Buyer's reference is included).
Choose your invoice from the tab >Invoices and select from the upper right menu >More >Download XRechnung.
If you have not sent your invoice yet, you can do so from the same menu selecting >More >Send by email.