Create XRechnung Invoices Online for Free

Build a valid XRechnung step by step, Leitweg-ID included

Invoice Details

Number, dates and how you want to be paid

Seller (From)

Your company, as it appears on the invoice

Buyer (To)

Who receives and pays the invoice

Line Items

Products and services, one per line. Totals update as you type.

Totals

Calculated automatically from your line items

Tax Breakdown
Category Net Amount Tax Rate Tax Amount
Total (Net)
Total (VAT)
Grand Total
Add to this invoice

Output Settings

Make the invoice yours. Unlock with Premium
Archiving your invoices needs an account. Sign Up ยท Sign In
Missing field? Contact us XRechnung XML · KoSIT rules
Meets the standards EN 16931 ZUGFeRD / Factur-X XRechnung KoSIT GoBD Archive PDF/A-3

How It Works

From empty form to a valid XRechnung in three steps.

Step 1

Enter Parties and Leitweg-ID

Add your company data, the authority's address, and the Leitweg-ID you received from the contracting authority.

Step 2

Add Items and VAT

List the invoiced products or services; net totals, VAT groups, and the gross amount update as you type.

Step 3

Download the XRechnung XML

Review the summary and download a standalone XRechnung XML, validated against EN 16931 and the German CIUS.

Create XRechnung Invoices in Your Browser

Public-sector buyers reject anything that is not a valid XRechnung. This generator produces exactly what they expect, Leitweg-ID included.

Built Around the Leitweg-ID

The buyer reference (BT-10) has its own field with the Leitweg-ID pattern, so the one detail authorities insist on cannot be forgotten.

CIUS Rules Applied

The XML is checked against EN 16931 plus the German XRechnung rules before download, the same checks public portals run on receipt.

German VAT Preset

Pick 19%, 7%, or exempt per line and the totals and VAT breakdown compute themselves while you type.

Prefill from an Existing Invoice

Upload a PDF or XML invoice and the AI reads the parties, amounts, and line items into the form, so you only add the Leitweg-ID.

How to Create an XRechnung

Public authorities in Germany do not accept PDF invoices: federal, state, and municipal buyers require an XRechnung, a pure XML document following EN 16931 plus the German CIUS rules. The generator above produces exactly that file. Fill in the form once, add the Leitweg-ID, and download an XRechnung that passes the checks the portals run on submission.

The Leitweg-ID: the one field that trips everyone up

Every XRechnung to a public buyer must carry the recipient's Leitweg-ID in the buyer reference (BT-10). It identifies the authority's inbox on the invoice platform and follows the pattern {authority-id}-{optional-suffix}-{check-digit}. You get it from the contracting authority, usually with the order or in the contract; ask for it before you invoice, because a missing or malformed Leitweg-ID is the most common reason an XRechnung bounces.

What else the XRechnung requires

Beyond the usual EN 16931 core (parties, line items, VAT breakdown, payment details), the German CIUS expects an electronic address for both parties, a seller contact with phone or email, and payment via one of the permitted means codes. The form above carries all of these fields, and the generated XML is validated against the CIUS rules before you download it.

Invoicing a company instead of an authority?

Then you do not need an XRechnung. For B2B invoices the practical German format is ZUGFeRD: a normal-looking PDF with the same structured data embedded inside:

OZG-RE, state portals, or Peppol: how the file reaches the authority

Federal authorities receive through the OZG-RE platform (the older ZRE portal was switched off in September 2025), most states through their own platforms, and a growing number accept delivery over the Peppol network. The XML is identical in all cases; only the transport differs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers for suppliers invoicing German public-sector buyers.

From the contracting authority you are invoicing: it identifies their inbox on the federal or state invoice platform. Ask for it before you issue the invoice; without it the XRechnung will be rejected.
Yes. The generator produces XRechnung conforming to EN 16931 plus the German CIUS rules, which is what the federal platform (OZG-RE) and the state portals validate on submission.
XRechnung is pure XML for public-sector recipients; ZUGFeRD is a PDF with embedded XML for B2B. Invoicing a company instead? Use the ZUGFeRD generator.
Yes. Upload a PDF or XML invoice and the AI reads the parties, amounts, and line items into the form; you only add the Leitweg-ID.
CII by default; premium accounts can switch to UBL. Both syntaxes are valid XRechnung as long as the German CIUS rules pass.
Creating XRechnung invoices is free within the daily allowance. Premium adds unlimited use and drafts.
GoBD Archive

Issuing e-invoices? You must archive them properly.

Since 2015, the GoBD, the tax office's rules for digital records, have applied to every business, freelancers included: digital invoices must be kept as the original file, unchanged, exportable and readable for the whole 8-year retention period. With the e-invoicing mandate a print no longer counts. Our archive takes care of it for you.

  • Every invoice stored exactly as it arrived: XML, PDF or photo
  • Locked against changes, so nothing can be altered afterwards
  • A second copy in another German data centre
  • Find any invoice by date and export it with an index for your tax advisor
  • Team access: several team members can work in the same archive
  • No ERP, no installation: right next to your e-invoicing tools
PDF → ZUGFeRD

Let your PDFs become compliant e-invoices on their own.

Stop retyping supplier invoices. The assistant scans your PDF, works out its layout and hands back a validated ZUGFeRD file that satisfies XRechnung and the German e-invoicing mandate.

  • OCR and AI read it for you
  • Fields mapped to UN/CEFACT CII for you
  • EN 16931 checks come built in
Convert a PDF invoice
INVOICE.PDF
<rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice>
<ram:ID>INV-0042</ram:ID>
<ram:IssueDateTime>2026-05-08
<ram:SellerTradeParty>
…
<ram:GrandTotalAmount>1240.00
</rsm:CrossIndustryInvoice>
Passed EN 16931 No errors · no warnings
Built for the German mandate

One toolkit for ZUGFeRD and XRechnung

Every German business has had to accept e-invoices since January 2025. Both formats are covered here.

ZUGFeRD or XRechnung? Let the assistant pick the tool Tell the chat what you need: it converts, checks, builds, and reads out German e-invoices. Open assistant

Create

Fill one form, get a ZUGFeRD PDF or an XRechnung with Leitweg-ID

Check & repair

Test against EN 16931 and the XRechnung CIUS, then fix what a buyer rejected

Convert

Move an invoice between PDF, CII, UBL and XRechnung

Open & extract

Open a file, see what is inside it, and take the data with you

Look up & automate

Check who you are invoicing, or move the whole flow to an API
Ready for mandatory e-invoicing?

Make every invoice compliant, in a single message

Subscribe to get unlimited tools, choosable compliance profiles and the full set of premium features.

EN 16931 & PDF/A-3b compliant Results in seconds No installation GoBD-compliant archive
1 free tool use per hour · No card required