Invoice template: 2025 requirements and free Word, Excel, PDF downloads
Diana
Updated on:
Jun 3, 2025
What information is required on invoices?
Must-have invoice fields:
Supplier’s full name & address
Customer’s full name & address
Supplier tax number or VAT ID
Issue date (invoice date)
Delivery/performance date (if different)
Unique, sequential invoice number
Quantity & description of goods/services
Net amount per line and total
Applicable VAT rate(s) & VAT amount
Gross total payable
Why invoices matter for German tax compliance
Under § 14 of the German VAT Act, an invoice that omits even one mandatory detail can invalidate your customer’s input tax deduction, triggering queries, penalties, or interest. A well-structured invoice hard-codes those details, keeps numbering sequences intact, and reduces copy-paste mistakes often occurring during audits.
Beyond content accuracy, invoices support audit-proof digital archiving in line with the GoBD record-keeping principles and pave the way for the upcoming shift to structured e-invoices. When you eventually migrate to e-invoicing, the same data points flow straight into XRechnung or ZUGFeRD without re-keying, saving time and ensuring consistency.
2025 B2B e-invoice mandate: what changed on 1 Jan 2025?
From 1 January 2025, every German business must be able to receive EN 16931-compliant e-invoices (XRechnung or ZUGFeRD). Traditional PDF or paper invoices are no longer guaranteed to be accepted for domestic B2B transactions.
Roll-out timetable for issuing e-invoices
Jan 2025–Dec 2026: Transitional period—PDF still allowed if the recipient agrees.
From 1 Jan 2027: Mandatory issuance for businesses with > 800k € annual turnover.
From 1 Jan 2028: Mandatory issuance for all remaining businesses.
Using a robust template today means you already capture the exact data elements required by the Growth Opportunities Act for e-invoice files, making the leap to e-invoicing virtually friction-free.
Get your free invoice templates (Word, Excel, PDF)
Skip the design work and start billing faster. Our free invoice-template bundle includes fully formatted Word, Excel, and PDF files designed for German tax rules, ready for 2025’s e-invoice transition. Drop in your company details, add line items, and hit “Save as PDF”.
Download in 10 seconds— for free, no watermarks. No spam, no credit card—just pro-level invoice templates you can use today.
Do you want a free e-invoice creator without sign up? We've built a 100% free e-invoice maker. No sign up, no watermarks, no BS. Download a compliant e-invoice for free!
Step-by-step: How to write a legally compliant invoice in Germany
Creating an invoice that satisfies § 14 UStG isn’t difficult once you follow a repeatable checklist. Work through the four blocks below and you’ll cover every legal point—and be ready for the 2025-to-2028 e-invoice roll-out.
Required seller & buyer details
German law expects you to identify both parties unambiguously:
Full company name and complete postal address for the seller and the buyer
Seller’s German tax number or EU VAT ID (USt-IdNr.)
Buyer’s VAT ID when you’re applying the intra-Community reverse-charge rule
Without these data, your customer risks losing their input tax deduction, and you risk penalties.
Unique invoice number & issue date
Every invoice needs a sequential, never-reused number plus the date you create it. Most SMEs use a pattern like 2025-06-0001 to keep numbers sortable and unique. The date of supply or service must also appear if it differs from the issue date.
Line-item structure, VAT rates, and totals
List each product or service on its own row with:
Description (what was sold)
Quantity/scope
Net price per unit
Net subtotal
Then show:
Net total for the invoice
Applied VAT rate(s)—usually 19 % or 7 %
VAT amount for each rate
Gross total payable
This exact layout matches the data blocks required for XRechnung or ZUGFeRD files, so you won’t need to re-enter anything when Germany’s e-invoice mandate takes full effect.
Smart tips to speed up the process
Automate numbers: Let your template or Norman’s billing module increment invoice numbers to avoid duplicates.
Save reusable details: Keep customer addresses and standard line items in a product library so you can quickly fill out an invoice.
Lock the PDF: Always send a non-editable PDF to preserve integrity (a GoBD requirement).
Archive for 8 years: Store the original file—PDF today, XML from 2027, for the whole retention period in a tamper-proof folder.
Preview before send: A 30-second check for missing VAT IDs or wrong totals prevents costly credit notes later.
Follow these steps and you will produce invoices that sail through audits—and migrate painlessly to full e-invoicing when you’re ready.
Is creating invoices in Word allowed? Pros, cons & compliance risks
Yes—German tax law does not forbid drafting an invoice in Microsoft Word or Excel. What matters is the final document you send and archive. A Word file that can be overwritten at any time fails the GoBD requirement for immutability, and therefore may be rejected in an audit. Exporting to PDF locks the content, but after 31 December 2026 (or 31 December 2027 for firms with ≤800k € turnover), even PDFs will lose their B2B validity unless they are embedded in an EN 16931-structured e-invoice (XRechnung or ZUGFeRD).
Word vs. Excel vs. PDF: format comparison
Format | GoBD Audit Risk | Can be altered after issue? | Acceptable B2B format after 2026 | Ideal use-case |
Word (.docx) | High—no changelog | Yes | ❌ | Drafting & internal editing only |
Excel (.xlsx) | High—formulas editable | Yes | ❌ | Calculations before export |
Static PDF | Medium—immutable but unstructured | No | ✅ until 31 Dec 2026 (2027 for ≤800k €) | Customer copy & archive |
e-Invoice (XML/PDF-A-3 with embedded XML) | Low—machine-readable & locked | No | ✅ permanent | Automated B2B compliance |
Key takeaway: Use Word/Excel only as stepping stones; always export to PDF today, and plan your switch to structured e-invoices before the transition window closes.
When a static template is no longer enough
The Growth Opportunities Act phases out “other invoices” in three waves:
1 Jan 2025 – 31 Dec 2026: You may still issue PDFs if the buyer agrees, but you must be able to receive e-invoices.
From 1 Jan 2027: Businesses that turned over >800k € in 2026 must issue e-invoices—PDFs no longer qualify.
From 1 Jan 2028: All businesses must issue e-invoices; unstructured PDFs and paper are out.
If your revenue or customer profile pushes you into wave 2, a static Word template won’t save you—switching to Norman’s free e-invoicing means your data flows straight from template to XRechnung without re-keying.
What does a fully compliant invoice look like? (Visual Breakdown)
Picture an A4 page divided into four logical zones—each mapped to the EN 16931 data model:
Header (top-left):
Your company logo, legal name, address, tax number/VAT ID
Customer’s name and address
Reference block (top-right):
Invoice No. (2025-06-0012)
Issue Date (03 June 2025)
Delivery Date or “Delivery date = invoice date” note
Body (centre):
Pos. | Description | Qty | Unit price | Net | VAT | Gross |
1 | Web-design sprint | 1 | €2 500 | €2 500 | 19 % | €2 975 |
Automatically subtotal nets, list each VAT rate with its base and tax, then show the grand gross total.
Footer (bottom):
Payment terms (e.g., “Payable within 14 days to IBAN DE12 3456 7890 1234 5678 90”)
Optional early-payment discount note
Full bank details & director names
Annotated sample
Using Norman’s built-in template, you can toggle between 19%, 7%, or 0% (§ 19 UStG) modes. The software auto-fills ZUGFeRD tags behind the scenes, ensuring every field above matches its digital twin.
Norman’s free e-invoicing: Future-proof your billing
Germany’s Growth Opportunities Act is phasing out “other” invoices (paper, plain PDFs) and making structured e-invoices the norm. Every business must receive EN 16931-compliant e-invoices from 1 Jan 2025, companies with a turnover of> 800k € must issue them from 1 Jan 2027, and all remaining firms follow on 1 Jan 2028.
Norman lets you skip the learning curve by sending fully compliant XRechnung or ZUGFeRD files for free—no limits, no watermarks.
One-click e-invoice (XRechnung/ZUGFeRD) generation
Click “Create Invoice” → enter details → done.
Norman auto-populates the XML with the data you entered in your template (seller, buyer, VAT lines, totals).
A human-readable PDF/A-3 copy rides inside the file so recipients can view it without special software.
Built on the same EN 16931 data model, Germany now requires, ensuring seamless acceptance by public authorities and all B2B partners.
Smart invoicing
Auto-pings: No need to chase your customers. Norman will ping your clients on overdue invoices automatically.
Recurring invoices: Create weekly or monthly invoices once.
Smart numbering engine: Sequential invoice numbers are created automatically, preventing accidental duplicates that could trigger an audit.
Rate guardrails: The system refuses to send an invoice unless 19%, 7%, or a valid 0% reason (§ 19 UStG, intra-Community supply, export) is selected—your compliance safety net.
How to migrate from templates to Norman in minutes
Upload old invoices so Norman can parse the data.
Brand it once—add logo, colours, payment footer—and store as your default.
Start sending free e-invoices.
From that moment, you’re not just beating the 2025–2028 deadlines—you’re billing faster, safer, and 100% free with Norman. Ready to future-proof your invoicing? Sign up and send your first e-invoice today.
FAQ
How do I create an invoice if I’m a small business in Germany?
Even if you benefit from the small-business regulation (§ 19 UStG), you must include every standard field (seller and buyer details, invoice date, sequential number, item list, totals). The only difference is a mandatory note such as: “No VAT shown according to § 19 UStG.”—and you leave the VAT columns at zero. A ready-made “small-business template” in our download pack already contains the wording so you can invoice in under a minute.
Can I still email PDFs after 2025?
Yes—with caveats. From 1 January 2025, you must be able to receive e-invoices (XRechnung or ZUGFeRD). You may send unstructured PDFs only if the recipient explicitly agrees and only until:
31 December 2026 – universal grace period
31 December 2027 – extra year for businesses whose 2026 turnover is ≤800.000 €
After your relevant deadline, every domestic B2B invoice you issue must be a structured e-invoice. Norman’s free one-click generator makes this transition painless.
How long must I store my invoices?
Both paper and electronic invoices must remain readable, unaltered, and quickly accessible for 10 full calendar years under the German Fiscal Code (§ 147 AO) and the GoBD guidelines. The retention clock starts at the end of the year the invoice was issued, so an invoice dated 3 June 2025 can be destroyed on 1 January 2034 at the earliest.
Conclusion
Using a structured invoice template today guarantees that every invoice—VAT or § 19 UStG, paper PDF or future-proof e-invoice—passes German tax scrutiny. Download our free template bundle, capture leads with the single-field form, and trial Norman’s zero-cost e-invoicing to stay ahead of the 2025-to-2028 roll-out. Ready to bill smarter? Grab your templates, sign up for Norman, and future-proof your cash flow in minutes.