Invoices and payslips in Germany, without speaking German

Who this guide is for

This guide is for people who run a business in Germany but find German paperwork hard: freelancers, tradespeople, cleaning and transport companies, shops and small agencies. Maybe you speak German well enough with customers, but the words on an invoice, a reminder or a payslip are a different language again.

German rules are strict about invoices, and mistakes cost money: a business customer will ask for a corrected invoice before paying if a required detail is missing, and the tax office may not accept it. The good news is that you do not have to master the German to get it right. You need a program that knows the rules and writes the German for you.

What you can do in English in RechnoX

In RechnoX you switch the whole web app to English, Russian or Polish under Settings → Language. Every screen, button, hint and error message is then in your language. What goes out to German customers and employees stays in correct German.

What is not translated yet: the Android app is in German, and dunning letters and payslips are always in German. Emails that RechnoX sends to you are in German or English.

How RechnoX writes the German for you

A German invoice is mostly fixed words: "Rechnung", "Rechnungsnummer", "Leistungsdatum", "Nettobetrag", "Umsatzsteuer 19 %", "Gesamtbetrag", "Zahlbar bis". RechnoX prints all of these itself. You fill in your customer, the date and the items in English screens; the PDF your customer receives is in German.

The hardest part are the legal sentences that some invoices must carry. You pick the situation from a list in your language, and RechnoX adds the German sentence the law requires:

Which situation applies to a sale, and which VAT rate, RechnoX does not decide for you: if in doubt, ask your tax advisor once, and RechnoX handles the wording from then on.

The only German you type yourself is the description of what you sold. A tip: enter your regular products and services once as items with a good German description (ask someone once, or use a translator), and from then on pick them from the list. Invoice numbers run on automatically, so none is used twice.

What a German invoice must contain

An invoice to another business in Germany needs ten details, listed in § 14 (4) UStG. Eight of them belong on practically every invoice, two only in special cases. RechnoX has a field for each one and fills most of them from your settings and your customer's data:

1. Your full name and address and those of your customer
2. Your tax number (Steuernummer) or your VAT ID (USt-IdNr.)
3. The date of the invoice (Rechnungsdatum)
4. A unique, sequential invoice number (Rechnungsnummer)
5. Quantity and type of goods, or scope and type of the service
6. The date of delivery or service (Leistungsdatum), also when it is the same as the invoice date
7. The net amount, split by VAT rate, and any discount agreed in advance
8. The VAT rate and the VAT amount, or the reason why there is no VAT
9. Only for work connected with a building or property done for private persons: a note that they must keep the invoice for two years
10. Only if your customer writes the invoice for you (self-billing): the word "Gutschrift"

For invoices up to 250 euros in total, fewer details are enough (§ 33 UStDV). An invoice to another business must be issued within six months of the service (§ 14 (2) UStG).

Here is what a typical invoice from RechnoX looks like, with the German on the left and its meaning on the right:

VAT: 19 %, 7 % or none

The standard VAT rate in Germany is 19 %; a reduced rate of 7 % applies, for example, to most food and books. In German, VAT is called Umsatzsteuer (USt.) or Mehrwertsteuer (MwSt.).

If your turnover was at most 25,000 euros last year and stays at most 100,000 euros this year, you can be a small business (Kleinunternehmer) under § 19 UStG. Then you charge no VAT and the invoice must say why. Switch this on once in RechnoX and every invoice carries the right sentence. Read more in German: Kleinunternehmerregelung.

When you work for businesses in other EU countries, VAT is usually paid by your customer (reverse charge). The invoice then needs your customer's VAT ID and the note shown above. The German guide on reverse charge explains the cases.

E-invoices: what changed in 2025

An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured data format such as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD. A PDF sent by email is not an e-invoice in this sense (§ 14 (1) UStG).

• Receiving: since 1 January 2025 every business in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices from other German businesses, small businesses included.
• Sending: between German businesses, paper and PDF invoices are allowed until 31 December 2026. For 2027, this applies only if your turnover in the previous year was at most 800,000 euros (§ 27 (38) UStG). After that, invoices to German businesses must be e-invoices.
• Private customers can still get a normal PDF invoice.

RechnoX creates every invoice as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD on request, in all plans. To read an e-invoice you received, use the free e-invoice viewer (in German).

Getting paid: payment terms and reminders

Put a clear due date on every invoice, for example 14 days. If the customer does not pay, a polite payment reminder (Zahlungserinnerung) usually works; after that comes a formal reminder (Mahnung). RechnoX shows you which invoices are overdue and creates the German reminder letter with one click.

A business customer who pays late owes default interest of 9 percentage points above the base rate, plus a flat fee of 40 euros; for private customers it is 5 points (§ 288 BGB). The German late-payment interest calculator works out the amount.

Receipts, your tax advisor and DATEV

Most small businesses in Germany have a tax advisor (Steuerberater), and most tax advisors work with DATEV. Your job is to deliver complete invoices and receipts (Belege). The advisor does the bookkeeping, the VAT returns and the annual tax return.

Accounting documents such as invoices and receipts must be kept for eight years (§ 147 (3) AO), and in a way that cannot be changed afterwards. You photograph a receipt or upload it as a PDF, RechnoX reads the amount, date and supplier and suggests the matching bank transaction from DATEV. RechnoX keeps your invoices and sends invoices and receipts directly into DATEV Unternehmen online, where your advisor finds them without a shoebox of paper. Your advisor can also get free access to RechnoX, ask questions about a receipt and request missing documents. You read and answer in English, your advisor in German.

What RechnoX does not do: it has no connection to your bank, keeps no ledger of its own and files no tax returns.

Employees: payroll and payslips

If you employ people in Germany, you pay at least the minimum wage: 13.90 euros an hour in 2026. A mini-job (Minijob) may pay up to 603 euros a month in 2026; above that, up to 2,000 euros, is a midi-job with reduced employee contributions (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). Every month you calculate wage tax (Lohnsteuer) and social security contributions, give each employee a payslip (Lohnabrechnung) and send reports to the tax office and the health insurance funds.

In the Pro plan, RechnoX does the calculation for you, with screens in your language:

• wage tax according to the official calculation of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF),
• social security for full-time and part-time staff, mini-jobs and midi-jobs,
• a German payslip as PDF for each employee,
• the figures for the wage tax return and the social security reports, as a checklist.

RechnoX does not pay the wages and does not submit the reports: you enter them in Mein ELSTER and the SV-Meldeportal, or your tax advisor does it. Many tax advisors also run payroll themselves; ask yours which way suits you.

German words you will meet

What RechnoX costs

The Start plan is free for up to 5 invoices a month, with e-invoices, quotes, reminders, the DATEV transfer and access for your tax advisor. Basis costs 5 euros a month for up to 50 invoices and recurring invoices. Pro costs 15 euros a month with unlimited invoices, payroll, invoice retrieval from supplier portals and team access. You do not need a credit card to start, and every plan is available in English, Russian and Polish.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak German to use RechnoX?

No. The whole web app can be switched to English, Russian or Polish under Settings, including invoices, quotes, reminders, receipts and payroll. Only what leaves the program for German recipients is in German: invoices, reminders and payslips. RechnoX writes that German text for you.

Does an invoice in Germany have to be in German?

No law requires German. The tax office may ask for a translation of a document in another language (§ 87 (2) AO), and German customers expect German. That is why RechnoX prints invoices in German by default. For customers abroad you can set English as the document language.

What do I have to type in German myself?

Only the description of what you sold, for example "Malerarbeiten Wohnzimmer, 32 m²". Save your products and services once as items with a German description, then pick them for every invoice. Headings, field names, totals and the VAT notes come from RechnoX.

Can I pay my employees through RechnoX?

RechnoX calculates the payroll in the Pro plan: wage tax according to the official BMF calculation, social security, mini-jobs and midi-jobs. You get German payslips as PDF and the figures for the monthly reports. RechnoX does not transfer money and does not file the reports itself: you or your tax advisor submit them.

Does RechnoX do my bookkeeping or tax return?

No. RechnoX writes invoices, collects receipts and passes them to your tax advisor in DATEV. Bookkeeping, the VAT return and the annual tax return are done by your tax advisor. RechnoX has no access to your bank account.

Is RechnoX free?

The Start plan is free for up to 5 invoices a month, without a credit card. Basis costs 5 euros a month for up to 50 invoices; Pro costs 15 euros a month with unlimited invoices and payroll.