E-invoice (ZUGFeRD / Factur-X)
How SimpliServ turns your invoices into EN16931-compliant e-invoices automatically – and which requirements must be met for it.
→ Open invoices · Open company data
An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured, machine-readable format. SimpliServ generates it to the ZUGFeRD / Factur-X standard (profile EN16931, "Comfort"): the usual invoice PDF becomes a hybrid document into which a machine-readable CII XML is additionally embedded. Recipients still see the familiar PDF, while their accounting software reads the structured data out directly.
There's no on/off switch. SimpliServ tries to embed an e-invoice automatically on every invoice. If an invoice doesn't meet the requirements, it's output silently as a normal PDF – there's no error message and sending doesn't stop. So you don't have to enable e-invoices, you just have to make sure the requirements are met.
Requirements
For an invoice to become an e-invoice, all of the following must be met:
- VAT ID stored – The seller's VAT ID (BT-31) is mandatory for EN16931. If it's missing from the company data, an e-invoice is never generated. Businesses not registered for VAT therefore produce no e-invoices at all.
- Complete company data – Company name, address line 1, postcode, city and country must be filled in. If something is missing, SimpliServ points it out at the top of the company-data page with the warning "E-invoice data incomplete" and the specific missing fields. Details see Company & organisation.
- Finalized invoice with a number – Drafts without an invoice number don't qualify. Only the finalized, open invoice carries an e-invoice.
- Status "Open" – Only the open (ready-to-send) invoice becomes an e-invoice. Drafts and statuses already set otherwise are skipped.
- Regular invoice – Classic invoices and estimate/diagnosis-fee invoices from estimates qualify. Receipts / POS receipts are excluded – they aren't e-invoices.
The VAT ID isn't the same as the tax number. Enter it in the company data in the VAT ID field. Email address and IBAN/BIC aren't mandatory but are taken over into the e-invoice if present.
Arithmetic requirements
So the embedded XML stays mathematically valid (the BR-CO rules of EN16931), SimpliServ additionally checks:
- Amounts add up – The sum of the line net amounts must equal the net subtotal, and subtotal + tax must equal the total (tolerance 1 cent).
- Positive quantities – Every line needs a quantity greater than 0.
- No total discount – A discount on the whole invoice (a document discount) can't currently be represented and prevents the e-invoice. Line discounts are fine – only the discount on the total.
If you apply a total discount to an invoice, it falls back to a normal PDF (no e-invoice). If you want to keep the e-invoice, deduct the discount on the individual line items instead.
Cancellation invoices
If you cancel an invoice, SimpliServ automatically produces a credit note in the e-invoice sense (document type 381) for the cancellation invoice, which references the original invoice. Here too the above requirements must be met.
Where is the e-invoice?
The XML is firmly embedded into the PDF at the time of archiving (PDF/A-3 format). That way the archived and the emailed invoice carry the structured data within them – the recipient's software extracts it automatically. A pure preview doesn't necessarily contain the XML; what counts is the finalized, archived or sent document.
Whether a PDF contains an e-invoice can be recognized e.g. with a ZUGFeRD/Factur-X viewer or by the fact that the recipient's accounting software reads the invoice in automatically. The profile used is EN16931 (Comfort) – the widely accepted B2B profile in Germany.
How to ensure your invoices are e-invoices
Check the VAT ID & company data
Open Administration → Company → Company data and make sure no "E-invoice data incomplete" warning appears. In particular, enter the VAT ID.
Finalize the invoice
Create the invoice as usual and finalize it so it gets an invoice number and status Open. See Invoices.
Avoid a total discount
Don't apply a discount across the whole invoice. If you need a reduction, apply it per line item.
Send or archive
On sending or archiving, SimpliServ embeds the e-invoice automatically – with no further action.
Further reading
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